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$tevie
From a person who knows whereof he speaks:

[www.nybooks.com]

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Acer
The author seems to see this as somehow relevant to gay marriage. Not sure that's so. The author adequately supports the thesis that the "sacredness" of marriage has been an evolving cultural thing. But every example discussed was a man-woman relationship.

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Acer
The author seems to see this as somehow relevant to gay marriage. Not sure that's so. The author adequately supports the thesis that the "sacredness" of marriage has been an evolving cultural thing. But every example discussed was a man-woman relationship.

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The "example"s were all one couple, his parents. His point was how silly and contrived the Church was regarding their relationship.

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cbelt3
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A few years later he met a lovely lady, and they wished to marry. My Uncle gave a substantial donation to his Church along with a petition to annul the original marriage. The annulment was granted, and he and his second wife were married in the Church.

I never understood that. With the wisdom or cynicism of age, I recognize that the whole process centered around the money. The rest of it is just bafflegab to placate the faithful.

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JoeH

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cbelt3
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A few years later he met a lovely lady, and they wished to marry. My Uncle gave a substantial donation to his Church along with a petition to annul the original marriage. The annulment was granted, and he and his second wife were married in the Church.

I never understood that. With the wisdom or cynicism of age, I recognize that the whole process centered around the money. The rest of it is just bafflegab to placate the faithful.

I had a different experience, and since no large donation was involved came to a different conclusion. My parents separated when I was about 8, my father retained custody of my siblings and me. The reasons for the separation I won't go into, but half a dozen years later my mother did file for divorce and was granted it. Several years later my father met my stepmother, I was best man at their civil marriage.

Now as far as my father and stepmother knew from talks with the parish priests, annulment was not possible and they were not able to get married in the church. But a few years later a new priest was assigned to the parish. He had served in the office of the diocese that handled requests for annulments, and advised my father that based on the reasons behind the separation and divorce an annulment was likely to be granted. No large donation was given, my father would not have been able to make one in any case. The annulment was granted, and my parents were able to be married in a church ceremony not long afterwards.

What I took from that situation was that many in the Catholic Church, including many priests, are unaware of what actually is church doctrine around marriage and divorce. In other cases I have since run into priests that I know are aware, and they will actively avoid giving the answer that annulments are possible in many situations. Money may "grease the wheels" for some, but that applies in many organizations besides churches.

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RgrF
Which brings us full circle to the fact that any church or religion is entitled to set whatever restrictions it wants within it's own structure but should not allowed to impose those strictures on the community as a whole.

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michaelb
The article is vaguely interesting, but I think it overlooks the more important historical point: marriage is the institutional ownership of women by men. However manifested or implemented, that is and was its core function in society.