Hat tip for the finding the study to Value Voters News
MARRIED WITH CHILDREN PAVES WAY TO HAPPINESS
Want to be a happy married couple?  Consider having kids.  A new study found that having children boosts happiness.  And the more, literally, the merrier.
But unmarried couples shouldn’t expect to find greater happiness through child-raising.  The study, published in the Oct. 14 online edition of the Journal of Happiness Studies, suggests that having children has little or no effect on boosting happiness among couples who aren’t hitched:

• The findings contradict previous research that suggested that having more offspring doesn’t lead to greater happiness and might even make people less satisfied with their lives.
• One theory behind the conclusion is that parents don’t receive many rewards in return for the hard work of raising children.
• The new study, however, notes that parents say children are one of the most important things in their lives, if not the most important.
• The study found that life satisfaction for married people — women especially — goes up the more kids they have. Single, separated and co-habiting people, by contrast, report negative experiences.

“One is tempted to advance that children make people better off under the ‘right conditions’ — a time in life when people feel that they are ready, or at least willing, to enter parenthood,” Dr. Luis Angeles, of the University of Glasgow in Scotland, said in a news release from the journal’s publisher.  “This time can come at very different moments for different individuals, but a likely signal of its approach may well be the act of marriage.”
Source: Randy Dotinga, “Married With Children Paves Way to Happiness; Satisfaction with life goes up as family size increases, study finds,” MSN.com/HealthDay News, November 4, 2009.
For text:
http://health.msn.com/kids-health/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100248065&GT1=31036
For study:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/a34114m070112044/

The real benefit of marriage brings up other questions, but these questions are pointless if there were no benefit of marriage. Those questions follow the understanding of why society needs marriage, they do not proceed it: they are what abouts, parts 3 and 4. The issues of biblical intimacy outside of marriage will also be covered in an upcoming post.

Many will point to marriage as a way not to sin. They point out that biblical intimacy outside of marriage is a sin, but fail to point out that immature sex can still exist inside of marriage. There is a relationship lacking in any marriage that is based on nothing more than sex.

What is the cause and effect of  intimacy inside of marriage and how does that tie into a beginning? I am not bringing this up because people do not know the answer; rather because they know it so well they never state it and it is being overlooked!

Marriage is a beginning and married with children is normal progression.

A family with one mom and one dad is a benefit to children.

• The post will be updated with many benefits (here is just a few to start).
• Children learn different things from their mom vs their dad.
• Girls model their mother, and learn how relationships work by seeing her relationship with her dad.
• Boys model their fathers, and learn how relationships work by seeing his relationship with his mom.
• The parents although not perfect has accomplished making a family the children learn how to accomplish this by learning how their parents accomplished a family.

Parents have by nature a prospective that goes beyond their own wants and needs, indeed it extends far into the future to the benefit of people who will exist after they have long pasted away.

The reason society needs marriage is because society needs parents. Parenting is serious work, a generation without parents would be the last generation. Without children they will never be able to retire, a generation without children will suffer a horrible end as they grow in wisdom but lose physical strength. Why do I care as I will be dead before the society ended – because my children won’t be, nor their friends, because it would be horrible, I wish nobody suffers it even if I am not there to witness it.

Parents are a need to society in the same way food is. If either food or parents ends then society itself will end. Society does not need people to be happy;  Saying the society needs marriage to make people happy is false, unhappy people will always exist in society and it is impossible to make everybody happy – even if it were possible, happiness is a emotion that comes and goes for those who do not live in a institution.

Children need parents who have a lifetime commitment. This commitment is called marriage and is a very old word. Marriage needs to continue as long as it is needed for children and that looks like it will be for a very long time – Society needs families.

Many say the institution of marriage was given to us by God; Therefore like food it is something that we need. Granted, and we understand we need nutrients from food this understanding makes it easy to defend food. In this age we need to defend marriage so why do we need it why did God give it to us?

I think it wise to point out first what marriage is not And begin by pointing out that marriage is not something that people should be forced into – I would rather suggest it is something that should be decided in the heart, as a lifetime commitment – a contract not made under distress. I would hope that nobody would suggest charity is a bad thing indeed it is a good thing. We are to be charitable yet 2 Corinthians 9:7 says in regards to charity … “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” But in regards to Marriage 1 Corinthians 7 certainly does not say all must marry. “It is good for a man not to marry”. Someone who is not married is not alone with fellowship.

Some have said that because of finances or to escape taxes some must marry. This is one of the talking points for “Same Sex” marriage. I would disagree that marriage is a merely good financial planning. If the tax burden for unmarried people is causing such distress then tax system needs to fixed. Tax evasion is a crime, Taxes should not drive people into the institution of marriage. Although I believe this talking point to be baseless … if there were truth to it we would see a reduction in the number of people seeking a divorce. There are far better methods for financial planning; Corporations, Trusts, Wills.

What about marriage creating happiness? or removing problems that create unhappiness – another “same sex” marriage talking point. I have pity for any-person who falls for this lie. Happiness does not come from a contract, nor does a marriage contract remove disagreements between people. Look at the words in sickness or in health — one would hope for health but marriage does not create it. If a marriage created happiness by its existence, nobody would ever divorce. I am not saying that marriages are without joy (see next post “The Beginning of a Family”)

Happiness is something that needs to be created inside a marriage through personal growth. But one does not need marriage to learn how to get along with others. Getting along with others starts as a child and continues throughout ones life, married or not. If we could not grow without marriage then it would not be good for a man not to marry. One does not need marriage to mentor or nurture others, to give to others, or to sacrifice for others.

Marriage removes sin or gives liberty — this is a bit of spin. A marriage contract is a contract that places limits on liberty – it specifically bans activities outside of the marriage. Immature sex inside or outside of marriage is still a sin. There is also a cause and effect association;; One that it is so well know that it is, mistakenly, overlooked – It should not be- as it is a really important suspect of marriage – without it why do we need sex? Saying it is not possible to have liberty without marriage is not true – indeed many states have civil unions that allow for all of activities that are part of marriage. The often overlooked aspect of marriage tells us immediately what would go wrong in a marriage based on not to sin. The marriage commitment is much bigger than just receiving something like a liberty, it is a contract to give something for a lifetime.

The next post will begin with reasons why we do need marriage. This post will be updated: Same Sex “marriage” advocates have generated many reasons for marriage – which are not good reasons.

Over at the next right A poster is equating same sex marriage to liberty.

My Response: True liberty does not violate other people’s liberty

As a society we balance liberty and justice. Ultimate liberty would allow one the freedom to go into a store and take an item without paying for it. Justice dictates that taking something without paying for it is not fair. Ultimate liberty, unlimited liberty, is not freedom it is anarchy. – It is mob rule (ironically the mob would not recognize same sex marriage)

The state, a society, a community, has a interest in protecting people’s ownership in property. So laws exist that limit the liberty of somebody to take someone else property. The police do nothing but stop people from doing what they would will and call unrestrained liberty. The state, society and community have an interest in protecting children; A committed man and woman who the society recognizes as a unit or a family protects children. A marriage limits the liberty of those who are married – it does not grant them additional liberties. It removes property rights from the individuals and grants them to the couple, it insures resources go to the children.

Maybe today there is an argument that could be made that the Government no longer has an interest in what a man and woman do. Marriage was more important when infant deaths were higher than they are today, and when the Government was not so involved in how children are raised, how they are educated. The Government could use DNA to establish financial responsibility.

That being said let me ask you this question; “What is the interest to society to maintain a same sex marriage?”

I understand you want liberty, but institution of marriage is not about liberty it is about something bigger than the couple itself. Its effects live past the deaths of the couple. What happens in marriages today effect what the society will be like in 2040. If every time two people had emotions for each other they and married the results would be a disaster in 2040. Marriage is not an public statement of strong feelings. It is a contract to be celebate outside of the marriage – with enforcement by the state. I understand that strong feelings create the desire to bind a partner to such a contract, But what is the interest of the state to enforce it?

Freedom of speech is a true liberty

My speech does not take anything from you. Same Sex Marriage as it exists with the ACLU takes away that liberty.

Consumer choice is a true liberty

If I buy something from somebody else it does not take anything from you, my money was never yours.

Under the same choice who a business wants to hire to be their representative does not take anything from anybody. If there business model calls for a cross dresser they are free to hire one – likewise if their business model is towards conservatives they are free to hire somebody who represents that model.

Same Sex Marriage + ACLU takes away liberties

ACLU insists by your – what you call private ack in the bedroom – Schools must teach to children that Same Sex marriage and male woman marriage are the same in every regard. Parents are not allowed to disagree or point out that society is not protected by Same Sex Marriage the way … I could go on, I am sure you have seen the ads supporting traditional marriage.