I've been wondering this for awhile now and have come to only one conclusion. The only reason why marriage is a state function is so the state has an excuse to tax you in a different way than you would otherwise be taxed as an individual. But in many places around the world people pay a marriage penalty. Does this make sense at all? I mean since when is an agreement between two people to take care of each other be something that is penalized? Should they not still be treated as individuals? Why is it up to some bureaucrat who can marry and who cannot? Why is it up to the bureaucrats to dictate where you and your loved can make this agreement? Why is it any of their business? Why do bureaucrats make the terms of agreement rather than the two individuals who are making the agreement? (ex. divorce laws)

These are the questions that ran through my head. What would happen if the government had no laws on marriage? Would we not be more free from their control to dictate our own lives rather than some bureaucrat looking for votes?

Now marriage has been used for a number of things by the state including giving people incentives to have children in order to build up their military in the past.

Just wanted to know some opinions from fellow ats members on why or why shouldn't the state be involved in making laws regarding marriage.

[edit on 16-12-2008 by Cool Hand Luke]

It's just a way for the government/ PTB parasite types to have a unwelcome hand in people's lives. It's been going on for centuries, not just for taxation, but indeed, for population influence/ guidance.

Marriage is nothing more than a contractual agreement. That is why one doesn't need a church to be married, just a judge. It's a way for the gov to collect more money.

Well, disputes has to be dealt with as well. Custody, awards, division of assets, etc. More often then not the state is brought in to settle.

Yeah this is a good point.
Real marriage does not need state permission or license or contract.
They have made it into this to take the true meaning away from it.
Just like they try and do to everything, take a good thing and try and make it evil.
Some religions and cultures living in the west don't take part in the state marriage thing.They have there own marriage.
The fact is a marriage is 2 people who betroth themselves to one another.
That's all it is.
It really annoys me when people say legally married and think it means something more than 2 people who have married themselves or had there religious people marry them.It is no different.In fact I would rather not be legally married in the sense that it is portrayed.Because it makes it meaningless.Turns it into nothing more than a contractual obligation.

The body politic is the base of the government. Every person legally entitled to vote is the first and most important level of government.

The basic unit of the government is the individual. But the actual original contract of the people with society is through marriage. This is the fundamental unit of the work of the people within society, and therefore the state.

If everything in the world came to a grinding halt tomorrow, and every thing fell apart, and nothing was left, no infrastructure, every coupling torn assunder - by this time next month marriage would exist again. And in existing, it becomes the original need and impetus for infrastructure.

People get together. They settle with others. They WORK together at the work of being together and alive, a unit. That unit in conjunction with the other units of familial structure begin to do things together that are better and easier than doing alone. This is what Infrastructure is. Children are born, requiring more infrastructure - infrastructure being the embodiment of those things that are easier and simpler and better to do together for the benefit of the most members of that community.

The breakdown of these units of governance, society and family is a community problem which is either administered to, or more simply enforced to maintain to lessen the community destructiveness of the breakdown.

While the individual is the basic unit of the government, the basic unit of the existience and the work of the government is the married couple.

Therefore, government will always have laws about it.

[edit on 2008/12/21 by Aeons]

I find this question odd. Marriage is the norm for human families, though it doesn't work for everyone. Athiests and agnostics represent large numbers of the population.