For Better, For Worse: Why Marry?

Lately it has become apparent to me that there are so many different forms of relationships. You can be friends, acquaintances, friends with benefits, one-night stands, boyfriend/girlfriend, casually dating, coworkers, husband/wife and so many more. There are also different sects of those categories and they more often than not overlap. I, for example, have grown up a bit in the last few months. I have gone from craving a "friends with benefits" relationship to one of casually dating. This could be because of events in my life, or maybe my maturity level? Who really knows?

There are also the relationships that are difficult to define for a different reason. I realized that is the relationship between those of the same sex. People who search for someone to love and find it in a person of their same gender tend to face harsh criticism for the relationship they are pursuing. Many people blame their intolerance on needing to "protect" the sanctity of marriage; others say that GOD intended it to be man and woman, just like Adam and Eve.

I disagree. I believe marriage is a man-made institution. I think that God made man and man needed to LABEL the relationship, thus marriage came about. I have heard expressions that the goal of marriage is to have a child. (Mostly the speech on marriage by Alan Keyes http://www.renewamerica.us/archives/transcript.php?id=307) Does that mean I shouldn't get married? I don't want a child. I could handle the responsibility if I happen to have one, but realistically, if the goal of marriage is procreation I don't anything to do with it. Why shouldn't two people who love each other get the privilege of saying "I love you" through the motion of a ceremony?

Though I respect the beliefs of others, it's a little absurd to say that the word "marriage" will lose its worth by allowing homosexual relationships to partake in it. Why lessen their love for each other? What good does the term marriage really do if not to join two people together?