According to my readings, the Catholic Church started marriage about 1,500 years ago.

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Perhaps, but people who are married are granted special rights. Surely it isn't fair that the government gives benefits to those who marry, and yet let the religious folks decide who qualifies for it?

And Pagans were holding marriage ceremonies at least a thousand years before that. Maybe you recoginize these two ancient greek words: MATRIMONIUM and NUPTIAE. Both are far older than the catholic church.

Now just as soon as churches start issuing valid marriage licenses I'll concede that marriage is only a religious ritual.

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If you want change stop electing "liberal: democrats and "radical" Republicans. Find and support true Conservatives; those who believe in fiscal responsibilities, individual accountability, and a smaller government, with less control of your daily life.

Your readings would be wrong.



That explains a great deal.

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"I consider Homo anal sex to be a religion." - Wow, AWE poster.

Look at Florida........ Just as an example of how badly a Supreme Court (No state is immune to appointing dipshits) can become and make rulings in which it either does not have the authority and/or violate a federal law/statute. I have no source to say California Supreme Court has been so negligent as was Florida but it certainly is not immune to make the same mistakes.

I do not know California law and it's quite possible the State supreme court made the correct ruling according to the states constitution and NOT BASED ON COURT PRECEDENT! That is where most state supreme courts seriously screw up!
State Supreme Courts most common screw up's are because they will use Shepardized law and/or Court Precedent's instead of using the State Constitution!

You're both wrong. It's both.

Marriage can be a religious ceremony given status and legal recognition by the govt. (in which case the govt. cannot pick and chose which religions have a right to this legal recognition and which don't unless they can prove a public interest -specifically not based on another competing religion's code)

or

Marriage can be a strictly civil ceremony performed by a justice of the peace, or even a ships captain and the member of the ceremony are not required to be of any religion at all to obtain the benefits of legal recognition of their partnership.

The wedding ring was invented by the egyptians, they wore a ring, or a tatoo, on their left hand ring finger, it has a vein that goes straight to the heart. Marriage has been around for more than four thousand years.... Read something other than yer bible, wow.

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Who would Jesus Bomb?

Of coarse it hurts. Your being screwed by an elephant.

Barak Obama - Half honkey - all donkey

"It doesn't matter who votes, it matters who counts the votes"- Joseph Stalin

The stuff I have read said there are several opinions for when marriage began.
I can not disagree with your post. Sounds good too me.

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I did not get it from a bible.
I try to get three opinions on everything. I do my best to get accurate info.

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Drill offshore now

Naturemouthrfkr is trying to act wise again? I thought we cleared that up long ago. Naturemuthrfkr is an idiot. Advisement from idiots is not sound advice.