i guess i'ts mainly a matter of point of views. if u look at marriage from an atheistic point of view, it can seem pretty pointless actually, as today common-law marriages give almost the same rights a proper marriage gives (excepts some inheritance rights and the sons legitimation process).
but in the end, marriage is a ritual, so the religious point of view should be its proper allocation.
and from a religious point of view (not necessarily christian) marriage's role can't be questioned. it doesn't matter wheter it brings advantages or not, as, from a spiritual point of view, marriage doesn't serve any other purposes rather than the ritual itself.
and from this point of view, marriage is a celebration of love and devotion, wich is testified by the will of the bridegrooms to "dedicate themselves to each others" for the rest of their lives ("commitment", as gerd pointed out).
so it doesn't really matter if marriage can give any sort of benefits or advantages, because, from this point of view, marriage has no other "points" or "purposes" than marriage itself.
as for the economic point, well marriage is not really expensive. i mean the religious ritual is extremely cheap (at least in the christian culture... in some other cultures, the wedding ritual itself can be extremely expensive)... what can be expensive is what comes after (the wedding reception party).... but then again, wheter to have a fancy party or not, it's up to u.
nick cave said:
Mind you I also think people should be sterilized at birth and have to get a licence and pass certain intelligence and economic tests by law before they can be allowed to breed.
It's harder to get a TV licence than it is to bring a human being into this world, kids are not a career choice...
well i don't know about the sterilization part, but i definitely agree with u on the main point: some people really shouldn't be allowed to generate children.
marukomu said:
I taught her English. Big mistake because now I have to talk to her.

