My point is that marriage is a legal contract, but why should it be so, if not for the benefit of the children, i.e. to promote stability in the relationship and in the case of a divorce, to ensure that their needs are met, both parents getting enough to support them etc. (obviously division of assets is done on a case by case basis, for couples without children for example or w/e, just talking on broad terms).
I'm feeling unloved Mr Name_Taken :[
First of all, let me just say two things:
1) The point of my initial comment was not to point out WHY people get married, but why homosexual marriage should be permitted.
Because on a whole, I agree with you and your questioning of what the legal contract of marriage is and means when it no longer holds religeous relevance.
The point I'm trying to make is, regardless of the significance of marriage as a religous ceremony, or as a civil union/legal contract, marriage as a symbol is deserved by all.
Which raises a question: If matrimonial union outside of what purist christians believe to be gods will is meaningless, what is their issue with homosexuals wanting to be able to claim it? If you believe that a union between a homosexual couple is not recognised as a mariage (Note: "the union between a MAN and a WOMAN under god") by god, then who is harmed by us using the word - as that is all it has become in your eyes, a word.
It seems the equivalent of saying that (in a world with infinite supply) that people who are healthy should not be permitted to eat well balanced diets, because you do not see a need for them too.
But we gays, see a point to our mariage (well... not me, but gays in general).
So why deny the healthy man his vegetables if he likes them?
2) What about my previous question on the whole OT/NT thing?
I'm feeling awfully unloved by your lack of an answer :[
P.S. About the quote above: you forget the rights of a married couple to make decisions for eachother when the other is deemed unnable to (ie: surgery in hospital) etc.
P.P.S. are those such rights included in civil partnerships (between homosexuals)? -I'm not interested in the whole gay marriage issue for myself (only out of sympathy for gays who do actually care) so I am uninformed on such things.