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Originally Posted by gduventree
I am married, and I can definitely say that getting married to my wife didn't really change anything between us. I am just as devoted to her now as I was before we made our vows. I believe that it is quite possible to have a long-term relationship that is not that different from being married. It just depends on the individuals involved.
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I don't necessarily mean it changes the relationship, per se. What I mean is, standing up in front of God and everybody and making a specific promise about being with this person for the rest of your life actually has marriage be a distinctly different thing from any other sort of relationship. You can't break that promise without
dealing with that you're breaking a promise. You can get out of a long-term-non-married relationship just by saying so. It takes much more to end a marriage. Once you're married, you've stuck yourself together in way that, while not permanent in all cases,
promises to be permanent. You've given your word to it in a way that is socially and legally (and, if you like, religiously) binding.
That's really different from, "Here's my girlfriend, we've been together for three years."