As the New Jersey Legislature votes to redefine marriage (Gov. Christie is thankfully expected to veto), it appears that Maryland’s legislature could also be making a move in the wrong direction on marriage today.
In Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language—his first dictionary—he defines “marriage” as the following:
The act of uniting a man and woman for life; wedlock; the legal union of a man and woman for life. Marriage is a contract both civil and religious, by which the parties engage to live together in mutual affection and fidelity, till death shall separate them. Marriage was instituted by God himself for the purpose of preventing the promiscuous intercourse of the sexes, for promoting domestic felicity, and for securing the maintenance and education of children.
Think marriage has nothing to offer society? Think again.
A new report finds 162 reasons to get married and stay married. Among them are that married persons:
This report further supports what common sense and human history already tell us: That marriage is the foundation for society; that it is a building block for raising healthy children that grow into healthy adults; and that redefining marriage or discarding it as an outmoded institution is simply foolishness. Our government and our society should embrace marriage, and encourage people to enter into lifelong, healthy marriage relationships.