Changes

==History==

==History==

Civil marriages, as opposed to religious marriages which have always existed, are a fairly new concept in human history, developed as governments began to track individuals, (birth and death records), establish and maintain employment taxes (married persons and heads of families are taxed differently from single persons), and provide general order in law about civil matters such as spousal support, limits on spousal abuse, and any form of a welfare or social security system that the government enacted to protect the rights, property and even health of a surviving spouse and children.  Prior to that, marriages of any but the highest class were only matters of the various churches, synagogues or other religious institutions.

Civil marriages, as opposed to religious marriages which have always existed, are a fairly new concept in human history, developed as governments began to track individuals, (birth and death records), establish and maintain employment taxes (married persons and heads of families are taxed differently from single persons), and provide general order in law about civil matters such as spousal support, limits on spousal abuse, and any form of a welfare or social security system that the government enacted to protect the rights, property and even health of a surviving spouse and children.  Prior to that, marriages of any but the highest class were only matters of the various churches, synagogues or other religious institutions.

 

 

==References==

==References==