Quote from: Svea on January 14, 2013, 08:52:57 AM
If 50% of marriages end in divorce, 50% last forever.

My parents are still legally married, but they don't even see each other anymore. They live 20 miles from each other and get into a fight whenever they meet.

Being legally married means nothing if you're separated, don't even talk to your spouse anymore, are too busy with work, or are in a generally unhappy marriage, which is most of them. 

Quote from: DianaP on January 14, 2013, 02:58:59 PM
Being legally married means nothing if you're separated, don't even talk to your spouse anymore, are too busy with work, or are in a generally unhappy marriage, which is most of them. 

^ This.

My parents divorced in the '70s after my Mum caught my Dad having an affair. She sued him for divorce, but before agreeing to it he asked her whether she wanted to give their marriage another try 'for the sake of the kids'. She refused.

She didn't want to be in a marriage that was just keeping up appearances for the sake of the children, with nothing for either spouse. She knew that as soon as we grew up & moved out, they probably wouldn't have any reason to stay together. So she went ahead with the divorce.

A marriage has to be for the benefit of the spouses first and foremost, otherwise there's no point to it IMHO.

My position on sexuality (including marriage) has always been pretty simple: as far as I'm concerned, anything between consenting adults is perfectly acceptable. Notice the two qualifiers there? 'Consenting' and 'adults'? That means that all parties to whatever's happening must consent all the way through to whatever's happening; and all parties must be adults.

Based on this, I have no problem whatsoever with polyamory/polygamy, monogamy, whatever. As long as everyone involved agrees to whatever's happening, it's all good.

That doesn't mean that I'd personally participate in some of those things. There's no way I could be polyamorous; I don't have the social skills to deal with more than one person at a time. But I fully recognise and support it for those people who know it's right for them. So a bisexual person wanting to marry a man and a woman would have my congratulations and my support, provided they are all consenting adults.

Quote from: FTMDiaries on January 15, 2013, 08:55:16 AM
That doesn't mean that I'd personally participate in some of those things. There's no way I could be polyamorous; I don't have the social skills to deal with more than one person at a time. But I fully recognise and support it for those people who know it's right for them. So a bisexual person wanting to marry a man and a woman would have my congratulations and my support, provided they are all consenting adults.

That is precisely how I wish I could have said it o.o Being with one person is about the capacity of my social ability, but not everybody is like that.

Also, off topic, you hav 14² posts o.o

I am monogamous meaning I will only have one partner, but really wont discriminate.

More so than marriage is the relationship.  Marriage as an institution is just officially recognizing your relationship by law.

I find the question begging the definition of marriage, and the legal ramifications.  If the three people wish to be together, so be it, but legally they will not, and i believe they should not, receive all the societal rewards of "marriage."  Any two people who wish to enter "marriage" should be able to do so and derive all the legal privileges and protections.  Another person entering that relationship would not.  This would make for a very unequal partnership, not at all what marriage is intended to be (we humans screw it up royally, I know)

Barbara