Marriage is More than Just a Piece of Paper to Some

Marriage is not just about 2 people it extends beyond that. This paper as you call it is a document that society respects and as far as there is dependence on society it is mandatory that one gets it. There are other areas where a marriage certificate is called for - example while admitting a child to school, etc. The advantages of getting married far outweigh when compared to the status of merely staying in a relationship.

For me I still believe on the sanctity of marriage. Marriage is not just a piece of paper but it is divine. Even the law says this contract between the two person enter into marriage is not stipulated. Meaning this is not just a piece of papers...the things was those people did not understand what marriage is all about but they only selfish and never cherish this legal document

What you have been reading is in 'sync' with the current day thought process. Nowadays people who get married have greater problems of adjustment; tolerance is on the decline and sometimes money also rears its ugly head in case of a disagreement and separation. Probably this has given rise to people treading more warily than what they did earlier. I cannot express opinions whether this is wrong or right because it becomes a subjective matter.[especially when just two people are involved and children are not there] But, if it also involves raising a family, I feel the piece of paper may give greater stability to a child. But imagine a situation where couples are constantly bickering with each other and the children are witness to a constant scenario of unpleasantness at home. Here if there is no marriage separation would be less cumbersome isn't it? So, what conclusion can we draw from this? Unless there is a lot willingness to make a marriage peaceful, harmonious and successful there is no point getting married or raising a family at all. Couples can make a choice to live together without getting children at all. Why put future generations into emotional trauma for no fault of theirs?

Being a Roman catholic, Marriage is really important and it more than just a piece of paper as it is part of the sacraments of God. Other's who are living with their partners even before marriage may think that marriage is not important as they are happy with what they are right now and think it only ties one from the other and would take months,even years for some countries like ours to get a divorce once they already tire from each other's company. So they would think it would be best not to print it down on paper and better only with words. Others even think that marriage is only necessary to assure the one that the other won't run away with his obligation especially when there is a baby involved. It's sad for me as a catholic, but most of these reasons are really true. For me, it will affect the soon to be family because it will be easy to run and look for another partner if they think the relationship won't work anymore. Sad thing is, the kids are always the ones who suffer with this kind of relationship

I am married with an African man and I don't have a piece of paper. One could say nothing has changed but in some way there has, since I have more responsibilities now. Not only for me and the kids but also for his family. To them it's normal, in my culture it's not normal to take care of the whole family as well. I don't think marriage will become something of the past or I should say: I hope it will. Since in the past that paper did not exist at all. Marriage was there long before there were cityhalls and way longer before church showed up. Marriage is a bond between two people, you show that bond by celebrating with the community you live in or if there is none: together (and you start a new community = family). I think it should be that way.

I totally agree with you. Most people are getting married with some hidden agendas and that is one reason why most marriages cannot last for a long time. I think couple should understand that marriage is committment and requires alot of sacrifices and with or without papers, you can still make your marriage works.

Hi Subee, I do think that marriage is more than a piece of paper. However for my husband and I it was mostly because a church wedding was a must for us. That way we have set in our hearts that God is above our marriage. We dated for 2 years and then conceived our daughter. Then when she was 9 months old we got married. We will be celebrating our 10th anniv this Aug. We dont use our marriage license for anything, its in the file. What made it really official was when I looked at his eyes and knew that he loved me as much as he possibly could. To me that was really all I needed. But the paper made it "official" I think that if people have in their head that its all about the paper that says so then its not really stable because paper can blow away. It has to be in your heart. The paper is just the technical part of it. Maybe just another way for the states to get our money. Because you do have to pay for it. LOL

IMO our US government is partly to blame for this. I have a family member who has 3 children and lives with the father of the children but will not marry him. The government pays her too much money and benefits for being a single mother. It is not financially a good idea to get married.

I personally believe marriage is one of the most beautiful institutions in existence for a variety of reasons. A piece of paper has nothing to do with it, really. That's just the "proof" it happened. A lot of people, particularly those in the younger generations, aren't putting an emphasis on marriage. On one hand, it's great that they aren't jumping into marriage too fast (although they still are jumping into destructive and life altering activities just as quickly as the generations before them). On the other hand, I think it also degrades the structure of a couple's relationship (not the family). In some cases, this degradation has no effect (unmarried couples may last just as long, if not longer, than married couples). In other cases, I think it does. Getting married is a risk. A huge one, as a matter of fact. Through divorce, you could lose most of what you worked for in your life through alimony, court costs, etc. The emotional toll can be devastating. Looking at that risk and accepting it while fully believing you can commit yourself to one person for life and work on the relationship no matter what to AVOID that is the sacrifice that relationships need to work to begin with. For example, when I was dating my husband, if he'd angered me I simply could have walked away. No strings attached, no obligations left behind. Now, him and I are considered as one unit in everything we are and do. Walking away isn't easy. It forces a person to stop and analyze where things have gone wrong, to make a true attempt to fix it before losing everything that was at risk in the choice to marry. Marriage--and, arguably, relationships, should be about sacrifice. What can I GIVE to this person I love? What can I offer them? ...while not expecting one thing in return. Committing to marriage is saying, I accept the risk. I accept I may have to make sacrifices to keep this working. Yet, I still choose you. All in all, I have no reason to believe that relationships between unmarried couples are any less solid or happy than married couples. However, I feel it is the foundation of these relationships that can be different. I wasn't going to date my husband forever. I wanted to take a risk for him. I wanted him to know that despite the risk, despite the obligations, despite the chance of financial ruin and divorce, I still believed in us to the point that I wanted to commit for life. While just dating, we simply didn't have those risks, so there was nothing to commit to other than the simple loyalty to the relationship. There will be dating couples that last forever, and there will be married couples that never thought twice about the sacrifices and falter. However, my husband and I did, and we felt there was no way to express that willingness to make sacrifices and accept risks for one another than to get married.

Hi Suebee Life is not the same for all... some make it simpler and some make it complex. But both are right and they are the best ones to decide what is right for them. To me, I do believe that marriage is an essential thing to happen - for me, my marriage has got me back my dreams, my aspirations and even the zeal to live. based on this, I would definitely say that marriage is much more than anything else... be it a piece of paper or anything else. There are marriages that fail and even the relations where people dont marry and stay together are successful... it is all on how willing you are to keep up any relationship... if you - both - are genuinely interested... married or not... that doesnt matter.

Yes, marriage is becoming a thing of the past. I remember when I got married, I actually was raised to believe in marriage. So I did marry. Things went well for a long while, but then something changed in my ex. She became someone else. We did have children and then she deceived me greatly. She snuck around and cheated, made plans to leave me a year before she left. Then she just left. I found out all this stuff after the fact about her planning. So, I am no fan of marriage anymore. So yes, it is just a piece of paper. And the worst part about that piece of paper is that it is a contract really. You are bond by that garbage. Without getting married, if it does not work out, they both could leave like they came into it. Clean cut. No hassle.

Well it has been a tradition that in order to legalized the inclusion of the male and female, they must undergo marriage. Yes it's true that it is more than just a piece of paper because the most important part of marriage is the years that they will be spending together. But wouldn't be more wonderful if the union of male and female will be blessed by God using the power of the church to unite them. I think it will be better if they will put God in the center of their relationship, in that way they can live more in harmony. Besides, it is written in the Bible to honor the marriage by everyone. Read this verse so you'll know~ Hebrews 13:4-7

Being a conservative country here in the Philippines, marriage does really matter. But my stand on marriage is very much open. I won't agree that when on a situation like getting someone pregnant, marriage for me is still not the best answer. It is really more than just a paper, it is a lifetime commitment to someone you owe to, you wanted to. I consider marriage and not soon. A time of thinking, a chance of knowing each other first, a savings, and a huge preparation is really somewhat my requirements before deciding on getting married. :)

on my on opinion marriage is not about that piece of paper they signed after a judge or priest pastor and other authorities. It is about the union of two people loving its other pledge to live together blah blah blah. marriage is not paper, this paper is created by human law to give order to the society and also to control population expulsion.

I never wanted to marry . I wanted love more. I am with my guy and I have found that I can live all the wedding vows with him as long as we Don't marry. I see marriage as a trap or a prison. It is more than just a piece of paper. I think many couples will marry and be happy. I have friends who are happy and married at the same time.So marriage will still be there but many couples will not marry and be happy too. It all depends on the couple.

Marriage is more than just that piece of paper. It, of course, is a binding of two people's love into one "life" where the couple shares all aspects of their lives. It is giving freely of ones self to the other, caring, nurturing each other, supporting each other during rough times, creating life and raising that life from infancy to adulthood. Plus there is the legal ramifications of marriage. It is sharing the expenses, income, successes and failures. It is contributing to the funds that will support you during your old age. It is learning from each other and teaching each other. Marriage goes further than the Biblical viewpoint and guidelines. Then there is the legal aspects of marriage. While you do have a lot of the same situations if you aren't married, there are aspects that you cannot share if you aren't married. You are immediately the inheritor of the spouses estate when the spouse passes on. If you aren't married there HAS to be a will. If you aren't married, your "significant other" is not legally responsible for your bills, medical decisions, support, legal decisions, and other legal aspects. If you are extremely ill, if you are NOT married, you will have no voice in the decision making for the significant other. You cannot remove the person from life support, even if you are the only person who is available to do so...especially if there is no close family member who could make that decision. You aren't allowed to visit the significant other in intensive care if you have no legal relationship to the person (that might have changed, I'm not sure). You can't have a significant other on your medical insurance policy. There are so many more legal aspects that would make that "piece of paper" known as a marriage license necessary. Without it you're up a creek without a paddle. Marriage will remain in the cycle of life and doing things. In fact we may return to a situation where marriage is again popular and that "the piece of paper" will again be a valuable piece of family history. I have been expecting it to return to vogue for a long time, especially with so many STD's in this world.