love boat . . .

. . . la-la-la love boat, or something. I've never been a fan of the show, though I will fess up that I've seen an episode or two. I'm thinking back and guessing it was those trips to Grandma's house as a child. It's not a show my family would have watched at home, but I could imagine it was one of Grandma's stories.

So what the hell does a stupid t.v. show have to do with anything? Thanks to Chris for tipping me off that my marriage is doomed to failure, the actual news coming from good ol' Scott.

So, according to Scott, my marriage is a love boat marriage that won't last once the loving stops. Our family is not grounded in the teachings of an interstellar entity, nor are we tied to a church "family" that can ground us. Hell, without believing in god, we are moral degenerate sinners just interested in the flesh and fornication and probably boobies.

So, you're stuck in a love boat marriage that is based on some fairly sound qualities. Yet you suddenly realize that you're damned because your marriage is founded somewhat on love. You know that love has no place in marriage, yet you aren't sure what you're missing. Let's ask Scott.

A strong family finds its purpose in God. (Ephesians 3:14.)
A strong family finds its hope in the Gospel. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4.)
A strong family finds its home in the local church. (1 Corinthians 12:18.)

Wow, just follow these simple rules. But god doesn't exist, the gospel is a collection of barely related myths and legends, and I absolutely detest both church and the kind of people you find there. Now what?

I must say that, based solely on his own words, that Scott sounds like a real dream, as he mentions explicitly that he often hurts and offends his wife. My wife and I often disagree on things, and we sometimes have complications that arise due to misunderstanding each other, but I really can't say that we often hurt or offend each other. I also don't try to make her subservient to me. That would sink this love boat marriage almost as quick as one of us trying to bring the Jesus. Jesus and dominating the partner are really bad for marriage in my opinion.

So what have we learned? A strong marriage is taped together with god. A strong marriage doesn't involve trust or communication, just lots of god, heaped on with the big spoon. Add the gravy of patriarchal leadership and salt and pepper of matriarchal submission, and you've got yourself a marriage that will last the ages. Love, trust, equality? Those are for suckers!