[darkpuppet]

Oscar The Grouch,Mar 24 2006, 03:53 PM Wrote:Was there law before religion?  If so what was marriage based upon.

As many people know, our laws are based mostly upon religion.

If there were no laws or religion, why the hell would we have marriage?

People would just rape and pillage everything.  We'd be just like the animals.  The only reason that we are different is that we have religion and laws.
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it gets pretty muddy... you can assume, I guess that religion has been around longer than law, that people made rules based on belief systems before they made rules based soley on the societal needs, but societal needs usually dictated that belief structure.

In this case, your definition of the institution of marriage was defined after 0BC and before 30 AD., but wasn't enforced as a relious rule until about 100AD, and then not written into law until a much later date.

But marriage itself has been in societal laws since at least 3000BC, and up until the catholic definition took hold, homosexuality wasn't forbidden, and in some cases even encouraged.

But homosexuality was forbidden because it was seen as immoral, and hence written into law... as I've mentioned, it keeps changing depending on societal needs.

Nowadays, science has shown that homosexuality is very much a part of nature, and society is starting to change it's laws to prevent discrimination based on outdated beliefs.

I look at it as objectively as I can in that society's needs have changed, therefore nonsecular law should most definitely allow it. I think churches should as well, but that's a leadership I don't vote in... so until their doctrine comes inline with my own personal beliefs, it's a teaching I disregard in my own religious practice.

I cannot in good conscience deny people the right to enjoy a life-long, recognized bond with their partner based on a belief that really has no bearing on my life or represents no threat to society.

remember religion is a part of human behaviour, it's does not dictate human behaviour.