Alone Together, Again

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Nov 13, 2012, 6:04 PM UTC

anothermachine wrote: post #115

gcv wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let me ask a related and unpopular question: what purpose does marriage serve in today's world? For people with religious convictions, I understand: your god(s) hate you if you have relationships not sanctioned by your religious authorities. I am specifically asking about secular people in the US and Europe, who choose to enter a contract with the government about their personal lives. Is it taxes? It seems much easi…

> Companionship and love have nothing to do with a piece of paper filed with the local government. Commitment and accountability to the person how bears your children, or who supports you through medical school or your startup years, has everything to do with a piece of paper filed with the local government.

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Nov 13, 2012, 6:14 PM UTC

ctdonath wrote: post #113

gcv wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let me ask a related and unpopular question: what purpose does marriage serve in today's world? For people with religious convictions, I understand: your god(s) hate you if you have relationships not sanctioned by your religious authorities. I am specifically asking about secular people in the US and Europe, who choose to enter a contract with the government about their personal lives. Is it taxes? It seems much easi…

Contraception is, historically, a recent development. Without it, a man and a woman rather fond of each other tend to produce children; all involved, including society at large, have an interest in keeping those parents together - hence the institution of marriage. Strange how the obvious has been forgotten.

Post by _debug_ » Thu, Nov 15, 2012, 2:16 PM UTC

jacalata wrote: post #100

_debug_ wrote: post #96

> I packed up what was left, put all but necessities into storage. Sold my car. (Not directly related to the article, but) : In the West, is it always the husband that has to leave the house? I once saw a movie in which the husband comes home and discovers that he being offered a divorce, and the wife says, "Leave my home". She was a stay-at-home wife, and he was working. I found it odd that she refers to it "my home…

He says near the beginning that they were planning to move and the house was already on the market - both of them had to leave the house. It is not always true that the husband has to leave the house. 1. sometimes only one partner could afford the house on their own. It makes sense for them to be the one that stays. 2. if there are children, then where possible it can make life easier on them if the parent who gets c…