Quote Originally Posted by TuffStuffMcGruff View Post
The marriage is a contract with the State that there will be a reasonable distribution between you and your spouse entitling each to benefits commensurate with work, support and sacrifice. It exists to protect the wife, children and, if the man is lazy, the husband. If you do not have an interest in protecting your wife from financial harm or joinign together in a religious sacrament - do not marry, there is no point.
I'm not sure what they do in America, but here in Australia de facto relationships receive the same, or at least very similar, government befits as marriages, so that doesn't really count as an excuse. The religious thing is the only real reason that someone would, and most Aussies aren't religious so it seems like a redundant practice here.