Marriage

Marriage is a social, religious, spiritual, emotional and/or legal union of individuals that creates kinship. This union may also be called matrimony, while the ceremony that marks its beginning is usually called a wedding and the married status created is sometimes called wedlock. Marriage is an institution in which interpersonal relationships (usually intimate and sexual) are acknowledged by the state, by religious authority, or both. It is often viewed as a contract. Civil marriage is the legal concept of marriage as a governmental institution, in accordance with marriage laws of the jurisdiction. If recognized by the state, by the religion(s) to which the parties belong or by society in general, the act of marriage changes the personal and social status of the individuals who enter into it. People marry for many reasons, but usually one or more of the following: legal, social, emotional, and economic stability; the formation of a family unit; procreation and the education and nurturing of children; legitimizing sexual relations; public declaration of love.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Does Internet dating enhance marriage, or undermine it?

Hey there.
Today we're celebrating the launch of two new story-driven websites, Meeting Online and How We Die. They're part of a multimedia project which we hope will culminate in a new TV series unlike anything that's on the air right now.
We'll write a little more about the project in a future posting, but right now we want to commemorate the launch of the websites by kicking off a discussion that ties into the topic of one of the sites.
Does Internet dating enhance marriage, or undermine it? Some might say "enhance" because of all the marriages that have resulted from people meeting online. Others might argue that, by making it easier for people to meet casually, there's a lot more sleeping around and a lot less long-term relationship-building.
What do you think? And if you have any personal experiences -- or know other people who do, give us an example or two!

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