Marriage On Trial

Surely gays have the same right to marry that heterosexuals do? Isn't banning gays from marriage just like banning interracial marriage? How does someone's gay marriage threaten your family? It doesn't matter for children as long as they have two loving parents; But lots of other cultures have different ways of forming families. Why can't we?..... We all have heard these questions and concerns offered as ''reasons'' for why same-sex marriage should be allowed in our society. Do they point us to the truth, or are there good answers in response? How do we respond? This book shows you that there are very compelling, caring and commonsense ways to answer every argument you might encounter in this debate. It will arm you with cogent and loving answers so that you can be an intelligent and compassionate advocate for marriage. This book is written for people who care about marriage and care about people. It is written in a conversational way to help you easily answer questions about this issue that are swirling all around us in the public debate. It is written in very plain language and is well-documented by the latest research. We will equip you to understand and explain how harmful same-sex marriage and parenting can be to people and our culture, and why natural marriage between one man and one woman is so important to the health of humanity.

Elizabeth had barely whispered "I do" when she discovered that her new husband hadn't married her for love. Her wedding dreams shattered, Elizabeth insisted on an annulment and disappeared from Quinn Durville's life, changed her identity and vowed never to see him again.... But Quinn had tracked her down—and claimed she was still his wife! Did this mean Quinn really did love her after all, or was he suggesting a trial marriage to get his revenge?

With the debate over same-sex marriage boiling over into court action, civil demonstration and even legislative debates and proposals, you may think you've heard all of the arguments pro and con on this divisive issue.But what you probably haven't heard are concrete, rational reasons why same-sex marriage is or is not a good idea for individuals and communities. Dr. Bill Maier and Glenn T. Stanton, both experts in the fields of psychology and sociology, offer such reasons. Arguing against same-sex marriage and parenting in Marriage on Trial, they draw on current social science research to offer clear and cogent answers to the questions at the center of the debate, includingIs marriage a public or private matter?Can marriage be redefined, legally and socially?How will allowing marriage between homosexuals affect families and communities?How does same-sex parenting affect children?Helping you sift through the emotion, the rhetoric and the myths, Stanton and Maier provide in this book a compelling counter-argument to those who advocate homosexual marriage and a thought-provoking assessment of the psychological and sociological harm that homosexual marriage (if legalized and legitimized) will do to communities and children.

With the resurgence of Islam as a social and political force, debates over family law reveal the struggle between the forces of traditionalism and modernism. The disparate tendencies within so-called Islamic fundamentalism have in commmon the desire to re-institute Shari'a law, which they regard as the last bastion of the Islamic ideal of social relations. Yet very little is known of the ways in which the Shari'a actually operates in today's Muslim societies. Mir-Hosseini focuses on the dynamics of marriage and its breakdown, as well as the way in which litigants manipulate the law in order to resolve marital disputes and child custody cases. Taking an inter-disciplinaryand approach which straddles law, anthropology, sociology and women's studies, Mir-Hosseini shows how women may turn even the most patriarchal elements of Islamic law to their advantage and achieve their personal marital aims.

"Tells the story of a watershed trial that unfolded over twelve tense days in California in 2010. A trial that legalized same-sex marriage in our most populous state. A trial that interrogated the nature of marriage, the political status of gays and lesbians, the ideal circumstances for raising children, and the ability of direct democracy to protect fundamental rights. A trial that stands as the most potent argument for marriage equality this nation has ever seen. In telling the story of Hollingsworth v. Perry, the groundbreaking federal lawsuit against Proposition 8, Kenji Yoshino has also written a paean to the vanishing civil trial--an oasis of rationality in what is often a decidedly uncivil debate"--Dust jacket flap.

An examination of how the U.S. court system has shaped the boundaries of a central building block of American society from the colonial era to the present day. Marriage on Trial: A Handbook with Cases, Laws, and Documents explores the evolution of marriage, a seemingly static institution that, in reality, has been dramatically redefined over time. An illuminating introduction tracing the reasons for ongoing controversies leads to a historical overview of the ways in which marriage has evolved, with a particular emphasis on women, racial minorities, polygamists, and homosexuals. A review of significant court cases that represent key arguments regarding marriage—legal identity of women, polygamy, interracial marriage, rights of unmarried couples, and same-sex marriages—illustrates how the legal system has shifted with the changing mores of society. Will Americans ever tolerate polygamy? Will gay marriages be legally recognized? Scenarios of these and other possibilities for the future suggest that more change is in store.