Is Marriage a Good Thing?

The true institution of marriage—not today’s war-torn version of it—is a good thing.  The idea of the union of one man and one woman for life is worth saving from society’s bin of unwanted relics.  Notwithstanding our modern-day promotion of marital infidelity, we still admire and cherish fidelity from our family, friends, co-workers, and business partners.  Humans, by our very nature, appreciate, like, and long for loyalty.  When we meet a couple who has been married to each other for 30, 40, or 50 years, we respond with congratulations, admiration, and perhaps even a little envy.  Certainly, nobody sane tells that couple that they’re crazy, or that they’ve missed out on the good things in life.  Indeed, we know that they’ve had the very best life has to offer—a loving marriage that has stood the test of time.

Thus, what Essig and Owens fail to appreciate is the very thing they’re talking about.  The marriage institution that they’re envisioning—one repeatedly compromised by the varying desires of adults—is not what society needs and is certainly not what the government was endorsing when it rightly recognized marriage in civil society from the outset.  The well traveled and proven definition of marriage we need going down the road is far different from what the good professors are proposing to leave in the rear-view mirror.

Yet, there is hope.  We believe in fidelity.  We believe in life-long commitments for the betterment of our children and our families.  Thus, how can we not believe in the only union whose life-long commitment creates, protects, and nurtures children and families?

When creating public policy, we must identify that which is good and only then seek to implement it into the law.  The union of one man and one woman for life is good.  Marriage deserves to be protected in our laws and preserved for the good of society.  Let us not allow the misuse of a great institution to diminish the beauty of marriage itself.