(Image found here, original source not sited: facebook.com/FreeThinkingSociety)
"Marriage as defined by The Bible" might not be what you think it is. Modern marriage is defined by capitalism and a nostalgia -for an age that never was- more so than anything in the bible.
What was once the slavery of women has transformed in to a corporate merger. Marry someone if it makes business sense, approach it as a financial agreement with someone you love. Otherwise, don't add unnecessary paper work to your love life. Nobody goes around saying "I love you so much, I want to get the government involved in this shit!" but they do it anyway. We do so many things without thinking or stopping to know why, just because we see everyone else doing it.
There was a study done where a group of monkeys were put in front of a ladder with food at the top of it. If a monkey would try to climb the ladder, the researchers would spray the other monkeys with a hose. After a while, if a monkey went for the ladder, the group would attack (so they wouldn't get hosed again.)
They replaced the monkeys, one by one, over time until there were no monkeys left that had been sprayed with the hose. Still, the group would gang up on any monkey that tried to climb the ladder for the food. It was just the way that group worked now, without knowing about the hose, they were taught to fear that ladder (by the terrorized monkeys of the past.)
Marriage is similar to the monkeys and the ladder. Two people fall in love and it seems like everyone (and everything) around them tells them to get married. Yet none of them can tell you a good reason to, unless money/citizenship is involved.
If you love someone and they love rings (and you,) get them a ring. If you like their name, get your name changed; it's easy. If you believe in god and want your relationship to be OK with him, then don't worry, it is; people say she/he's a nice guy/lady. If it makes sense for your taxes, insurance, or immigration then go and get the paper work involved... but it's nothing more then the relic of a time when women were bought and sold for goats and land-rights. It should be recognized as such more often.
