Is marriage just a formality nowadays?

Question

I don't really believe in marriage. It's just a formality to me, it doesn't do anything unless you're religious.

gray_sailor · Accepted Answer

Being married means that

- should my wife become sick, I can give medical directions on her behalf. She can do the same for me.
- if she were to die, I would inherit our family home without paying an inheritance tax (she own the home prior to marrying me)
- i have the right to receive her body and observe her burial requests
- she is elegible to be on my employers health insurance plan.
- we pay federal income taxes at a lower effective rate
- marriage gave me the authority to represent myself as the step-father of my wife's daughters She receive the same authority to represent herself as my child's step mom.
- she is elegible to be the beneficiary of my life insurance
- we may be jointly considered for credit application
- we automatically inherit each others worldly possessions without the necessity of probation court

When I way in the military, there were many benefits that only accrued to married people.

- basic allowance for housing (single men lived on board the ship)
- family separation allowance (paid while deployed)
- CHAMPUS (dependant health insurance)
- access to the ombudsman program (best source of info on ships schedule)
- access to base facilities including the exchange and the subsidized commissary
- access to base housing
- the right to be relocated to overseas duty station with military member

It goes on and on this way. Marriage is woven into everything. The main intent is not so much that you change your status toward each other but rather you change your status before the state.

If you wanted to remove marriage as an institution, it would take 100 years just to rewrite all the affected laws.

Illusive_Man · Accepted Answer

It's just for ceremonial purposes mostly... like singing tunes as a piece of cloth is being raised into the air ; a moment of silence for the dead , the lot.

Marriage is as important as all those ceremonies are. Love for a country , mourning a loved one , celebrating the begging of a new chapter in life with another person.

Sort... of... an inauguration ceremony into the house of marriage I suppose.

Is it important to me?
Well... I suppose but is it for religious reasons? Nah. I have no idea why.

linkywinky · Accepted Answer

Yeah, pretty much. I mean there are legal and medical benefits to getting married, but for every benefit there's usually a negative.

My cousin and his high school sweetheart just got married last night. They were together 9 years before getting married. And it's just like... what's the point. y'all are practically married already.

katedepp32 · Accepted Answer

it's just a formality nowadays..
doesn't mean anything for most people and i really don't see a point in marriage.
additionally, there are so many people who do it in order to show their love or something but if two people love each other i really don't get why they need to show off like that. whatever.

electromagnetic · Accepted Answer

A piece of paper that is suppose to make us magically love each other more? Hmm,
& if we split, I gotta share money for the rest of my life?
As much as its in a lot of people dreams to one day get married. Including myself, I'm in no rush.

kheserthorpe · Answer

It has major financial repercussions if you split up.

It basically is a piece of paper saying the higher income one will keep giving money to the low income one even if you split.

Other then that it's meaningless beyond what's in your hearts.

G-Daz · Answer

I don't understand what non religious people seek out to get married or even attempt to redefine the definition of marriage when it's unimportant to them.

It'd be like someone trying to redefine blue as green but not caring either way

genuinlysensitive · Answer

I don't know about formality, but with all the legalities, especially involving divorce, the blending of assets, filling getting the licences, it almost as if society is making it HARD to get married.

meatballs21 · Answer

Yup. The legal benefits of common law relationships are practically the same as a 'proper' marriage, so it's all down to whether you want to wine and dine a bunch of sponging relatives.

oldanddecrepid · Answer

Marriage has nothing to do with love... you should be in love before you get married, hence it's a formality!

Rorylovesart · Answer

marriage is just a legal confirmation of love and that two people are living with each other and are relient on one another

Anonymous · Answer

I am married and i am so far away from being religious so that is invalid. I got married because i love my wife nothing more nothing less. For me it was a way to show her that she was the person i wanted to spend my life with.

udolipixie · Answer

Is marriage just a formality nowadays? No as it has legal importance. Neither options apply to me I don't think it's a formality and I don't think it's important outside of legality.

Dandeus · Answer

It's an outdated practice, and really has nothing meaningful to offer to modern society.

chrisbigman · Answer

Yes - to our society, marriage is just a formality. BUT, it shouldn't be. Marriage is a sacred bond between two people to become one. But somehow along the way, people forgot that or threw it out at the wayside.

DarkHumorRUs · Answer

I still think it's symbolic and stuff. I'd wanna get married.

BertMacklinFBI · Answer

it usually depends if you're a traditional person or not.

bananatossing · Answer

At the end of the day marriage is a contract. A contract I am willing to sign if I ever find a lady who will provide me such security and drive me to that level of madness.

Anonymous · Answer

We don't need to spend thousands of dollars just to prove to strangers in suits that we love eachother. We decided we won't do it

Anonymous · Answer

i think is still very important way of showing your love.

Mesonfielde · Answer

It always was just a formality.

LilyOfTheValley22 · Answer

No, it's not. Not for me, anyway.

Katy16 · Answer

No, it's really important

muzikmade850 · Answer

It's my dream!!

Is marriage just a formality nowadays?

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