Why must the tradition of marriage be defended?

I recently asked a question about why gay marriage should be illegal. Some people, in their answers, mentioned tradition. For example:





';It isn't traditional all the way from ancient times all the way until now, so that's why it shouldn't just be legal all of a sudden one day just because you have gays and lesbians thinking they should be able to marry.';





';Why should we change what has worked for 5000 years?';





While these were only parts of answers, they indicate that many people consider tradition to be an important aspect of marriage. Why should modern marriage be ruled by the traditions of the past? Why is tradition so important in guiding our current legislation regarding marriage?Why must the tradition of marriage be defended?
forget about tradition......





Marriage is between man and woman....... because GOD SAID SO.





for thousands of years, we have listened and obeyed God..... so why should we now, change course, and disobey God?????


Why must the tradition of marriage be defended?
I don't see anything traditional about marriage. If two gays or lesbians want to marry, I think they should (and no I'm not a liberal or a Democrat). It doesn't affect marriage what so ever. This is not a competition!!





To the first person: Divorce is illegal????WTF???


To the other holy rollers: Where in the bible does it say: ';marriage is between a man and a woman';? It says that homosexual sex is wrong (probably because it doesn't lead to procreation - and the church needs more sheeple), but it also justifies slavery, abuse to women and children and a multitude of other horrific, inhuman behaviors.
Laws which govern society %26amp; religion are, by necessity, based on precedent. To succumb to a system guided only by immediate context, would eventually lead to anarchy.





I would counter- why must ';tradition'; be sacrificed as a convenience for a minority?





Ironically, intolerance of this sort- results in promoting the very thing it seeks to correct. Left to its own, natural selection would, in time, weed-out the condition. However, by discouraging the behavior, the genetic cost is minimized, and the condition flourishes.
People are afraid of change. Bottom line, thats all it is.





Sad thing is.... In our culture, at least, marriage has NOT been working the way it is for a very very very long time. I do not understand how people can think gay marriage destroys the tradition, but no one cares about the 50% divorce rate or marriage as a publicicity stunt or adultry.





I would LOVE to see how these people would react if we said divorced people couldnt remarry, or started giving jail sentences for adultery or banned divorce.
I agree that tradition is important. But when it comes to marriage these people need to face facts. We live in a society where most marriages end up in divorce, and infidelity, lying, cheating and betrayal run rampant. Gay people should be allowed to be as dysfunctional as the rest of us. These self-righteous heterosexuals need to get off their high horse.(And FYI-I'm stright.)
I know many religious people who still don't follw all the ';traditional'; wedding ceremonies but are the first to say that homosexuals should marry because it isn't ';traditional';.





It is very hypocritical of them and I think they are hiding behind old practices to support their own personal views.
In honesty, hiding bias behind tradition was also used to defend slavery. It was the argument against both women's and African American's rights to vote. It was the argument for segregation.


';Tradition'; has been the argument used by those who would deny rights to another that they themselves enjoy throughout history.





Tradition is no legitimate argument for denying civil rights to a minority.
Traditionally marriage was about preserving power land, money, political or social the romantic marriage of today is maybe 100 years old. The reason romantic marriage needs defending is because it makes no sense what's so ever and allowing gays to marry would simple show it for the farce/fantasy it is.
Because divorce is still illegal, people marry for business transactions and women are property DUH!!!!








Double MM I am speaking about traditional marriage. Also did you guys know traditionally the king or person in power (nobleman) had sex with your wife before you got too. YAY tradition!!
people hate gays and feel that if they can marry, then married is part of some pervision.





i blame faith largely because of this perception.





really, it is discrimination and fear that makes them not want gay marriage.
Those people are lying. What they really mean but are too cowardly to admit is that they're homophobic and don't see gays or lesbians as equals. Equality is a myth.
GOD Created ADAM And EVE.....not ADAM And STEVE...... :-P
The reason marriage is ';traditionally'; between a man and a woman is because the family is the basic social unit of society. Just taking the standpoint of biology, creating a family requires ONE man and ONE woman. Being born to two parents who love each other and honor their marital vows completely, a man and a woman, gives a child the best foundation in life. He or she will have good strong examples of each gender, he or she will learn how to love and be loved and have a good marriage from parents such as these, and the species will be further propagated.





Modern society fails to understand the fundamental need children have to be loved by both a mother and a father and to have a good relationship with each of them. Of course there are imperfect people out there forming unions and they do not always rear their children in love, but they will be just as much at fault if their parenting ways fail them and their children turn out to have excessive baggage as a gay couple who adopt a child will be for not rearing a child in a moral environment.





The reason that traditional marriage has worked for thousands of years is because it has helped to propagate the species. Children have had role models of men and women to look to for behavior and societal norms.





Also, allowing gays the right to marry legally will simply condone their behaviors, which are still wrong. Tolerance is not the same as acceptance, and today those two seem to get mixed up all the time, especially in reference to homosexuality. I'm not a bigot if I don't condone homosexuality. That would be like calling me a bigot for not condoning murder. I'm also not homophobic if I don't condone it. I simply know it is wrong. That makes me deeply rooted in my beliefs.





That also doesn't mean that I can't love the homosexual population as my neighbors. Personally, I have never actually known someone who's gay. But even if my next-door neighbors were two lesbians trying to raise a child, I would still try to befriend them and be their neighbor. If they were choosing to live that lifestyle, I wouldn't push mine on them, but I would expect them to also not push their lifestyle on me.





Changing something as fundamental as marriage and family, the basic social unit of society, where children learn to be capable, successful adults, will have detrimental consequences. We don't even know what drastic effect it might have, but it will. If gay marriage is legalized nationally someday, we will only have the future to prove to us how badly we messed up by allowing it.





ADD: Just because SOME people cannot make their marriage work because of selfishness on the part of one or both spouses (because that is really the root of almost all divorce), doesn't mean that the institution of marriage should be changed to allow gays to marry. That is such a weak excuse.