What marriage is

First, I think it's important to understand how critical this issue is to society. Essentially, the family is society, and the principles on which families are run will permeate every aspect of life (e.g., education, government, crime, etc.). This fact could change as the government takes (or is given) the power/responsibility to displace parents in their traditional responsibilities, but until we have a brave new world on our hands (and we become a society made up of individuals, not families), government will be hard pressed to beat out the family in societal influence. (Examples of this impact can be found in drug use, emotional and behavioral health, scholastic aptitude, psychosocial adjustment, some other tidbits, etc.) In fact, some even propose the family as the manifestation of an individual's investment in social capital.

If one's aim is to improve society, then, it would be important to recognize the defining and most important element of a family: the relationship between its parts. The makeup and circumstances of a family that directly affect these relationships are, then, of high importance to society. Reasons for people to be involved in this issue, then, go beyond what is "gross."

Marriage is not something to be taken lightly; it is a (the most?) fundamental and influential part of the family, the foundation of society.

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Now, on to the more controversial matter: my vote.

The above should be enough to establish the seriousness of the marriage issue, but, for me, marriage is much more than a secular functional establishment. "Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children." (The Family: A Proclamation to the World)

There are most likely generally good and happy people who are married in each of the choices listed, but marriage and families are bigger than this world or the time we spend on it. So, when I voted, I took into account what marriage is and the scope of it's impact: eternity. Of all the choices, only homosexual marriage has no eternal potential. All of the others (depending on the circumstances and the choices of those involved) could evolve into marriage as it was meant to be.

(Begin the "there's-no-evidence-for-that" retort attempts.)

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