Marriage and history

Historians in the Sac Bee have their say:

"Traditional marriage has varied immensely from society to society and time period," said Stephanie Coontz, who teaches history at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., and is the author of "Marriage, A History."

Coontz said one form of marriage has been supported by more societies prior to the 18th century than any other.

And it's not one man, one woman.

"It's one man, many women," said Coontz, citing examples from the Old Testament.

From polygamy to interracial marriage, the notion of what marriage means – and who can get married – has gone through many permutations, say scholars who have studied the institution.

....

What about same-sex marriage?

Coontz said same-sex marriage has been accepted in some cultures. "But those have always been a small minority," said Coontz.

Maybe there's a reason for the minority status.

And an op-ed in the NYTimes looks at why people voted for Prop 8...

(1) Blacks are much more likely than whites to attend church, according to a Gallup report, and black women are much more likely to attend church than black men....
(2) This high rate of church attendance by blacks informs a very conservative moral view....
(3) Marriage can be a sore subject for black women in general....

...and how to talk them out of it.
(Hat tip: How Appealing)