Letters to the Editor
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I like Durian Joe's solution!
Totally religion/gender/orientation/what-the-hell-ever neutral...if people still want to spend obscene amounts of money on some sort of religious/cultural ritual, go for it...if your religious institution will allow you to.
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-- scotsirishgirl
That doesn't even make sense. DurianJoe is a simpleton.
First of all, marriage is already secular.
Marriage certificates are issued by city hall, not a church, and religious ceremony is unnecessary and may be skipped altogether. One can be married by a ship captain, or a secular bureaucrat in city hall, or others registered to perform the official function as a third party, basically as a notary, as legal marriage is a binding contract between the individuals and society.
Or a couple can choose no to be married and not deal with any of it, benefits or responsibilities.
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Whatever
Um, BroadSheet, you just might want to rethink your handing-out-red-stars policy. Because you give them to monotonous trolls once in a while, and it makes my eyes pop out.
I am tired of having my eyes pop out, getting them back in is a real bitch.
Whatever
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Healthy Skeptic, you don't get it.
The crucial difference between marriage and civil unions is that the former is an ancient rite of passage which is rife with religious significance. The institution of "marriage" is literally sacred for various religions; the word itself is thus loaded. The same cannot be said of "civil unions," and that is why you'll find far greater acceptance of civil unions for homosexuals than you will marriage.
By the way, instead of constantly denigrating Broadsheet, you really ought to show it some gratitude instead. After all, Broadsheet offers you the cathartic opportunity to spew out insults against people you disagree with in your effort to deal with all that anger and self-loathing festering inside of you. Moreover, you can do so in complete safety, unlike out in the real world, where we all know that you would get that nasty little sneer smacked right off of your face if you tried to pull the same stunts out there that you do in here.