A semiotic reading of marriage

Marriage has been around since Adam and Eve. The meanings and importance of

marriage changes throughout time, including today during the election year and the controversy

surrounding gay marriage.

Marriage has included polygamy and polyandry which still exists in some countries

today. Many fanatical religious leaders have used marriage and multi dimensional marriages for

their own gain inappropriately. Today in the United States 38 out of the 50 states have anti gay

marriage laws preventing same sex marriages. This issue will be one of many key issues facing

Bush and Kerry in this year’s election. There is a constitutional amendment stating marriage is

between one man and one woman, waiting in the wings in case some of these remaining 12 states

decide to legalize same sex marriage.

There is a fine line between giving people equal rights and destroying the foundation of

marriage as the human race has known it since the beginning of time. No matter which religion

or faith someone has, it is clear that the majority of U.S. citizens are not ready to accept gay

marriage as normal. Some see this as bigotry and racism while others see it as protecting the

ideals and morals of this country.

There will always be two sides to the gay marriage issue, but neither one can ignore the

right of an individual to love and be in love with another person. Marriage is not only limited to

love but commitment for life to each other and procreation, which same sex couples cannot

participate without intervention from medical or other means such as artificial insemination or

adoption.

Marriage should be between a man and woman who want to spend the rest of their life

together regardless of whether they want children. Marriage and divorce have been so easy to get
in and out of since the sixties and the rapid decline of morals in this country that morality have to

take a stand and the abolishment of sin and ungodliness have to start. Just because someone

doesn’t believe in God doesn’t mean God doesn’t exist.

People interpret the first amendment and say there is a separation of church and state

clause enclosed, but when I read it I see the government saying they will not make one religion

the official religion, nor will they prevent free exercise there of any religion. Just like the bible

gets misinterpreted, so does the constitution.

The meaning of marriage changes with each person because it means different things to

different people. To some it means a man and wife planning to have children, to others it means

a union between two people who love each other. Other people see marriage as a status symbol

meaning security and stability instead of isolation and anti establishment. People who are

married view people who are not married as outsiders, weird, different or numerous other titles

and labels. While some single people consider married people as sell outs to the normality or

establishment of government, while other single people envy and try to emulate married people.

There are more than two sides to this issue including people considering marriage as just

a piece of paper, others seeing it as a sacrificial act of God, and others seeing it as, if it doesn’t

work, there is always an annulment. This lack of seriousness among a lot of married people is

what gives marriage a bad name sometimes and is what fuels the debate over gay marriage.

There are even websites devoted to marriage jokes and how little the act of marriage is being

taken serious today. One joke says marriage is like a screen door covered with flies, the flies

representing people, with many trying to get in and many trying to get out.

Marriage is a serious union of two people for life and should never be entered into

lightly. The moral issue of sex surrounds marriage and when a person should indulge in sex.
Since many religious books talk about sex before marriage being wrong and sex between the

same sexes is wrong, it is only fitting that sex and marriage go hand in hand. It is written that any

sex before marriage or extramarital is fornication and adulterous, it goes to show how far away

from Godly principles and laws this county and this world have come. The more this country

turns its back on God, the more God will turn his back on this country.

This marriage issue also includes sexism and feminism which has steadily grown since

the sixties and seventies. These issues also include abortion and the sanctity of life. With the

advent of birth control, there is no good reason to continue with the legalization of abortion with

the rate of over 1,000,000 murdered unborn babies a year in this country. Peoples eyes are being

taken away from God and placed on individuals, whether a woman or a gay person and not on

the innocent baby or the holiness of matrimony. This reckless behavior of selfishness has got to

stop before it is too late.

Marriage and its meanings have changed throughout time up to and including today.

From the many multi-marriages of people in the bible, to the extramarital affairs of past

presidents including the founding fathers of this country, marriage will be looked upon forever in

many different ways, some wrong and some right. Who will make the final decision in how

society sees and views marriage and married people? It is just like world peace, there will never

be a definitive answer or solution, only quarrels and arguments and debates ending in anger,

hatred, misunderstandments and division among everyone involved.

There is a national epidemic among married people, with a 50% divorce rate and a

thought by young people that sex while dating is just fun and experimentation instead of a

lifelong overall change in lifestyle and their own future. Even though sex has been used since the

beginning of time as a tool of power, it should not continue to be used in the same way. Sex
between two people affects both of them for the rest of their life whether they eventually get

married to each other or not. Sex and marriage are special and need to be protected by the

government for the people, no matter which religion, gender, nationality or age the people of that

government are.

As a married person, I do not believe marriage gets the respect it deserves nor do

unmarried people really understand what really is involved with marriage and raising children

while working or going to school.

God has defined marriage as being between one man and one woman, so who does

mankind think he or she is to question God or his rules or to try to reinterpret or give new

meaning to this word of marriage. Even though when the bible was written, slavery was still

around doesn’t discredit everything or anything else in the bible. Today the word employee is

just another term used to represent slavery with a paycheck. Everything has more than one

meaning and is open to many interpretations. Discussions and assigning of universal meaning is

needed if everyone is to agree with what marriage is or what it represents. Since I doubt this will

ever happen, this issue will be up for debate for many years if not centuries to come.

All religions cannot agree in worshiping the same God, or even believing in the same Ten

Commandments, so how does anyone expect one country to agree with what the word marriage

is or represents.

Some Web Sites used

http://www.detnews.com/2004/politics/0401/24/politics-44207.htm
http://www.etherzone.com/2000/mors050300.html

http://www.glad.org/rights/OP3-historyofchange.shtml

http://www.hartfordhistory.net/bogart.html

http://www.legalreader.com/archives/001629.html

http://www.limarriages.com/customs.html

http://www.megaloceros.net/hist1.htm

http://www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=LNA%2FMGArticle
%2FLNA_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031773744831&path=!news!archive

http://www.questia.com/Index.jsp?CRID=semiotics&OFFID=se2&KEY=semiotics

http://www.tomrichstatter.org/g%20marriage/g31histo.htm

http://www.tomrichstatter.org/g%20marriage/g11s2003.htm

http://www.voteyeson36.org/?Server=www.defenseofmarriagecoalition.org