Paper 83 Overview: The Marriage Institution

Marriage has evolved from primitive loose mating to the union of one man and one woman to make a home. Marriage has faced many challenges throughout history, but has been supported by property and religion, which helped it become more stable over time.

The most important support for marriage is not rules or religion, but the simple fact that men and women need each other. This need helps selfish people create something better than themselves and makes them care about others besides themselves.

Marriage has evolved from simple matings to a union of one man and one woman that creates a home of high social order. Marriage has been in danger many times, but it has been supported by property and religion throughout its history.

Men and women cannot live without each other, which is the simple fact that protects marriage and family. The sex urge helps selfish humans create something better than themselves and take on responsibilities that help the whole race, not just themselves.

Marriage is society's way to manage relations between men and women that come from physical differences. Marriage controls personal sex relations and handles things like inheritance, succession, and social order, which was its first purpose.

The family grows from marriage and helps keep marriage stable, along with property rules. Pride, duty, and religion also help keep marriages together. Marriage is not a divine institution but a human one that evolved as society did, and churches should not try to control it completely.

Primitive marriages were planned by parents, and matchmakers were often used. As civilization developed, individuals had more freedom to choose their own partners. The man who wanted to marry often had to capture or buy his bride.

Women gained more freedom in marriage over time, especially in cultures with Andite influence. Love, romance, and personal choice in picking a partner were Andite contributions to the world. The time between betrothal (engagement) and marriage became a time when religious rules limited sex relations.

Early people didn't trust love and promises alone, so marriage required property as security. The husband would pay a price for his bride, and if he left her, he would lose this payment. Women were sometimes branded after the purchase price was paid.

As time went on, parents would give gifts to the married couple that were equal to the bride price. This became the dowry tradition, which made the bride seem more independent. Mutual deposits were sometimes made by both families, creating a marriage bond.

The wedding ceremony developed because marriage was originally a community concern, not just a private decision of two people. Magic, ritual, and ceremony were part of early peoples' lives, and marriage was no exception.

Early weddings were simple announcements of living together or eating together. Later, more complex celebrations developed, with religious ceremonies designed to ensure the couple would have children. Many wedding customs, like veils and throwing rice, started as ways to protect the couple from evil spirits.

In early history, unmarried women belonged to all men of the tribe. The first step toward pairing was one-woman-at-a-time, but men could still end these relationships easily. This was the beginning of moving away from herd-like living to pair living.

Group marriages and brother-sister marriages were common in some cultures. These eventually gave way to polygamy (multiple wives) and polyandry (multiple husbands). The most common type of marriage with multiple partners was polygyny, where one man had several wives.

Monogamy means one person has only one partner, which is best for children but hard for those who can't find partners. Early monogamy happened because of poverty, not choice. It is not natural for evolutionary humans but was natural for the purer Nodites and Adamites.

Monogamy has always been the ideal goal of human sex evolution. It requires self-denial, which is why it often fails. Monogamy isn't necessarily natural or biological, but it is necessary for maintaining and developing social civilization.

In early marriage evolution, unions were loose and could be ended easily, with children following the mother. About half of primitive marriages were successful. Divorce was usually an option only for the man, not the woman.

As civilizations evolved, marriage became more stable, with property penalties for failure. Modern marriage problems come from replacing property motives with love motives, which are less stable. The family institution needs proper education for young people about the realities of marriage.

Marriage that creates a home is humanity's highest institution. The Sethite priests made marriage a religious ritual, but for thousands of years after Eden, it was just a social and civil institution.

Marriage is often compared to divine relationships, but this is unfortunate. Marriage is a human institution, not a divine one. Despite these misunderstandings, marriage has improved greatly by modern times, though it faces challenges from rapid changes in women's rights and roles.