[Jim Noble]

The walls of traditional marriage were breached 40 years ago; what we are witnessing now is the storming of the last bastion.

This is exactly correct, and it's why the "traditional" marriage movement as presently defined is not going anywhere.

Saying that traditional marriage is defined as "one man and one woman", full stop, is so misleading as to be fundamentally false. Traditional marriage has three essentials:

1) It is permanent.

2) It is sexually exclusive, with penalties, both legal and social, for breach.

3) It is between one man and at least one woman. Many cultures limit marriage to one man and one woman, but not all.

When our society removed #1 and #2 from the definition of marriage, marriage was abolished.

What's left is a social welfare program. Who can blame the gays for wanting in?

[Rodm]

This article is Wrong, Wrong, Wrong! God instituted marriage at the beginning with Adam and Eve. Many cultures have perverted marriage, but the amazing thing is, marriage continues to exist and works best as designed by the Creator. Marriage as designed is a spiritual, emotional and physical union of one man and one woman.

Homosexuals have a perverted and rebellious view of God's design for marriage and family.

[Theo]

I will make him a helper comparable ...

"Comparable"? What version is that in? Seems to either be a mis-translation or intentional "mistake"?

[longtermmemmory]

You are wrong. as to your criteria under the law.

Marriage has always been with the following requirements

1. age of consent
2. not closer than first counsins
3. not married to another
4. One man and one woman, a breeding father/mother child raising pair.

Divorce has been permitted by many christian faiths all the way back to the begining. Even the code of Hamurabi contains provisions for divorce.

Tradtional marraige movemetns notion of permanent is absurd because the women's movement is using it now. Consider, how many IN marriage cheat, lie or outright steal from the marital relationship because the other partner "can't do anything about it." The wife/husband can have an outside sex parter because only the actuall money spent is an issue in distribution and then only sometimes.

The traditional marriage movement is going nowhere because it is not grounded in any reality outside of religion.

I am actually curious about "united methodist" religion, are they like the unitarians who do comitment ceremonies?

[Truthsayer20]

"Saying that traditional marriage is defined as "one man and one woman", full stop, is so misleading as to be fundamentally false. Traditional marriage has three essentials:

1) It is permanent.

2) It is sexually exclusive, with penalties, both legal and social, for breach.

3) It is between one man and at least one woman. Many cultures limit marriage to one man and one woman, but not all.

When our society removed #1 and #2 from the definition of marriage, marriage was abolished."

As others have pointed out on this thread, the New England Puritans considered marriage a dissolvable civil contract. Divorce was very much a reality in 17th century Massachusetts and elsewhere in New England. Your definition of "traditional marriage" is one of the Catholic tradition which has never been the norm in American Protestantism; the true religious tradition of America. Your "traditional marriage" was never a universal in America.