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Traditional marriage under fire: Who's really to blame?
The Houston Chronicle ^ | November 10, 2005 | Daniel Allott

Posted on 11/10/2005 12:28:27 PM PST by Wolf13

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To: brytlea

Excellent post


21 posted on 11/10/2005 1:02:13 PM PST by DenverGal
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To: HitmanNY

well for one thing, because it is easy to get a divorce and there is no social stigma attached to it, people enter into marriage more lightly. let's see how this works out, if it doesn't, no big deal, there's always divorce. THAT is how it impacts the institution of marriage, it cheapens it. Instead of entering into a lifelong commitment, it's a phase, something to give a whirl. there is a built in backdoor.


22 posted on 11/10/2005 1:03:33 PM PST by xsmommy
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To: Khankrumthebulgar
Men are insane to marry in this culture as they have zero reproductive rights, zero rights to Visitation in Divorce, and only liabilities.

I think that's very overstated. Millions of people get married and have stayed married. Men with an unusal fear of marriage are probably just fearful men on balance who don't have many takers, anyway.

I want to get married and have a family. I think the divorce laws are on balance fair and have no problem with dividing community property should I decide that I don't want my bride anymore (abandonment, adultery, or other good reasons) or if my bride decides she would rather play house with the UPS guy.

Fair is fair - anything I own becomes 1/2 hers when we get married. The corollary of that is that her half is still her half should we split up. My half is still my half, though. It's fair.

23 posted on 11/10/2005 1:05:06 PM PST by HitmanLV (Listen to my demos for Savage Nation contest: http://www.geocities.com/mr_vinnie_vegas/index.html)
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To: xsmommy

Some companies offer "spouse" benefits for unmarried couples (same sex as well as opposite sex).

Unmarried couples don't want to be stigmatized. The Sex Positive agenda marches on. No moral judgements over any sexual relationship regardless of age, sex, marital status, relation, number or species of partner. If it feels good, do it.

Well "free love" isn't free.


24 posted on 11/10/2005 1:05:16 PM PST by weegee (To understand the left is to rationalize how abortion can be a birthright.)
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To: Wolf13
This may not be new, but I came across this link recently.

http://acuf.org/issues/issue47/051102cul.asp

Bottom line: modern culture is destroying the very foundations of our society, including the sanctity of marriage.

25 posted on 11/10/2005 1:06:42 PM PST by Lou L
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To: xsmommy
Actually in my case and the case of some folks I know, its worked in the opposite direction - it's made them more mindful of the seriousness of the sacrament and the decision to get married.

What you are saying is basically valid but it doesn't follow that the fact that divorce exists undermines marriage. From a certain point of view, I look at the marriages that do work (most of them) as being more mature, flexible, and stronger than those who just gave up.*

*And sometimes, I have to say, giving up is the wise thing to do.
26 posted on 11/10/2005 1:07:12 PM PST by HitmanLV (Listen to my demos for Savage Nation contest: http://www.geocities.com/mr_vinnie_vegas/index.html)
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To: Wolf13

One cure for shacking up might be that parents stipulate in their will that any heir living in such a relationship will be disinherited. If the child dishonors their parent's moral code, he should forfeit the right to being considered a part of the family he rejected and should not expect an inheritance.


27 posted on 11/10/2005 1:07:48 PM PST by kittymyrib
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To: HitmanNY

that divorce exists doesn't undermine marriage, that divorce is no-fault, easy to get and quick and dirty, does. growing apart should not be grounds for divorce.


28 posted on 11/10/2005 1:09:55 PM PST by xsmommy
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To: xsmommy

I basically agree with you, but it's the best course in a set of possible courses.

There is a lot of downside with no-fault divorce. There is a lot of downside in crafting a policy that forces people who can't stand each other to stay together, too.

If I were a man with a positively dreadful bride, I think divorce should be one of my options. I think a woman with a perfectly dreadful hubby should have divorce as an option, too. What's the other fair alternative, given that there are problems with all the alternatives?


29 posted on 11/10/2005 1:14:01 PM PST by HitmanLV (Listen to my demos for Savage Nation contest: http://www.geocities.com/mr_vinnie_vegas/index.html)
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To: Wolf13
A majority of couples now live together before marrying,

That's incorrect.

30 posted on 11/10/2005 1:17:02 PM PST by A Ruckus of Dogs
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To: xsmommy
then, let me explain. growing up, none of my friend's parents were divorced

Of all the kids I went to school or played with, I only recall two having divorced parents. In one case, the husband was cheating, in the other, the husband was in jail.

31 posted on 11/10/2005 1:21:10 PM PST by A Ruckus of Dogs
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To: blaise
But, seriously, marriage is very personal. I really don't see how any "social force" or movement has an impact on how I CHOOSE to live.

I hope this doesn't come as a BFO...it's not always about you.

32 posted on 11/10/2005 1:21:42 PM PST by gogeo (Often wrong but seldom in doubt.)
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To: Khankrumthebulgar

Many will and are.


33 posted on 11/10/2005 1:23:04 PM PST by gogeo (Often wrong but seldom in doubt.)
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To: trebb
You don't believe that the left-wing "social movements" have contributed to the decline of personal responsibility and the institution of marriage? You don't think the left-wing "Lib" movements that cheapened sex into a fun experience to be shared by as many as possible and with no thought of responsibility (except the responsibility to abort the little inconveniences) has contributed to the decline of marriage?

I don't believe they have any power over ME and MY decisions. I don't subscribe to the belief that personal responsibility is "only for saps".

How much thought have you actually put into it, or is it all an "I don't like this " type of thing for you?

I have literally thought about such things for decades. And one of my conclusions is that if you THINK your behavior is controlled by outside forces, then, in fact, it IS.

When society gets nudged and pushed by a detemined group of institutions, like the liberals movement folks and the MSM, for decades, with little resistance because most decent folks had no real recourse to check all the lies they were being fed..

In my experience, people believe the lies they want to believe. What happens in MY marriage has nothing to do with society. One's faith and morals is much more influenced by one's upbringing, and those habits instilled when growing up. And then there are real decisions that the individual makes. My parents are saints, yet my brother went through a divorce... and I believe the responsibility lies with HIM. If he wants to blame "society" or "MSM" or whatever, then he can, he certainly can't credibly blame his upbringing.

We still get to make choices and suffer the consequences.

But I also know that personal responsibility is not so popular these days -

34 posted on 11/10/2005 1:23:15 PM PST by blaise
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To: HitmanNY
the answer is wait til you are grown and mature enough to marry and endeavor to know the person you are marrying before entering into it. the easy availability of divorce means that those two conditions are met prior to marrying.

no fault divorce is a modern convenience to allow you a do-over. if it weren't so readily available, if you really did have to prove fault, then people would think long and hard before entering into the marriage contract.

35 posted on 11/10/2005 1:25:57 PM PST by xsmommy
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To: xsmommy

I agree - I am 37 and want to marry but am in no rush to.

Most of the people I know who married before age 25 are either divorced or at least one partner is miserable. Most of the people I know who married past age 30+ are much more content and still together.

Most of the people in this evaluation are men, I have to admit. I don't know if thats important or not to point out.


36 posted on 11/10/2005 1:29:06 PM PST by HitmanLV (Listen to my demos for Savage Nation contest: http://www.geocities.com/mr_vinnie_vegas/index.html)
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To: HitmanNY
If I were a man with a positively dreadful bride, I think divorce should be one of my options

well for one thing, don't hook up with someone in vegas and go to an allnight wedding chapel, know who you are marrying so as to avoid a DREADFUL BRIDE ; ) (being as you live there)

37 posted on 11/10/2005 1:30:17 PM PST by xsmommy
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To: HitmanNY

i was 28 when we got married, we had both graduated from law school, passed the bar and gotten jobs. i think the fact that we were settled into who we WERE, and not in some state of flux has contributed to the longevity of our marriage.


38 posted on 11/10/2005 1:31:40 PM PST by xsmommy
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To: xsmommy

HEY, getting married in a drive-through by an Elvis impersonator to a cheap flooize has a certain oldschool charm, you know. ;-)


39 posted on 11/10/2005 1:32:17 PM PST by HitmanLV (Listen to my demos for Savage Nation contest: http://www.geocities.com/mr_vinnie_vegas/index.html)
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To: HitmanNY

dang good chance of getting someone DREADFUL that way, ; )


40 posted on 11/10/2005 1:33:07 PM PST by xsmommy
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