Yeah, every time I hear one of these bozos talking about "people don't want to change what this institution has been for hundreds of years," it makes me want to ask, "So then, I take it you think it's a bad idea that women don't give up all rights to their property when they get married? *That* was an important part of marriage for hundreds of years, too."
During the primaries for the 2000 election, Gary Bauer was on an NPR call-in show, and was asked why government is involved in the definition of marriage at all, and he answered something to the effect of "I guess it's because of government distributing benefits like Social Security..." The man *did not know* that marriage had been anything other than a religious institution before modern times, that the primary legal purpose of marriage for thousands of years was to define inheritance!
So it's worthwhile to remember that while these idiots need to be fought, a lot of them are monumentally ignorant, probably have no concept that marriage is anything other than a church wedding, and probably believe that gay marriage means "the government will force my church to do this."
And furthermore, as my good friend divalion once memorably ranted (though it doesn't seem to be accessible any more), spectacles like "Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire" do far more to "undermine" the institution of marriage than gay couples, and you don't hear the self-righteous railing against them. Kinda gives you a hint at what their real problem is, doesn't it?
"*That* was an important part of marriage for hundreds of years, too." Reminds me of something I just read - apparently one of the first groups to suggest that marriage ought to be at the couple's own choice, without consideration of "birth or portion" was a radical communist group called the Diggers. The rest of society was just about as shocked, SHOCKED at the implications of marriage without a dowry or parental arrangements or consideration of relative social status as Mr. Bauer is at the idea of gay marriage.
History of marriage
During the primaries for the 2000 election, Gary Bauer was on an NPR call-in show, and was asked why government is involved in the definition of marriage at all, and he answered something to the effect of "I guess it's because of government distributing benefits like Social Security..." The man *did not know* that marriage had been anything other than a religious institution before modern times, that the primary legal purpose of marriage for thousands of years was to define inheritance!
So it's worthwhile to remember that while these idiots need to be fought, a lot of them are monumentally ignorant, probably have no concept that marriage is anything other than a church wedding, and probably believe that gay marriage means "the government will force my church to do this."
And furthermore, as my good friend divalion once memorably ranted (though it doesn't seem to be accessible any more), spectacles like "Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire" do far more to "undermine" the institution of marriage than gay couples, and you don't hear the self-righteous railing against them. Kinda gives you a hint at what their real problem is, doesn't it?
Re: History of marriage
Reminds me of something I just read - apparently one of the first groups to suggest that marriage ought to be at the couple's own choice, without consideration of "birth or portion" was a radical communist group called the Diggers.
The rest of society was just about as shocked, SHOCKED at the implications of marriage without a dowry or parental arrangements or consideration of relative social status as Mr. Bauer is at the idea of gay marriage.