The Obssession with Homosexuality

[Tribesman]

Marriage is a religious institution that was adopted by the government.

Its a social institution that was adopted by religions .

[Vuk]

Its a social institution that was adopted by religions .

Wrong Tribesy. The word marriage over the centuries came to describe the Holy Institution ordaned by God. That is what it still means today, and the legal definition of it was adopted as a way to recognize and protect the sanctity of those religious marriages.

EDIT: There are thousands of different types of human bonds and contracts, and marriage through the centuries became the word to represent the specific one sanctified by God. I will try to look up a little linguistic history on the word itsself, but I have seen it proven before in a documentary and read it in a history book that European governments, and then colonial governments, and then the US government adopted legal marriage as a way to protect the rights of those in the religious institution and recognize it as valid.

[PBI]

Wrong Tribesy. The word marriage over the centuries came to describe the Holy Institution ordaned by God. That is what it still means today, and the legal definition of it was adopted as a way to recognize and protect the sanctity of those religious marriages.

No, that is one meaning of the word. It has however evolved to have other meanings, such as to describe a couple who have been "married" by the state and thus enjoy certain legal protections (and social status) with no overt religious connotations.

The state, and certainly the church, do not and should not have the power to dictate the "proper" usage of the English language, nor to outlaw usage of words in what they consider an incorrect sense. If those concerned about gay marriage are truly worried that the use of the term will lead to confusion with their own religious institution, they are free to coin a new term to describe a specifically religious marriage.