So What is Marriage Anyway?

Last week, a new bill, HB5170, the "Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act", was introduced in the Illinois House of Representatives, that if passed, would redefine the "marital state" as designed and created by the Creator Himself.

In Washington, Governor Christine Gregoire has already signed into law, a "gay marriage" bill that will force church-owned facilities to accommodate homosexual ceremonies. She stated, "I'm proud our same-sex couples will no longer be treated as separate but equal."  Ok, what does this mean?  

Here's a question for ya ... What is marriage?  Is it a right?  Is it about two people who are in love wanting to be together ... kinda like going steady? 

Here's a bigger question for ya?  Is it only homosexuals who do not understand the true nature of marriage? 

In answer to the 2nd question, I would venture to say, that the vast majority of today's heterosexuals do not fully understand the true nature of marriage ... evidenced by the steady rise in divorce statistics ... most recent of which ... is a popular Reality TV star, divorcing her husband after a mere 72 hours!  Really? 

Today's well known story of Angelina Jolie, stealing Jennifer Aniston's husband Brad Pitt, is all too reminiscent of the scandals over Elizabeth Taylor stealing Eddie Fisher from Debbie Reynolds, and then moving on to a much publicized affair with Richard Burton, who was also a married man ...  prompting the Pope in Rome, at the time, to literally decry her immoral behavior in newspaper headlines ... with words to the effect that, Elizabeth Taylor was on the verge of moral bankruptcy.  So much for the awesome sanctity of marriage. 

Henry VIII, is famously known for going through 6 wives, divorcing one, chopping off the heads of 2 of them and outliving 2 others. Changes in beliefs over the institution of marriage, began in the 1500s, when the Protestant Reformation changed the view of marriage from one of a sacrament to Martin Luther's view, where he stated that marriage was not something between two people and God, but rather a mere human contract between 2 people, who could make or break that contract at their choosing. This led to Henry VIII's break with the Catholic Church in Rome, when he decided that Luther's idea could facilitate him ridding himself of his queen, in favor of a younger model.  And the rest is history.

Now today, even the Catholic Church, though still holding fast to its teaching on the indissolubility of marriage, in response to pressure from many of their members, who want the same options as their Protestant brothers and sisters to get out of a distasteful marriage, has made the obtaining of annulments far easier than in the past ... leading to a run on the Annulment Tribunal of the Church, rivaling the run on the Banks in the 1930s. Two of my own children received annulments from their 1st marriages. 

I view this latest assault on marriage, as the final stages of a disease, which has been festering in the union of man and woman, for quite some time now.  Once again ... Did any of us see this coming? 

Now, we must muster our pro-family forces to fight against this new bill in the Illinois House of Representatives, HB5170, which will deal the final death blow to a Sacrament. Yes, a sacrament.  The sacrament of Matrimony, which God himself instituted in the Garden of Eden, when He "created man in his own image. Male and female, he created them" ... as it states in Genesis.