Canthook

Much concern has been raised about the Reverend Mr. Rick Warren's participation in the inauguration ceremonies, but it's not really over the inauguration; it's about marriage.

Warren is in favor of defining marriage in terms that haven't changed in 5000 years. Others are in favor of modern marriage, which quite reasonably should allow persons of the same sex to marry.

Some have attempted to resolve this issue by calling modern marriage "civil unions", a term which many feel is unacceptable. I'd suggest that we recognize that a civil union is a marriage, but that there are two types of marriage, and there ought to be a legal framework for each.

Thus, my recommendation is that we liberalize just-plain "marriage" by allowing persons of the same sex to marry, and that we create something called "traditional marriage" which better meets the needs of the Warren crowd by adopting the 5000-year-old definitions.

Traditional marriage is between one man and one woman, and the woman would take an oath to obey her husband. The woman's place is in the home; employment outside the home would be forbidden. Upon marriage, any property owned by her would become his, and she would not be allowed to own property other than her clothes, and her engagement and wedding rings. He is permitted to beat her in order to enforce her oath to obey.

Because traditional marriage is for the purpose of having and raising kids, she consents to sexual intercourse with her husband at the times and places he chooses, and thus by definition, he cannot be guilty of raping her.

Traditional marriage is for life. A man may divorce his wife if she engages in extramarital sexual relations, or if she is unwilling or unable to bear children for him, through disease, defect, or advancing age. She may only divorce him for abandonment, and then only if he refuses to support her. In case of divorce, she takes her property - that is, her clothing and her engagement and wedding rings - and he keeps the kids.

And, of course, the other traditional restrictions on marriage apply. Persons may not marry if they are not of the same race and religion. Persons may only marry if they are free of indenture, which would include enslavement, apprenticeship, or in these days, include college loans.

A woman must be a virgin on her wedding night to qualify for traditional marriage. On her wedding night, in the custom of droit de seigneur or primae noctus, she is to be deflowered by the groom's father or grandfather or oldest male member of his family.

Upon a death of a man in a traditional marriage, his wife has life estate to his house (she is allowed to live there rent-free, without owning it), but title to the house, as well as the rest of his estate, is to be vested in his oldest male child. If she is without child, she is to be impregnated by her late husband's oldest brother, or other relative of his as necessary, as proxy for her late husband.

Tradition is, after all, tradition. Those who believe that traditional marriage needs to be defended have a point, and it is our obligation, as their fellow citizens, to see that traditional marriage is available for those who choose it.
Other Bloggers On Related Topics:
beating - divorce - droit de seigneur - life estate - primae noctus - Rick Warren - same-sex marriage - traditional marriage - widow inheritance