Food for thought: Marriage= piece of paper?

Ok, so I was just checkin my facebook and read a status that caught my eye.. It was asking is marriage just a piece of paper? Now I could go either way with this but even though I've been through what I have I would say no. There are different types of marriages that people can enter into.

According to Wikipedia "marriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that create kinship." When people used to marry it was because that they were in love and wanted to spend the rest of their lives with the other individual. In some cases those are still the reasons why some people actually get married. They last because their love for one another and the bond that they have is strong enough to overcome all obstacles. In some cases there are arranged marriages but even still some tend to eventually fall in love with their spouse if they werent before. These are cases where marriage isnt just a piece of paper, its about the unity of two to become one in front of God and in some cases their friends and family. 

Now in the military there is a such thing called a contract marriage. In a contract marriage the two individuals get married for the extra income that a soldier gets when they are married or have children. The individuals in question are free to see whoever if that is what they choose and most likely they will. The spouses split the extra money and go about their business.

So to some it is just a piece of paper to floss around and say that they are or have been married. Then to others it is deeper than a piece of paper. It is promises that they have made to each other in front of God to be with each other through everything. It is held together with love and compassion.