The Origins of Marriage
From Patrick Dacey, Johannesburg
A billion years ago or so, reproduction of organisms on earth took a decisive turn. Sexual reproduction came into being, which replaced asexual reproduction.
(Photo: morguefile)
This new way gave organisms a better chance of their offspring being able to survive and produce their own offspring, and so on and so forth to the present time.
This event was probably the forerunner for the manner in which all life thereafter evolved, that being via the duality of male and female.
Within the past 50 000 years, people of many different cultures have incorporated this event into their religious beliefs and the institution of marriage was initiated, which has traditionally been accepted as setting the stage for the beginnings of a family.
Since its formative years, Catholicism has set before us the example of the Holy Family: Joseph, Mary and Jesus.
The Church does not ostracise those with a gay persuasion, but it upholds the traditional concept of marriage and by so doing acknowledges the age-old Biblical premise of “go forth and multiply”.
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