Are there any benefits to a man to get married?

[equalsign]

I'm with you Inazuma. Not being a religious person, getting married just seems like a really effective way at making an otherwise easy life difficult.

[Hatta]

Long term monogamy is great, but I don't feel the need to have either the government or the church formally approve my relationship.

That's not the point of getting married.

What is then?

*side note, I'd eat my hat if your girlfriend wouldn't be moved to tears if you proposed to her.

I'm quite sure she'd say no. She has on many occasions expressed her disinterest, even if I say "well it wouldn't be all bad". She just has a knack for seeing through bullshit, just one of the reasons I love her.

[SpaceBooger]

A very secular view of marriage is being taken. Outside of religion it's mostly tradition and personal preference. Some believe that marriage holds a much stronger significance than just to set things straight from a legal point of view. That it holds a holy bond, and a unification that humans alone cannot achieve. To those of us that see it this way, marriage is not something that was merely thought up by society, it was given and ordained by God.

Now, if you don't buy into religion, I can honestly say that I can't make a particularly strong case as to why you'd get married, rather than because it's your preference or something that you believe in.

I agree.

Marriage is like birthdays.
Birthdays hold legal significance, but that's not why we celebrate them. Marriage also holds legal significance, but that's not why the majority participate.

The point of the "man gives up half his stuff" well in any home living relationship (couples or roomates) you give up half - half the rent, half the cable bill, etc...

To me marriage is all about having a companion to travel through life with. Look, I don't just assume that my friend is going to go with me an a trip I ask for his commitment, marriage is the same except instead of going to Vegas for the weekend a married couple goes through the adventure of life together... and it takes a special person to agree/make that trip with you.

[Luke]

Knowing that my wife and I are dedicated to each other for life.

Most marriages end in divorce, so that's arguable. Also, why did you need a ceremony/piece of paper to do that?

Being part of a great and new family.
Having her be a part of my family, who really loves her.

I certainly consider my GF part of my family, and I'm part of hers. A ceremony/piece of paper wouldn't change that one bit.

There are only 7 people in North America with my last name. I'm the only person in North America (last time I checked, on Earth) with my first and last names. I can pass my name onto my first born male child without all the hyphens and bullshit.

What's in a name?

I don't believe in soul mates, but I do know that I have a Wife that would never intentionally hurt me. I can trust her 100%.

And she would love you just as much if you didn't have a piece of paper telling her that she had to, right?

Long term monogamy is a great situation to be in. The ceremony/piece of paper is pretty much worthless.

Okay. So we're going to do the quote by quote thing where you try to pick apart my posts. So be it.

1) Signed a piece of paper at a courthouse. That didn't mean anything. Getting married in front of 200+ family and friends did. So did the reception. The ceremony was a celebration, not a necessity.
Everyone goes through battles during life, we've been through some of the biggest ones in life. I pride myself on being a good judge of character, my wife has it. For us, it's death til part.

2) Do you call your GF's Father "Dad"? Big difference man.

3) Since there are so few of "us" in the states, my last name means a whole lot. It's stigmatized, but so far in a good way. I'd like to be able to share the reputation with my children.

4) Again, you're focused on paper. I don't know why. If you think marriage is a piece of paper, I feel sorry for you. Not trying to be insulting, man, it's just sad you see marriage as useless as a piece of toilet paper.

I'm getting the vibe that you may be from a divorced family, possibly Inazuma too.

[Luke]

I'm quite sure she'd say no. She has on many occasions expressed her disinterest, even if I say "well it wouldn't be all bad". She just has a knack for seeing through bullshit, just one of the reasons I love her.

Sounds like you have a great girl, but still, I'll be waiting by with my hat.

[Inazuma]

If you want to support marriage because God told you to, then why don't you follow his other rules as well? That means no sex before marriage, no birth control in any form, no working on Sunday, no gay friends. Oh you should probably have a couple of black slaves. Don't wanna go against God now do we?

Sorry but the religious argument is the worst one of all. Using lies, fairy tales and bullshit in a discussion about truth, logic and making smart decisions is pretty absurd. If you seriously believe that stuff, you should also be supporting the murdering of gays and anyone who works on Sunday. Personally I think murdering people over silly stuff like that is a bad idea but to each their own.

Also it seems many people are confused about the topic. This isn't about loving others, forming families, living together and being in committed relationships. It's about marriage. How does signing that paper contract benefit men? I'm still waiting for a valid answer to that.

It's getting a little hot in here (^_^);;

[deathred]

I'm planning on proposing to my GF of 7 years pretty soon.

I'm not worried about losing half of my stuff since:
1. I don't own a lot.
2. She makes more than me.
If you are worried about losing half of your stuff, sign a prenuptial agreement and lay everything down.

I'm not religious at all. She isn't either. We plan on a wedding to please our parents. They are from the "old-school" where marriage means a lot. I know that I will love her the same whether or not we are married. But it's something to remember. Just like birthdays.

And yes, you do get a piece of paper, but its more than that. You get a piece a paper (or cardboard) when you get your Drivers License, no? A license is freedom to drive recognized by everyone. When your child is born, you get a paper, his or her birth certificate. You don't really need one, but with it, he is recognized by everyone.

Hatta, if your GF were the type to want marriage, your whole idea of this would be different.

[deathred]

If she makes or owns more than you, sign a prenuptial and make sure you get half!

Honestly, you get benefits. If she has better insurance than you, you join under hers. If you have a baby, you can take paternity leave. Jobs look for commitment, they want to know whether or not you can work with a team.

Shit, if shes willing to work, stay home and be the house-husband.

[General Chaos]

I feel compelled to post once more in this thread.

It seems as though some of the argument centers around the symbolic nature of marriage and the artifacts surrounding it (i.e. the ceremony, licenses, etc.). I would agree entirely that these things are symbolic, but symbols are extremely important.

Symbolic interactionism is a theory that suggests that all social interaction (and even self-concept) is based around the definitions and interpretations of symbols. Symbols include everything from status to clothing, body language, and yes; marriage certificates. The way we interpret and interact with these symbols is reciprocal. We continually redefine the meaning of symbols (hence the reason the notion of marriage has and is changing) just as they define our actions to others and help us interpret actions. Therefore regardless of your viewpoint, it's difficult to assert that symbols are unimportant, so even if marriage is merely symbolic, couldn't I say the same about anything else?

Ultimately this is all important because as you'll hear biologists and other physical scientists refer to a "biological imperative," sociologists and anthropologists often invoke the notion of a cultural imperative. Symbols help fulfill this imperative and give meaning to our actions. It is basically impossible to have meaningful interaction without them.

[fast]

Bringing up marriage and writing off religion seems kinda counter intuitive to me. Most believe that marriage was founded in religion, all the way back to the first recorded documentation of it in Hammurabis Code. But thats fine you dont agree, but there is no need to insult others beliefs by stating they are fairytales and bullshit.