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"MARRIAGE" In The News
(March 2006) |
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The news articles and features presented below are simply an indication of how topical, controversial, and all-encompassing the issues surrounding marriage are throughout our society--and the world-- today. Some of the views and opinions expressed, and their respective web sites, do NOT reflect the views or opinions of The Real Proposal™ magazine. Many are highlighted largely to reiterate that the alarming statistical trends on the chaotic state of "Marriage" and "Family"--outlined in "A Mere Glimpse"--will continue unabated without a fundamental grasp and purposeful dissemination of TRUTH on the issues.
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- Russell, Kimora Lee Simmons
Split People Magazine - By Stephen M.
Silverman with Tiffany McGee, Mar 31, 2006
Rap mogul
Russell Simmons and his wife Kimora Lee Simmons are splitting, a
rep for Kimora confirms to PEOPLE. Russell issued his own statement
Friday afternoon, saying: "Kimora and I will remain committed
parents and caring friends with great love and admiration for each
other. We will also continue to work side by side on a daily basis
as partners in all of our businesses." . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Russell Says He and Kimora Can Still Save
Marriage Vibe.com, By Mark
Lelinwalla, April 04, 2006
- More on Russell Simmons and Kimora
Lee! AllHipHop- Mar 30, 2006
With all the talk about Russell and Kimora
divorcing, it might all be pure BS. So, word is the doting pair are
supposed to be in Jamaica today with Louis Farrakhan, Freddie
Jackson, Roberta Flack at the inauguration ceremony for the new
Prime Minister there. So, I will let you know if this is true! Word
is they will be down with the international dignitaries. We need
our Hip-Hop royalty. Still, rumors say that Russell is already
seeing a model named Denise Vasi, 23, and Kimora is dating a
certain rapper that’s been mentioned on these pages plenty. .
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- The Divorce Dilemma:
Sociologist finds that even amicable divorces
are likely to have negative effects on
children University of
Texas at Austin- By Michele Bryant, Mar 30, 2006
While amicable divorces are certainly better than
the alternative, particularly when children are involved, a new
national study shows they still take a toll on children’s overall
wellbeing, as well as their own future marital success.
Surprisingly, persons whose parents had a good divorce had,
on average, the least successful marriages of any of the categories
of persons compared. Their results differed significantly from
persons whose parents had bad divorces involving destructive
behaviors or low-conflict but not happy marriages. Results for that
group were considerably poorer than those whose parents had a happy
marriage. . .
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- Matt LeBlanc
filing for divorce after 3 years
Couple split in January after his show,
'Joey,' was pulled MSNBC Mar 30, 2006
Former "Friends" star Matt LeBlanc plans to file for
divorce from his wife of nearly three years, Melissa, Access
Hollywood has learned. A rep for the actor released the following
statement to Access: "Melissa and Matt LeBlanc have decided to end
their marriage of three years. The dissolution is amicable. They
remain devoted parents and friends. For the sake of their family,
they ask that their privacy be respected at this time." According
to reports, the couple split up in January, soon after LeBlanc's
NBC sitcom "Joey" was pulled from the schedule. .
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- Victories in the marriage debate Town Hall- DC- By Maggie Gallagher, Mar 28, 2006
History is written by the victors. So it is particularly fitting that New York's own Institute for American Values (where I was once an affiliate scholar) should release two scholarly reports on the marriage debate by Norval Glenn and Tom Sylvester. Professor Norval Glenn is one of the nation's top family scholars, a sociologist at University of Texas-Austin widely respected for his methodological rigor. Report No. 1, "The Shift," is a painstaking effort to investigate the widespread perception that expert opinion on whether and how much marriage matters actually changed in response to new scientific data. Glenn and Sylvester analyzed every study on family structure that appeared in the premier Journal of Marriage and Family between 1977 and 2002. They conclude that yes, between the late '70s and the late '80s, a definite change is visible: Scholars began to report increasing concern about the effects of divorce and unmarried childbearing on children. . . . . . Report No. 2 by Glenn and Sylvester is "The Denial." It analyzes "common arguments" used by scholars to downplay the importance of family structure for children. . . . .
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- Marriage debate Town Hall, DC - By Tim Chapman, Mar 28, 2006
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has made clear his intention to bring the Federal Marriage Amendment to the floor of the Senate for a vote in June. In preparation for that debate, Senator Jon Kyl's policy committee has released a paper that details the surrounding cases in question and summarizes how the amendment would work if enacted. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: The Jon Kyl paper: is being circulated on the Hill today (Courts Continue to Redefine Marriage Despite Public Opposition- Why a Marriage Amendment is Necessary).
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- Forget Prince Charming: Women Need to
Save, Invest, Buy a Home Bloomberg - By Joan Oleck, Mar
28, 2006
(The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those
of Bloomberg.)
. . . So begins "Money, a Memoir'' (Henry
Holt, 269 pages, $23), one of two useful new books on the subject
of how women make -- or elude -- financial decisions. Perle, a
former book publisher, calls money "the great unexplored
territory'' for women: "We've granted it the authority to
single-handedly make us feel safe and cared for. We twist ourselves
into impossible shapes to please and stay attached to the people
and institutions that dole it out.'' She uses her own survival
story to explore the tendency of women to equate money, usually
from a man, with happiness. That dependence plays out in schoolgirl
fantasies of Prince Charming's arrival (carrying buckets of cash)
and our dismay when he behaves less than, well,
princely. A Man Is No Plan. . .
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- Marriage: A social justice
issue Townhall.com-
by Jennifer Roback Morse - Mar 27, 2006
Our culture glamorizes early sexual activity,
unmarried sexual activity, and unmarried childbearing. But these
cultural influences have very different implications for poorly
educated, low-income women of color, than for the elite
opinion-makers who graduate from exclusive universities. .
. . Oddly enough, the one great cultural issue that has tremendous
impact on black America’s wealth is hardly ever approached in this
way. This one policy area has the potential to increase black
wealth, education and power. This major cultural course correction
could reduce drug use, delinquency and violence, especially black
on black crime. I am speaking of course, of marriage as a social
justice issue. Yet, liberal elite opinion is strangely silent on
the potentially revolutionary importance of marriage to the black
community . Marriage is a protective factor against social
pathologies. Marriage generates and preserves wealth, unlike other
family forms which dissipate wealth. . . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: 'Marriage Is for White
People'
Washington Post, US- By Joy Jones, Mar
26, 2006
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- Perelman vs.
Barkin: Scenes from a broken marriage
Tough Love: What happens when mogul and a movie star get married?
Contracts get signed, and the drama begins. .
. New York Magazine, USA - By Geoffrey
Gray, Mar 27, 2006 Issue
. . . But not this New Year’s Eve. Tonight, Perelman
and Barkin weren’t speaking, a friend of Barkin’s says. They hadn’t
been intimate for months, and Barkin speculated Perelman might be
cheating on her, the friend says, although Barkin had no evidence.
As the clock approached midnight, hundreds of revelers in linen
shirts and party dresses had gathered on the docks, as they do each
year, to watch the fireworks and toast in the New Year. On the
Ultima III, the guests soon stood waiting in place for the
big birthday moment. Perelman’s cake was ready, the candles
flickering. But Barkin was elsewhere, on the top deck with a
friend, not at Perelman’s side. “The tension,” one observer says,
“was thick.” Back in New York the next week, people close to Barkin
say, Barkin was still raw from the fight they’d had on the boat.
Even so, she never thought that weeks later, she’d be served with
divorce papers and booted from her home. . .
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RELATED ARTICLE: Ex- Ex- Ex MEN: The Remarrying
Kind NYTimes.com- By Kate
Zernike, Jan 29, 2006
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- 'Marriage Is for White
People'
Washington Post, US- By
Joy Jones, Mar 26, 2006
I grew up in a time when two-parent families
were still the norm, in both black and white America. Then, as an
adult, I saw divorce become more commonplace, then almost a rite of
passage. Today it would appear that many -- particularly in the
black community -- have dispensed with marriage altogether. But as
a black woman, I have witnessed the outrage of girlfriends when the
ex failed to show up for his weekend with the kids, and I've seen
the disappointment of children who missed having a dad around.
Having enjoyed a close relationship with my own father, I made a
conscious decision that I wanted a husband, not a live-in boyfriend
and not a "baby's daddy," when it came my time to mate and marry. .
. . And that's when the other boy chimed in, speaking as if the
words left a nasty taste in his mouth: "Marriage is for white
people.". . . I was stunned to learn that a black child was more
likely to grow up living with both parents during slavery days than
he or she is today, according to sociologist Andrew J. Cherlin. .
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- With this
contract, I thee wed
Seattle Times, United
States - By Eileen Ambrose, Mar 26,
2006.
Put yourself in Anna Nicole Smith's stilettos. At
26, you marry a Texas oil tycoon more than 60 years your senior. He
dies a short time later. A decade goes by, and you're still
wrangling with your stepson over the multimillion-dollar estate,
all the way to the Supreme Court. It could have been avoided if you
and your fiancé had drawn up a prenuptial agreement. Maybe it's a
stretch to imagine yourself in the former Playboy Playmate of the
Year's situation. But with the start of the wedding season, it's a
good time for engaged couples to consider whether a prenuptial
contract is for them. . . .
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- Should you
say, "I do"
Premarital counseling may prove to be
priceless The Jackson Sun-TN, By Tonya Smith-King, Mar 27,
2006
For couples considering premarital counseling, there
are benefits beyond the huge break they can get on their marriage
licenses. . . . Marriage licenses are $33.50 with premarital
counseling and $93.50 without it, a $60 difference. .
. Tennessee's divorce rate was 6.5 per 1,000 people in 1990,
according to the National Center for Health Statistics of the
Centers for Disease Control. That rate has steadily decreased over
the years to 4.9 per 1,000 in 2004, the latest statistics at the
CDC's Web site. But that's still above the national rate of 3.7 per
1,000. Couples must get at least four hours of premarital
counseling to qualify for the discount. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Pastor gives tips on
making marriage last The Jackson Sun- By Tonya
Smith-King, Mar 27, 2006
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- Same-sex marriage battles
escalate USA Today -By Joan Biskupic, Mar 23,
2006
WASHINGTON — Gay rights advocates are
pushing to legalize same-sex marriage with an unprecedented wave of
lawsuits in state courts, while those seeking to ban such unions
are gaining ground in state legislatures. The contrasting
strategies reflect how judges have begun to show a willingness to
expand the rights of same-sex couples at a time when many state
lawmakers — and most Americans — are cool to the idea. Several key
developments are likely soon. The top state courts in Washington
state and New Jersey have heard arguments brought by gay men and
lesbians. Either court could open the door to a second state
joining Massachusetts in allowing same-sex marriages. . . The
legislative moves against gay marriages aren't limited to the
states. In June, the U.S. Senate is scheduled to begin debating a
measure intended to lead to a U.S. constitutional amendment banning
such marriages. The proposals in legislatures and in Congress
partly reflect public-opinion polls, which for five years have
indicated that about 60% of Americans oppose legalizing same-sex
marriage. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Wave of
lawsuits targets bans on same-sex marriage USA Today- Joan Biskupic, Mar 23,
2006
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- Gay marriage foes, friends insist God is on their side St Paul Pioneer Press- MN- By Rachel E. Stassen-Berger, Mar 22, 2006
The Rev. Steve Goold and the Rev. Doug Donley have prayed over the issues surrounding gay marriage. Their prayers landed them on opposite sides of a proposed constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Like many involved in the emotional fight over the amendment, their opposing positions spring from their faith. That has made the debate over the proposal at the Minnesota Capitol and across the nation more intense and more personal. . . .
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- Poll finds US warming to gay
marriage San Francisco Chronicle, USA -
By Wyatt Buchanan, Mar 23, 2006
Opposition to same-sex marriage
dropped sharply across the country during the past two years,
though just over half of Americans still oppose allowing gays and
lesbians to marry, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center
released Wednesday. The poll also showed increased support for
allowing same-sex couples to adopt children, and substantial
backing for the rights of gays and lesbians to serve openly in the
military. . . .The Pew center's national poll of
1,405 adults, conducted from March 8-12, found that 51 percent
opposed same-sex marriage and 39 percent supported it. In February
2004, as same-sex couples were marrying in San Francisco, a Pew
poll found 63 percent of Americans opposed the right of gays and
lesbians to marry and 30 percent in favor. The margin of error in
the latest survey was plus or minus 3 or 4 percentage points,
depending on the question. . . .Any shift toward support for
same-sex marriage has yet to show up at the polls, however, Since
2004, voters in 13 states have passed constitutional bans on
same-sex marriage. At least seven states will vote on similar
measures in November. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Poll:
Acceptance of gay marriage has grown since 2003
decision Boston Globe-By
Will Lester AP Writer, Mar 22, 2006
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- Deleting Dad Townhall.com, By Kathleen Parker, Mar 22, 2006
. . . This past Sunday, the New York Times was replete with stories that answer both Dowd's question and that posed by Thurber and White. Not only are men not necessary, but neither is sex in many cases. The cover story of the Times' Sunday Magazine, for instance, was headlined "Looking For Mr. Good Sperm" and featured women who have given up on Mr. Right and are searching instead for a good vial of sperm. . . While such distilled summaries can't tell the whole story, the unspoken essence is that women have all the power when it comes to children, and men are only as good as their sperm count. . .There's something terribly wrong with this picture, and it is this: These are sad stories that reveal symptoms of a diseased culture in which human relationships have no moral content and children are treated as accessories to adult lives. Yet, these trends are portrayed as the latest gosh-gee fashions. A society in which women are alone, men are lonely, and children don't have fathers is nothing to celebrate. . . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: WANTED: A Few Good Sperm New York Times (Free Subscription)- By JENNIFER EGAN, March 19, 2006
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- The
Meaning of Marriage (Part 2)
Interview With Princeton's Robert
George Zenit News Agency, Italy - Mar
22, 2006
PRINCETON, N.J. --Proponents of
same-sex "marriage" often claim that allowing same-sex couples to
marry cannot possibly harm anyone else's marriage, as the
relationship is distinctly private. This argument prompted scholars
from across the disciplines to gather together to offer distinctly
"public reasons" for the preservation of the institution of
marriage as a male-female union. Their results have been gathered
into a new book, "The Meaning of Marriage: Family , State, Market
and Morals" (Spence), co-edited by Robert P. George and
Jean Bethke Elshtain. . . .
Q: You describe the good of marriage as a "one-flesh communion of
persons." Is that a distinctly religious concept?
George: No. The intrinsic value of marriage, understood as a
comprehensive, multilevel sharing of life founded upon the bodily
communion of sexually complementary spouses and naturally ordered
to procreation and the upbringing of children, can be grasped, and
has been grasped, by people of different faiths and by those of no
particular faith. The teachings of most, if not all, religions
extend to marriage in one way or another, but the good of marriage
can be known, and is known, by reason, even when unaided by
revelation. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: The Meaning of Marriage (Part
1)
Interview with Princeton's Robert
George
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- Gay marriage now, polygamy
later U.S. News & World Report - John
Leo, Mar 22, 2006
Bloggers are probably getting too
worked up over the new polygamy TV show, Big Love. One show
doesn't create a real-life trend. But critics are right (as Rick
Santorum was right) when they say the gay marriage debate opened
the door to legal approval of polygamy. A New Jersey appellate
court judge wrote that if marriage is couched only in terms of
privacy, intimacy, and autonomy, then what nonarbitrary ground is
there for denying the benefit to the polygamous unions whose
members claim the arrangement is necessary to their
self-fulfillment? Traditional conceptions of marriage and the
"privileging" of marriage drop out of the debate once courts, such
as Massachusetts's highest court, define marriage in terms of
feeling and choice. . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Once same-sex marriage
is OK, polygamy's next Star Tribune- By
Katherine Kersten, Mar 16, 2006
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- 'No sex grounds for
divorce' News24, South Africa -Mar 22, 2006
New Delhi - A sexless
marriage constitutes cruelty and is grounds for divorce, India's
top court has ruled. The Supreme Court made the ruling in response
to a petition by a woman who sought a divorce on
the grounds that her husband was schizophrenic and they couldn't
have a normal sex life, her lawyer said Wednesday. "The court ruled
that one of the necessary outcomes of a Hindu marriage is
procreation, and non-consummation would be added as a ground for
divorce," senior lawyer Kamini Jaiswal said.
. .
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- What women really want Palm Beach
Post.com- By Mark Schwed, Mar 22, 2006
My wife digs me. Really. She does.
Here's why: I work hard at the office, and she stays home with the
kids. (She's the perfect mom. I tell her all of the time.)
There's more: When I get home to our McMansion on the McOcean, I
whip up dinner, wash the dishes, help the kids with their homework,
then lavish her with me. I light candles. Rub her feet.
Spread rose petals on the bed (which I will clean up later). I tell
her she's fantastic. And I really, really listen. In short, I am
the ideal husband. And I am a complete fantasy. . . . .
- Thoughts on
marriage, shoes, and love gone bad Post-Gazette.com- BY Peter Leo, Mar 22, 2006
. . . The other
shoe falls. . . . Now that we've dispensed with that insidious
stereotype, have you noticed how women never have enough shoes? Liz
Perle has. Her new book, "Money, A Memoir: Women, Emotions and
Cash" (Holt), analyzes why women "spend more on face creams and
shoes than we do on our retirement funds." M. P. Dunleavey, a
personal finance columnist, has no quarrel with Ms. Perle's thesis,
but, she asks: Guys don't have money problems? . .
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- A good thesaurus would resolve the
'marriage' debate St Paul Pioneer Press, MN By JOE SOUCHERAY, Mar
22, 2006
Apparently we are in agreement that the traditional
definition of the word "marriage" is the union of one man and one
woman, and that presents the conundrum. Really what is at issue in
Minnesota and elsewhere in the Western world is the expansion of
the word to include arrangements other than one man and one woman,
for example, two men or two women. Well, no. The union of two men or
two women would have to be called something else because words mean
something and "marriage" is taken. It would be like the architects
of a game in which a ball is struck with a mallet through wire
hoops insisting that their game be called "baseball." No. Baseball,
it would have to be pointed out, is different from this new game
and a new name, "croquet" perhaps, would have to be invented.
Croquet, huh? OK, croquet it is and thus the world has both
baseball and croquet. . .
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- The
Meaning of Marriage (Part 1)
Interview With Princeton's Robert
George
Zenit.org, Mar 20,
2006
PRINCETON, N.J. --Debates about the institution of
marriage are often characterized as clashes between religious
adherents and secularists, which imply the debate is one between
faith and reason. However, a new collection of essays from across
the academic disciplines argues that marriage need not be defended
solely through appeals to religious authority or tradition. . .
.Scholars presented papers
on their academic discipline's contribution to our understanding of
marriage, and each of the disciplines offered profound insights
into the importance of marriage both for individuals and for the
nation. The papers did not invoke revelation, religious authority
or sectarian reasoning. This was the best of what's been termed
"public reason" at work. And the conclusions from everyone at the
conference were that: a) marriage matters; b) marriage is in
crisis; and c) we could be facing the virtual abolition of marriage
if we go down the road of same-sex "marriage." Professor Elshtain
of the University of Chicago and I decided to compile these essays
into a book because the information and arguments we were fortunate
enough to have heard at the conference need to be disseminated
throughout our nation. Every American who cares about civil
society, child well-being and the condition of marriage in our
culture needs to know about the scholarly findings reported in this
collection. . . .
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- Reasoning Behind France's Rejection of
Same Sex Marriage Published in English LifeSite, NY - By
John-Henry Westen, Mar 20, 2006
MONTREAL(LifeSiteNews.com) - In late
January, a 30 member parliamentary commission of the French
National Assembly published a 453 page Report on the Family and the
rights of Children, which rejected same-sex marriage. That report,
available only in French, has been carefully examined by Louis
DeSerres the bilingual national co-ordinator of 'Preserve
Marriage - Protect Children's Rights' who has
produced an English-language two page executive summary of the
reasons behind the report's rejection of homosexual 'marriage'.
. . DeSerres, told LifeSiteNews.com "Referring to the rights
of children as a human rights issue, the report argued that
children 'now have rights, and to systematically give preference to
adult aspirations over respect for these rights is not possible any
more. ". . .
RELATED ARTICLE: French
Government Report Says No to Homosexual "Marriage" LifeSiteNews.com, By John-Henry Westen, Feb 16, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: Canadian Group Applaud
France's Decision to Reject Same Sex
Marriage Halifax
Live, Canada - Mar 20,
2006
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- Needed: Leadership for a nation adrift
Townhall.com- By Star Parker, Mar
20, 2006
. .
. As we spread freedom around the world, I think there is concern,
judging from much of what we see going on at home, that we're
losing a sense of what the pillars are that hold our own free
society together. If we're losing our compass at home, can we
really spread the word abroad? This is a subject blacks know well.
It's why the marriage issue struck as responsive chord as it did in
this community. We know from what we have seen in our own
communities that when core traditional values collapse, when the
integrity of families collapses, when life becomes cheap, when
property has no meaning, there is no freedom. .
. It seems like common sense that a society where there is no
longer clarity on the most basic things like what constitutes a
family and what it means to be married is one lost and confused
place. This poses a threat to our country as much as any hostile
force from abroad. . .
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- HBO's 'Big Love': What taboo?
Human Events Online- By George Neumayr, Mar
20, 2006
. . . Press accounts about “Big Love”
have noted that its creators are gay, which underscores that the
opposition to polygamy from gay activists over the last few years
is nothing more than political posturing. They know that polygamy
is perfectly consistent with the logic underlying same-sex marriage
but can’t say that lest it stall that drive.
Once marriage is
accepted as “man-made,” humans can make it, unmake it, and remake
it at will. And after that point any prohibitions are simple
arbitrariness. Gay activists, for largely PR reasons, will
sometimes insist upon the sacredness of “two,” which is oddly
arbitrary, since they justify their position on the grounds that
marriage has no natural, pre-existing character to it. At least the
creators of “Big Love” are ignoring this fakery and following the
premises of same-sex marriage to its logical conclusion. . .
RELATED BLOG: The Next Civil Rights
Frontier? TownHall.com- D. Son's blog, Mar 20, 2006
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- Gay marrriage question begs
resolution Yale Daily News- Peter Johnston, Mar 20, 2006
Is gay marriage immoral? Merely asking the question
infuriates many Yale students. In response, they walk away in a
huff, angry and indignant -- they don't engage the questioner at
all. Those who do engage skirt the content of the question,
responding with a theme of their own: "How can you question the
personal choices of others?" or "Don't impose your opinions on me!"
Of course, the question does nothing of the sort; it simply gives
voice to a subject that is on everybody's mind. At least, the
subject should be on everybody's mind. Some say that gay marriage
is the civil rights issue of this generation, while others think
the idea's prominence in the public sphere constitutes the height
of depravity. . .The question is illegitimate only under the
condition that a moral standard does not exist. But Yale students
are quite committed to the existence of a moral standard. . .
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- Author find that
husbands aren't as shallow as we've been led to
believe Seattle Post Intelligencer- By Melissa
Fletcher Stoeltje, Mar 18, 2006
Journalist Neil Chethik was sick of
the stereotypes -- the ones that say men are louts who don't value
their marriages, who operate as psychological juveniles next to
women who do all the emotional heavy lifting in the relationship.
Married for 19 years -- very happily, thank you -- he knew
something was amiss in this picture. So he started asking men about
their marriages. . . A writer in residence at the Carnegie Center
for Literacy and Learning in Lexington, Ky., Chethik published his
results in a new book, "VoiceMale: What Husbands Really Think About
Their Marriages, Their Wives, Sex, Housework, and Commitment (Simon
& Schuster; $15.64). What he found was that many men find their
stride in marriage -- a fact that should make wives very happy. .
.
Q: What made
you want to write this book?
A:
The image of men on television and movies is that they're idiots
who can't change a diaper or boil water, and all they care about is
beer and sex. When I looked around at the people I knew, and all
the people I've interviewed in 20 years of writing about men, I saw
this vast chasm between the image of men and what men are really
like. . .
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- White Bible Ceremony seals a marriage in sanctity and
spirit
PensacolaNewsJournal.com, FL -By Reginald T. Dogan,
Mar 18, 2006
Before a man and woman
unite in holy matrimony, the man's best friends usually throw a
no-holds-barred bachelor party. For the woman, a more subdued
bridal shower is the prenuptial plan. Too
often, lost in the fleeting flurry of parties and wedding details
is the real meaning of what's about to take place, and that's when
a White Bible Ceremony can refocus the prospective bride and groom
on faith and spirituality.... But given renewed emphasis
on faith, religion and family, the White Bible Ceremony has seen a
resurgence in recent years. The
ceremony symbolically seals a marriage in sanctity and spirit of
Christian faith. . . Patricia Threadgill, mother
of the future bride, read about the religious custom in the June
2005 edition of Southern Lady magazine and loved the symbolism of
the ceremony. So did her daughter. .
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- Readers offer their own advice to wife in troubled
marriage South
Florida Sun- Sentinel, Mar 18, 2006
EDITOR'S
NOTE: Several readers took issue with Pastor Bob Coy's
March 11 column, in which a woman asked if she should stay with her
verbally abusive husband. Quoting Scripture, Pastor Coy recommended
she "go the extra mile by humbly submitting to your husband, as
unto the Lord.". . .
Dear Rev. Coy: I am surprised and dismayed in your response
to Mrs. P.B. of Fort Lauderdale. You basically left her to hang out
there all alone in her efforts to deal with her abusive husband.
You could have made her aware of the groups of abused women who
meet on a regular basis to give mutual support and encouragement.
She would know that ways exist between submission and divorce that
would help her in her misery. In addition, you gave Mrs. P.B. no
aid in dealing with her husband. I would think that Calvary Chapel
has men who have been abusers, and have reformed not because their
wives submitted in fear, but because other men persuaded them that
there are better ways. . .
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- Discuss issue of adultery with mate instead of dodging
subject Pacific Daily News- By Norman Analista, Mar 17, 2006
How many people do you think are
engaging in extramarital affairs? Who really knows? Based on how
often the subject pops up in rumor mills, however, it seems like
more and more people are messing around. I'm bringing up the touchy
subject of adultery not to judge anyone, but rather to make the
point that it's an issue married couples should openly discuss --
especially if they want to thwart the threat of infidelity from
damaging their relationships. . . .Movies like "Unfaithful," soap
operas, romance novels and other forms of media glamorize the act
of adultery. Their misleading implications are always: "Want
passion? Go outside of your marriage, because the person you
exchanged vows with and pledged to give you their heart and soul is
incapable of making you feel pleasure and excitement." Couples who
want to prevent an affair not only need to commit to being honest.
. .
RELATED ARTICLE: Maintaining a healthy marriage:
"A Weekend to Remember" brings couples together to
focus on building marriage and
families Pacific Daily News,
By Jojo Santo Tomas, Mar 18, 2006
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- Pandora and Polygamy The Washington Post, By Charles Krauthammer, Mar
17, 2006
And now, polygamy. With the sweetly titled HBO
series "Big Love," polygamy comes out of the closet. Under the
headline "Polygamists, Unite!" Newsweek informs us of "polygamy
activists emerging in the wake of the gay-marriage movement." Says
one evangelical Christian big lover: "Polygamy rights is the next
civil-rights battle.". . . As Newsweek notes, these stirrings
for the mainstreaming of polygamy (or, more accurately, polyamory)
have their roots in the increasing legitimization of gay marriage.
In an essay 10 years ago, I pointed out that it is utterly logical
for polygamy rights to follow gay rights. After all, if traditional
marriage is defined as the union of (1) two people of (2) opposite
gender, and if, as advocates of gay marriage insist, the gender
requirement is nothing but prejudice, exclusion and an arbitrary
denial of one's autonomous choices in love, then the first
requirement -- the number restriction (two and only two) -- is a
similarly arbitrary, discriminatory and indefensible denial of
individual choice. This line of argument makes gay activists
furious. I can understand why they do not want to be in the same
room as polygamists. But I'm not the one who put them there. Their
argument does. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: The
Next Civl Rights Frontier? D. Son's blog, Townhall.com, Mar 20, 2006
- Polygamists, Unite! They used to live quietly, but now they're
making noise Newsweek- By
Elise Soukup, Mar 20, 2006 Issue
. . . There's a sound legal
argument for making the controversial practice legal, says Brian
Barnard, the lawyer for a Utah couple, identified in court
documents only as G. Lee Cooke and D. Cooke, who filed suit after
being denied a marriage license for an additional wife. Though the
case was struck down by a federal court last year, it's now being
considered by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, and Barnard plans
to use the same argument—that Lawrence
v. Texas, the 2003 sodomy case in which the U.S. Supreme Court
ruled that individuals have "the full right to engage in private
conduct without government intervention," should also apply to
polygamous relationships. . .
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- Polygamy Drives Plot of New HBO Dramedy
Mormonism -- Polygamy and the Latter-day
Saints The Seoul Times-By Gail
Pennington, Mar 17, 2006
Imagine "Desperate Housewives"
if Bree, Lynette and Gabrielle were all married to Tom. The
resulting super-family might be something like the one headed by
Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) in the new HBO dramedy "Big Love,"
making its debut Sunday after "The Sopranos." For Bill, a
mild-mannered Everyman who lives in Utah (more about that later)
and owns a home improvement store, wife No. 1 is Barb (Jeanne
Tripplehorn). The others call her "boss lady." Wife No. 2 is Nicki
(Chloe Sevigny), who abuses the family budget with her
home-shopping habit. No. 3, the youngest, is Margene (Ginnifer
Goodwin), who's confident about little except her sexuality. . . .
When everyone joins hands as Bill prays for his "loving family
sealed together through time and all eternity," it's possible to
think this polygamy thing might really work.
Well, Wisteria Lane
looks pleasant, too. Actually, we soon learn, the Henrickson family
is dysfunctional times three. . . Executive produced by Tom Hanks
and his Playtone partner Gary Goetzman. . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Paxton finds romance (times
three) in 'Love'
MSNBC.com, Mar 15, 2006
RELATED ARTICLE: The Joy
of Sects- HBO's 'Big Love'
Creative Loafing.com- Atlanta, By Curt Holman, Mar 15,
2006
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- Once same-sex
marriage is OK, polygamy's next Star Tribune- By Katherine Kersten, Mar 16,
2006
. . . "Big
Love" is just a TV show, you say? But cultural expression can pack
a powerful wallop - witness the much ballyhooed bid by "Brokeback
Mountain" to normalize same-sex attraction. Influential voices are
already calling for allowing polygamy. Last week, New York Times
libertarian columnist John Tierney endorsed itslegalization in a
column titled "Who's afraid of polygamy?" . . .
. Today gay marriage supporters'
mantra is, "How does my same-sex marriage harm your marriage?" Down
the road it may be, "How does my marriage of two men and a woman
harm your marriage?" If we don't answer the first question with
resolve -- making clear that "one man-one woman" is at the heart of
marriage in Minnesota -- we may not have a chance to answer the
second. . .
- Polygamy and the Marriage Market: Who
Would Have the Upper Hand? New York Times (Free
Subscription), United States -ROBERT H. FRANK, Mar 16,
2006
MOST people believe that consenting
adults should be free to do as they please, provided they do not
cause unacceptable harm to others. The difficult question, of
course, is what constitutes unacceptable harm. The debut on Sunday
night of "Big Love," the new HBO series about a polygamous
fictional family in Salt Lake City, has touched off renewed debate
about this question. Barb, Nicki and Margene, the three heroines of
"Big Love," chose to marry Bill Henrickson, a successful
businessman able to provide generously for their extended family.
Mr. Henrickson chose to marry them. Should society outlaw such
arrangements because they cause unacceptable harm to others? If so,
who is harmed, exactly, and how? Economic theory, it turns out, has
interesting things to say about these questions. The traditional
argument against plural marriage is that it harms women,
particularly younger women who may be coerced to enter such
marriages. Needless to say, society should prohibit forced
participation in any marriage, whether plural or monogamous. But
mature women who freely choose plural marriage reveal a preference
for that arrangement. So if plural marriage harms women, the
victims must be those who prefer monogamy. .
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- Phil Collins' son blames marriage split No3 on insecure
childhood Mirror.co.uk, UK - By Fiona
Cummins, Mar 17, 2006
PHIL Collins' son yesterday blamed the
collapse of the pop star's third marriage on "childhood
insecurities". Simon Collins, 28, claimed his multi-millionaire
father split from Orianne, 33, after six years of marriage due to
low self-esteem. . . .The pair have been
living in different houses since the New Year after "growing
apart". However, mum-of-two Orianne appeared to be unaware
yesterday that the marriage split was about to become public. She
had denied she was parting from Phil just hours earlier. She
insisted: "It is absolute rubbish to say we are separating or
divorcing.". . .
- Marriage Woes for Dave Navarro and Carmen
Electra
Post Chronicle -By Jack Ryan, Mar 17,
2006
Rocker Dave Navarro has confirmed
that his marriage to sexy actress Carmen Electra is in trouble,
confessing the couple rarely gets to enjoy quality time . . .
It's like the old adage says, you have fun with a freak - but you
don't marry one. . .
- Pitt-Jolie marriage rumors
rife CNN.com- Entertainment, Mar
16, 2006
LAGLIO, Italy
(AP) -- Speculation spread once again that Brad Pitt and Angelina
Jolie would wed on these Italian shores -- perhaps this weekend.
George Clooney is a friend of the Hollywood couple and his
lakefront villa in the town of Laglio is cited in Italian news
reports as a credible location for such a ceremony. Saturday has
been mentioned as a possible date. . .
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- Goa to make HIV test mandatory for
registration of marriage
newsKerala.com, Mar 17, 2006
PANAJI: Goa government today decided to
make HIV test mandatory for registration of marriage. "We have
decided to amend the Goa Public Health Act making HIV test
mandatory before registration of marriage," State Health Minister
Dayanand Narvekar told reporters after the cabinet
meeting. The government has also decided to "throw
open this amendment for public debate" and various NGOs and other
individuals can give their suggestions in this matter, said
Narvekar, briefing reporters on the cabinetdecision in presence of Chief Minister
Pratapsingh Rane. . .
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- Drive to reduce forced
marriages BBC News- UK, Mar 16, 2006
A drive to
reduce the number of forced marriages of British citizens is due to
be unveiled.
The campaign by the government's Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) is
backed by actor and writer Meera Syal and former EastEnders star
Ameet Chana. More than 250 cases are reported to the FMU each year,
most of which involve links to south Asian countries. A decision by
the government is also expected soon on whether to outlaw forced
marriages. More than 250 cases are reported
to the FMU each year, most of which involve links to south Asian
countries. A decision by the government is also expected soon on
whether to outlaw forced marriages. . .
Forced marriage is a form of domestic violence
and a human rights abuse. The victims often face emotional and
physical abuse. "We are determined to help young people at risk and
protect their right to choose whom they want to marry . . . .
RELATED ARTICLE: Forced marriage made me
suicidal BBC News-UK, Emily
Buchanan, Mar 16, 2006
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- Da Vinci author
finds his marriage on trial The
Age, Australia -By James Button, Mar 16,
2006
This week the extraordinary case of Michael
Baigent and Richard Leigh versus publishers Random House has taken
on new dimensions. It is a plagiarism (technically, breach of
copyright) suit that has revealed much more. It has cast new light
on the weird way that the world's best-selling novel, The Da
Vinci Code, was written. It may be a lesson in the perils of
the internet. And it is a portrait of a most unusual
marriage. . . Arguments close on Monday, after which Justice Peter
Smith of the British High Court will decide whether author Dan
Brown stole the architecture and central theme of Holy Blood,
Holy Grail — a 1982 book by Baigent, Leigh and another author —
for The Da Vinci Code. Millions of dollars in royalties and
the fate of the blockbuster film of Brown's book, not to mention
common understandings of copyright law, hang on the result. .
.
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- Marriage Protection Amendment Approved by
House State Government Committee SOLANCONEWS.com, PA -Mar 15,
2006
HARRISBURG -- Legislation sponsored by
Rep. Scott W. Boyd (R-Lancaster) that would allow the people of
Pennsylvania to amend the state's Constitution to specifically
define marriage as a union between one man and one woman was
approved today by the House State Government Committee, clearing
the way for it to be voted on by the full House. Boyd's Marriage
Protection Amendment (House Bill 2381) passed out of the committee
by a 15-13 vote. . .
- Mormon in legal gay marriage faces
cutoff Seattle Post
Intelligencer -By Jennifer Dobner, Mar 15, 2006
SALT LAKE CITY -- A gay man who is a lifetime member
of the Mormon church could be facing disciplinary action and
excommunication after legally marrying his partner in Canada.
Buckley Jeppson, 57, said he's been informed verbally by a senior
church leader that his life is incompatible with the doctrine of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that a
disciplinary council will address the matter. . . "If the person
later decides to reject these core principles, they have the right
and freedom to do so," she said. "However, they cannot reasonably
expect to reject the most fundamental teachings of the church and
still wrap themselves in the cloak of church membership. Of course,
they would be welcome to continue to attend church services.". .
.
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- Quiz: Is he marriage
material? Mumbai Mirror, India - Mar 15,
2006
Will your boyfriend be the ideal
husband or is he not the marrying variety? Take the quiz to find
out.
1. You have been hinting like crazy that you want a
puppy for Christmas. Your guy would:
a. Get you a stuffed animal puppy with a shiny red bow
b. Ask, “How much do those cost, exactly?”
c. Find out your favourite breed — and surprise you with one on
Christmas morning. . .
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- 'Desperate Housewife' Nicollette Sheridan
Gets Engaged ABC News -By BUCK WOLF, Mar 14,
2006
When Nicollette Sheridan arrived
at the Oscars with a huge diamond ring on her left hand, reporters
asked if she and boyfriend Michael Bolton had an announcement to
make. "No," she said, with the same coy grin she flashes as
Edie Britt on "Desperate Housewives." "Do you?"
Now it's official. The 42-year-old actress
and the 53-year-old are engaged, the actress's rep tells
ABCNEWS.com. . . The couple began dating in the early
1990s, and recently rekindled their relationship. Sheridan was
previously married to "L.A. Law" actor Harry Hamlin. Last year,
after she split from fiancé Nick Soderblom, she and Bolton
reconnected during the Christmas holiday. .
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- Big Love, from the Set National Review Online- By Stanley
Kurtz, Mar 13, 2006
It's
getting tougher to laugh off the "slippery slope" argument — the
claim that gay marriage will lead to polygamy, polyamory, and
ultimately to the replacement of marriage itself by an infinitely
flexible partnership system. We've now got a movement for legalized
polyamory and the abolition of marriage in Sweden. (See
"Fanatical
Swedish Feminists.") The
Netherlands has given legal, political, and public approval to a
cohabitation contract for a polyamorous bisexual triad. (See
"Here Come the Brides.") Two out
of four reports on polygamy commissioned by the Canadian government
recommended decriminalization and regulation of the practice.
(See "Dissolving Marriage.") And now
comes Big
Love, HBO's domestic drama about an American
polygamous family. . . We don't need to talk about all the claims
for the cultural significance of Will and Grace or
Brokeback Mountain. Have a look at this fascinating piece
from the Salt Lake City Tribune, " Will
the polygamy debate ever be the same? ". .
.
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- NJ Law Journal Comes Out in Favor of Gay
Marriage Blue Jersey.net, Mar 13,
2006
This
is a big deal. Today the New Jersey Law Journal, which is read by
thousands of lawyers, judges and their staffers across the state,
endorsed marriage for same-sex couples. This is the same paper that
in the past was only willing to support civil union. Some
excerpts:
". . . The state's reliance on the historical definition of
marriage as being between a man and a woman fails in our view
because it seeks to use past discrimination to justify continuing
the practice. The fact is that society no longer subscribes to the
so-called "traditional" view of marriage, which derives from a time
when wives were deemed chattel, when they could not own property in
their name, and when they could not be raped by their husbands.
None of these "traditional" views of marriage remain part of our
jurisprudence. Each time our
American society has pondered extending fundamental rights - from
emancipation, to women's suffrage, to Civil Rights, to interracial
marriage, to gay and lesbian adoption - a vocal majority has feared
that the extension of our basic rights to the minority would alter
the American way of life. Those fears have always proved unfounded,
even if the majority was not always ready to immediately accept the
change.. . ."
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- The Age of Desperation Townhall.com, By Daniel Son, Mar 12, 2006
. . . But to me, it’s not the particularities of the plot or the specific events in the lives of these women that makes the show gripping. Rather, it is the social commentary that the program provides that I find principally engaging. All these women possess things that one group or another in society would deem as critical to the happiness of a woman — whether that be a high-powered career, a husband, children, more than enough money to go shopping with or a voluptuous figure. Yet, no matter what their lot in life may be, none of these women seem truly content with where she is — indeed, they have thus become desperate. . . . Essentially, the underlying message that Desperate Housewives conveys seems to be counterintuitive in the age of feminist clamoring for independence and rights. Why would Gabrielle choose a child to hamper her freedom when she has almost unlimited material resources at her disposal? Why wouldn’t Lynette love her job where she gets to be her own husband’s boss (most recently) and where she makes a lot of money? Why would she prefer to be there for her children, nurture them, and be there for them to turn to? That doesn’t make sense within a feminist framework. . . .
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- Haven't
we had our Phil of get-love-quick schemes?
Hub, MI –By Matt Katz, Gannett News Service, Mar 8,
2006
Asking Dr. Phil for advice is weird for a
number of reasons.
First of all, the tough-love self-help guru - who was once Oprah's
sidekick, and is now the official
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