Poll: Who truly owns the right to the word "marriage"?

[Samoftherocks]

The Church fights tooth and nail for the sanctity of it. The State has a set of legal rights and a contract named after it.

First amendment of the US Constitution says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

If "marriage" is a religious institution, then it would be logical to let the Church have it, but there are legal items tied to the word as well which are governed by the State.

Since it is just a word, who gets it? I voted Church.

 

[Pyre00]

Nobody.

It's just a word.

 

[Nimbus]

Nobody.

This.

 

[WrongSprite]

.

 

[Trivun]

What? Marriage is just a word, rights to it are non-existent. That's like saying "who owns he rights to the word 'monkey'?". As for the OP's question, I have to go with State, since religion is important for marriage but the Church's opinions are severely outdated now. Especially when it comes to the question of gay marriage (I support gay marriage, by the way).

 

[rockingnic]

The dinosaurs!

 

[jasoncyrus]

Indeed, it dates back centuries before the church even existed. (in various languages meaning union and such)

 

[FlyAwayAutumn]

That's a tough question but i'll just go with Pyre's answer, Marriage is just a word two people can meet each other decide they want to get married, but instead just say they are. The state can make laws about it and the church can say it's holy right up till armagedon but the word belongs to no one but the english language.

 

[KValentine]

The dictionary

 

[Gxas]

Neither of them get it. Marriage is just a word and nothing more. People put meaning into words. Words are a man-made invention. People in general have the right to it.

 

[Lexodus]

What? Marriage is just a word, rights to it are non-existent. That's like saying "who owns he rights to the word 'monkey'?". As for the OP's question, I have to go with State, since religion is important for marriage but the Church's opinions are severely outdated now. Especially when it comes to the question of gay marriage (I support gay marriage, by the way).

Fuck it, *I* own the rights to the word 'Monkey'. Every time you use it, you gotta pay me royalties, biatch. XD

 

[sky14kemea]

the word marriage? no one

the actual act of marriage?

i dunno... ive always figured the Church, but then there is all that legal stuff you go through... maybe they share somehow?

 

[PizzaDentist]

Neither. Seeing as throughout history people did it purely as a way of combining households, they would have a bit of a party and then get on with the shagging. It's not something that had any legal implications (though it did have religious implications, depending on where you are)

So in my view, marriage is owned by the people entering into it. It can mean whatever they want it to.

Straight monogamous couple.
Couple who have an open relationship.
Gay.
Bi.

I'm getting married in a year, and the priest marrying us said that until Vietnam, they wouldn't recognize any marriage that wasn't physically consumated. But then vets from the war were wanting to get married but who were unable to have children due to injury, and the church had difficulty accepting their marriages as real.

But they did eventually. Which lead to an evolution of marriage in the churches eyes. The priest simply said, "Marriage is about love."

So yeah... THAT. He is actually a pretty cool guy, dispite his boss being an imaginary sky fairy

 

[Rajin Cajun]

I do. I just barely bought the rights for the word off a hobo for $5 it was worth it because now marriage is defined as a Sex-Slave to Godzilla.

 

[Cody211282]

That's a hard one, I like the idea that noone can own it, and since i hate giving the government power i put down church, but in all honesty the government shouldn't have a say on who can and can't get married.

 

[Ancientgamer]

A marriage is a religious ceremony in which a religious leader formally commits two peoples lives together in the eyes of god.

A civil union is a set of laws that define two partners (traditionally this would've only been married people, hence the term being interchangable.) with regards to taxes and other polices.

And I don't see why homosexuals are fighting tooth and nail to use a, as we are so often reminded, meaningless title that wouldn't really apply to them anyway.

The church has marriage, the state has the right to recognize any two people they see as partners. But Being married is the religious aspect of it.

 

[Gooble]

Everyone views marriage as I guess the ultimate bond between 2 people, and it's really stupid for anyone to deny those 2 people that bond, even if it does conflict with your views of what criteria those 2 people should meet.

 

[Fruitloops89]

Nobody. But if I had to pick from those two then it would have to be the state.

 

[BLOONINJA 503]

Nobody. You heard it here first!

 

[PyroZombie]

Nobody, it's for people who are sentimental.