I. INTRODUCTION
Many of you may argue that the marriage certificate is only a piece of paper, it doesn’t really matter, but also bear in mind that a passport, a driver’s license, a deed to your house, or an arrest warrant are all just pieces of paper; however, these papers have great meaning and significance.
Marriage, from a religious stand point, is valued as a sacrament because a couple is keeping each others ' virtues intact by committing themselves to each other and by committing to God that they will keep His’ word. Marriage, from a non-religious stand point, is the act of showing devotion and commitment of two individuals to each other and a promise between them to stay together for a lifetime. As for divorce, one or both didn 't take the above seriously enough. II. DEFINITIONS
Marriage (also called matrimony or wedlock) is a social union or legal contract between people called spouses that establish rights and obligations between the spouses, their children and their in-laws. People marry for many reasons, including: legal, social, libidinal, emotional, financial, spiritual, and religious. Marriages can be performed in a secular civil ceremony or in a religious setting. The act of marriage usually creates normative or legal obligations between the individuals involved. Some cultures allow the dissolution of marriage through divorce or annulment. – Wikipedia.com
Marriage is the process by which two people who love each other make their relationship public, official, and permanent. It is the joining of two people in a bond that putatively lasts until death, but in practice is increasingly cut short by divorce. – PsychologyToday.com
Marriage is the social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments and religious ceremonies. – Dictionary.com
Marriage socially recognized and approved union between individuals, who commit to one another with the expectation of a stable
References: Cargan, Leonard. Marriage and family: Coping with change. Lasswell, Marcia and Lasswell, Thomas. Marriage and the family. Microsoft Encarta Dictionary. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. www.google.com www.wikipedia.org www.battlefortruth.org www.hubpages.com www.ehow.com