Here's a little something the Christian Right seem to be missing when they so strenuously proclaim that marriage between one man and one woman is *The One True Way*: In the Bible, marriage used to be between one man and many women. Marriage could also be between one woman and her husband's brother, should her spouse have met his maker early.

Marriage is an act invented by man in order to "insure" paternity, and the passing on of land and other kinds of property rights. Incidentally, by biblical law marriage also insured that man would get his cave cleaned more often than once in a while, and that he could "enjoy" his "conjugal rights" on a regular basis; the whole "woman, submit to your husband, because he is the head of the household" kind of thing.

When it was convenient for man to have more than one wife, he did. When it was convenient for man to have only one wife, then that became the modus decreed by God. When the Christian Right figures out some way that gay marriage will be beneficial to them, then that way, too, will be endorsed by the deity.

And they'd better figure it out soon, because "1 in 10" can certainly swing a close election.

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© 2003 - 2004 m. lucas