It's not just the paper its the commitment that comes with it. You vow to keep to only each other, I still think its an important part of culture, although I know many young people don't, including my own. You're vowing to be together forever, in a ceremony infront of family and friends. I also think if children are considered, it is still nice for a child to be at least born with married parents..Just my opinion here.

I agree. It's not just a piece of paper.

because it is not just a piece of paper. Its a commitment between you and your spouse to be there until death does you part. that you will respect one other and build a future together. it means you want to be with that person only.

UH... what makes you think marriage is a piece of paper... if only it were that easy! Marriage is a commitment, through thick and thin, good and bad basically. You promise to love that person through good and bad, people forget this for some reason. We all have bad times in life... Marriage should be taken seriously, if it isnt, you cant possibly be a person with integrity really.... dont get married if you havent thought this all through or you will be in that 60 percentile that doesnt make it. Seriously, divorce is pretty awful...its stressful, it makes you feel like a failure and if you have kids, they suffer the most so it should be taken seriously.

That piece of paper that costs only $50 to purchase where I live, costs Thousands of dollars, lots of heartbreak, and many sleepless nights should you decide you no longer wish to live by the boundaries of the "that piece of paper". So no, it isn't just a piece of paper. It was never designed to be that way. It is sad that so many take the commitment so lightly. Think about your favorite food. Do you want to eat that food every single day for the rest of your life? When you are sick, when you are well, when you are rich, when you are poor. Will you give up that food for all other food? If you can't say that about a food, do you expect that saying you'll do that with another person, with their good moods and bad, their financial success and downfalls, their workload, their serious illnesses, their family, their differening opinions on politics, religion, child-rearing, whatever....no way is it just a piece of paper.

Marriage is not just a piece of paper. Even if you aren't religious, it is a joining of two people to make a family and will probably eventually include children. I think we've been talking too much about the rights of parents for the last thirty years. Children are not more important than parents, nor do they get to call the shots, but there are certain inalienable rights that I think kids have. Those are, the right to be fed, cared for, loved, taught, disciplined, bathed, put in clean clothes and clean bedding, to live in a clean house, to have their medical needs seen to, to be comforted when they are hurt or sick, there are probably others but its late and I'm tired. Those needs are a lot of work and a lot of money to meet. A single parent can do it, but it is very difficult and they are going to have less energy for patience. So I really believe that a child has a right to expect that their parents will do their best to choose good partners and make a lifetime commitment. They don't ask to be born, but once they are its our job to do our best by them. Secondly there is the pain caused by divorce. It doesn't just cause pain to the married couple. Your families become joined and often quite fond of one another. Divorce rips them back apart. Your friends become joined into a community, and divorce forces them to choose loyalties. When you divorce, you divide whole communities and hurt a lot of people. Thirdly, God created us to be together. We are literally two halves of a whole. Sex is something God created, and means for us to enjoy. Sex bonds two people into one. And as my pastor says, once you are bonded in that fashion, breaking the bond hurts like tearing off a limb. We are not meant to break that bond. A marriage license is a piece of paper, but a marriage is a lifetime commitment to loving, not just with our feelings, but with our actions. It requires an understanding that the union is more important than its individual parts, and that we don't get to be selfish anymore.

love and faith.

I've always wondered why even get married in the first place? But to some it's not just a piece of paper - it's a lifelong commitment that is held above all.

That's like saying a $1,000 bill is just a piece of paper. It has meaning behind it. It is a symbol of the vows you took to honor, cherish, and forsake all others through good and bad.

I personally experience an internal sigh when I hear people say this. The paper is nothing more than a symbol of marital registration. Marriage in itself is an institution of God. This is nothing to take lightly.

I don't know who YOU been talking to, but marriage is a legally binding, contractual relationship, which is why people can be forced to pay alimony and/or child support.

Im anti marriage / relationship / dating/ sex