Is Marriage Dead?

     It's seems the question to "pop" isn't "will you marry me?" but "do we even need marriage?". If you've heard five minutes of a news report the past few days we've heard about a famous and powerful political couple calling it quits after 25 years due to numerous alleged infidelities (on his part) including one affair that resulted in a child. Of course this isn't the first high profile couple to have their marriage woes made public and there are numerous articles, blogs,celebrities and even therapists griping that marriage has outlived its purpose.  Scientists state that our biology is not made for monogamy. Sociologists state that "family" is now a fluid definition no longer centered on a married couple with children.
      I recently read an article by a famous psychologist who said that marriage is the chief complaint of most of his clients and it causes more stress and unhappiness than any other problem that walks through his door. He stated that as a "healer" he can no longer condone marriage and that we, as a society, need to find something else to replace marriage. He, of course, as a by thought added that naturally any children born of the new replacement-of- marriage-thing would be financially provided for by the parents. Hmmm...
     As a Christian I believe that marriage was ordained of God, between a man and a woman and is and essential building block to another much maligned institution, the family. Over time, like many things God Given, man has taken marriage and changed it to suit his purposes. However, I know that many people don't believe that God is keenly interested in marriage or that he even exists. Our culture tends to look at marriage as a contract made between two people about the kind of relationship they will have "until death do us part".
         What I have noticed is missing from this new philosophy of personal freedom and happiness  is any shred of personal responsibility. Blaming marriage for our stress, heartache or feeling personally unfulfilled is like blaming the sun for the rise in skin cancer when no one bothers to put on sun screen. I know in our culture we like to have a fall guy other than ourselves. It's so much easier to say that the unrealistic confines of marriage are the chief reason why we cheat, lie, let ourselves go and shoot our spouse to get a payout from the life insurance instead of looking at these things as issues of integrity.
     So, if we won't even attempt to keep promises made to a husband or wife why should we keep promises at all? Why is fidelity in marriage so different from Fidelity in a business deal, or confidences in a friendship? Do we really think that by ditching marriage we will all be happier, healthier people? Will we see a dramatic rise in honest politicians and CEO's once they no longer have the shackles of marriage hindering their rise in power? Will we now have scads of well adjusted children who grow into well adjusted adults because they were raised by adults who put their own sexual and personal happiness ahead of all else? Call me skeptical but I doubt it.