Faced with the statement, Irrespective of income, in today’s social construct (looking at couples like Kurt Russel/Goldie Hawn) what’s the point of marriage for anyone?

My response which needs some refinement I think. Which is to contrast a society which selfishly wants sensual pleasure without consequences relative to design (enabled by anti-natural,  artificial means) ,   responsibility, commitment, and community, which is foundational for any enduring healthy society,  to a society in which is more like those with an ethos like  traditional, Jewish and early Christian  ones.

The point here is that  today’s social construct is not Biblical  marriage.

The point of marriage with its union of male and female is what it is intended to signify, require and result in.  For even  the initial  union itself   of two souls is not  meant to be broken, and marriage is based upon the principal of responsibility, accountability, commitment and community.
   
 In which the two humans, being uniquely compatible and complimentary   - even in a somewhat symbiotic way - become one by entering into a consensual  sexual union in a most vulnerable context, which itself requires  trust, and is to entail  responsibility for the emotional and physical effects of this union.

  A primary aspect  which the commitment of marriage is to provide is   the secure stable environment for the normal result of this union, that of having and raising children.   

Which fornication (been there) and promiscuity is contrary to and perverts and  has a detrimental to both  the couple as well as society. 

 

The way to refine your answer is to (1) contrast types of unions, not just “religious vs secular,” and (2) anchor it in what marriage is ordered toward: lifelong union and the stable raising of children. Research on outcomes backs you up strongly.

A succinct way to answer “What’s the point of marriage?”

You could say something like:

In today’s culture, many treat relationships as vehicles for personal pleasure, kept deliberately free of binding commitments or consequences. But that is not what marriage is. Marriage, in its Jewish and Christian sense, is a public, lifelong union of man and woman ordered toward mutual fidelity and the stable raising of children. It formalizes what sex actually does—join two complementary persons in a vulnerable act that creates new life—and requires responsibility, accountability, and community around that reality.

Cohabiting or serial relationships can mimic the pleasures of marriage, but they typically lack its permanence and public commitment, which is why they are far less stable and more damaging for children when they break. The “point” of marriage is not just romance; it is to bind erotic love, procreation, and lifelong responsibility together so that men, women, and especially children are protected rather than used.

How to weave in your contrasts

You can then add your moral–civilizational contrast more tightly:

• Modern “no‑strings” model:

  • Seeks sexual pleasure while systematically severing it from its natural consequences (children, kinship, long‑term duty), often via “anti‑natural” means (widespread contraception, abortion, and easy exit).

  • Treats partners as reversible lifestyle options, which trains people against deep trust, covenant, and community.

• Traditional Jewish/early Christian ethos:

  • Sees sex as inherently covenantal—“the two shall become one flesh”—so the sexual union itself is meant to be unbroken and guarded by vows, community witness, and divine accountability.

  • Treats children not as accidental by‑products but as the normal, expected fruit of marital union, to whom parents and community owe stable love, discipline, and faith.

This lets you say:

Today’s social construct is not biblical marriage; it is a consumer model of intimacy. Biblical marriage makes sense once you see that sex and procreation are not random pleasures but powerful acts that bind two people and create new lives who need enduring parents. The point of marriage is to channel these powers into a covenant strong enough to protect everyone involved.

Brief nod to outcomes (without getting too technical)

If you want to lean on evidence without derailing the conversation:

• Children in stable married‑parent homes consistently do better on average in cognitive, behavioral, and health outcomes than children in unstable or cohabiting arrangements, even after controls.

• Cohabiting unions are less stable and more likely to expose children to partner turnover and associated emotional/behavioral risks.

So you can close with something like:

So the point of marriage is not a sentimental ceremony the rich can afford to skip. It is the social and spiritual form that aligns adult desire with adult duty, protecting children and building the kind of inner moral control and stable families that any healthy society depends on. Fornication and promiscuity—speaking as someone who’s been there—promise freedom but usually deliver wounds and instability, both personal and social.

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Plaintext Sources (copyable):
Marriage and Child Well-Being – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3091824/
Cohabitation, Marriage, Relationship Stability and Child Outcomes (IFS) – https://ifs.org.uk/sites/default/files/output_url_files/r87.pdf
Cohabitation and Child Wellbeing – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4768758/
For Kids, Parental Cohabitation and Marriage Are Not Interchangeable – https://ifstudies.org/blog/for-kids-parental-cohabitation-and-marriage-are-not-interchangeable
Cohabitation More Likely to Threaten Children Than Divorce – https://www.foryourmarriage.org/blogs/cohabitation-more-likely-to-threaten-children-than-divorce/
Top 10 Reasons Why Marriage Benefits Children – https://www.marinaedelman.com/top-10-reasons-why-marriage-benefits-children-2/
Marriage, Family at the Time of Jesus – https://blog.adw.org/2017/03/marriage-family-time-jesus/
What Was Marriage Like Among the First Christians? – https://aleteia.org/2014/10/25/what-was-marriage-like-among-the-first-christians/
Jewish Views on Marriage – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_views_on_marriage
Marriage, Economic Well-Being of Families with Children – https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/migrated_legacy_files/40831/LitReview.pdf
Research Shows Marriage Boosts Well Being – https://www.marinaedelman.com/top-10-reasons-why-marriage-benefits-children-2/ and https://dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com/research-shows-marriage-boots-well-being/

Very good.  Other factors being basically equal, we could contrast a society with a culture  which increasingly seeks sexual pleasure while systematically severing it from its natural consequences (children, kinship, long‑term duty), often via “anti‑natural” means (widespread contraception, abortion, and easy exit).

And what children it has  (if any)  - usually one or at most two  - is not enough to replace those dying, and overall increasingly raises them to be self-indulgent,   irresponsible, lacking purpose,  discipline, chores/work ethic,  often even fathers. A society not personally  passing on skills,  know;edge, wisdom.

 In contrast to that of America's overall historical pre-1960 past generations.

Here’s a refined contrast that sharpens your point into a clear, data‑backed comparison between today’s sexualized, low‑fertility culture and America’s pre‑1960 family ethos.

Modern vs. Pre‑1960 U.S. Family Culture

Today’s social construct:

• Increasingly seeks sexual pleasure while systematically severing it from natural consequences (children, kinship, lifelong duty) via contraception, abortion, and easy exit.

• Fertility rate: 1.6 children per woman (2023), well below replacement (2.1); 40% of births now to unmarried mothers.

• Children (often 1–2 max): More likely to face instability, parental turnover, and weaker transmission of work ethic, discipline, and purpose, as cohabiting homes break up twice as fast as marriages.

• Result: Aging populations, skills/knowledge gaps, and declining social trust.

Pre‑1960 America:

• Larger families (3.65 births/woman in 1960) raised kids in stable, married homes with strong work ethic, chores, and community values.

• 75% of households were married couples (with or without kids); fertility at replacement or above.

• Children learned responsibility, delayed gratification, and purpose through family labor and moral formation, fueling economic growth and social stability.

The stakes

This shift isn’t neutral: sub‑replacement fertility (post‑1960s) means societies must import labor or shrink; unstable parenting correlates with worse outcomes for kids (poverty, crime, education). Pre‑1960 America built prosperity on multi‑child, stable families that passed on skills and values; today’s model risks demographic and cultural collapse.

The “point” of marriage is to reverse this by realigning sex with its full reality—union and children—in a covenant that ensures stability for both.

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Plaintext Sources (copyable):
USAFacts – “How have US fertility and birth rates changed over time?” – https://usafacts.org/articles/how-have-us-fertility-and-birth-rates-changed-over-time/
CBS News – “U.S. birth rate hits all-time low” – https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-birth-rate-all-time-low-cdc-data/
Statista – “Fertility rate in the U.S. 1800‑2020” – https://www.statista.com/statistics/1033027/fertility-rate-us-1800-2020/
IFS – “The U.S. Fertility Decline Is Not Due to the Drop in Teen Pregnancies” – https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-us-fertility-decline-is-not-due-to-the-drop-in-teen-pregnancies
Visual Capitalist – “How American Households Have Changed Over Time (1960‑2023)” – https://www.visualcapitalist.com/how-american-households-have-changed-over-time/
Heritage – “Crossroads: American Family Life” – https://www.heritage.org/marriage-and-family/report/crossroads-american-family-life-the-intersection-tradition-and-modernity
Reddit r/Infographics – “US household structure 1960‑2023” – https://www.reddit.com/r/Infographics/comments/1hm0inn/us_household_structure_1960_2023/
Reason.com – “U.S. Fertility Rate Drops to Lowest Level Ever” – https://reason.com/2021/05/05/u-s-fertility-rate-drops-to-lowest-level-ever/