I'd like you to elaborate on how exactly you're going to determine this payout.
I don't have a detailed prenup in front of me, so I can't answer that. My point is, if one of the spouses is screwed during divorce, the assets they "brought to the table" should be somehow protected from the unjust courts. If you want to be fair, only the assets which the spouses purchased, worked or built TOGETHER should be shared.
Secondly, a wife USED TO bring a dowry to the marriage, in the form of $, as an understanding that this was her contribution to the marriage, considering that it's assumed the husband has a job and plan for living arrangements, as is his duty. It was a recognition that a woman cannot expect to be taken care of, for life, if she didn't contribute more than her good looks and charming personality. But in our modern world, the idea of a dowry is anti-feministic, and "outdated" even though, from a catholic perspective it was considered JUST and FAIR for CENTURIES. The reasons for a dowry are many, but most simply, it is a recognition that marriage, in its most basic order, is a social contract whereby two individuals agree to raise a family, for the good of society/church and their mutual good as well. Inherent in the idea of ALL contracts is the basic legal requirement that individuals 1) make an agreement, 2) for a set amount of time, and 3) in exchange for "consideration" (i.e. a legal term which means: assets, promises, obligations).
Just because marriage is a religious contract does not negate the social and legal aspects of the contract. The social aspect is the responsibility of the couple to raise good children who have a duty to love their country, take care of their extended relatives and help make their state/nation a better place. It's also, foundationally, to grow the human race.
The legal aspect is related to the exchange of "consideration" (i.e. what do the spouses get from the marriage?). Consideration is not some vague, religious, spiritual or sentimental concept of love, because such things cannot be quantified legally. Consideration must be a concrete exchange of value, which is why a dowry was (and still should be) part of marriage. (One can argue that the idea of the wife's family paying for the wedding is small remnant of the dowry concept, but it still falls short of its intended, and just, purpose).
Nowadays, things are so crazy and feminized that women will come into marriage with tons of school debt, little to no savings, and expect their husbands to be in perfect financial shape so they can buy their dream home "...together" (i.e. so her husband will buy it for her, because she has no ability to...the false Disney-feminist-romantic dream sold to most little girls). This is another reason why catholic women who think they have a vocation to marriage, should NOT go to college, because it's a waste of $ and is not, in any way, a preparation of her future family (which she has a financial obligation to, whether she realizes it or not). And many trad women have very little culinary, domestic or housekeeping skills - a further issue which makes married life more difficult and is not in keeping with her future vocation. Finally (though there's much more to be said), the avg woman (and most people, really) are not taught to be thrifty, even if they have a job, but are marketed towards by businesses to buy things which aren't necessary, thus they often have poor spending habits when entering marriage and little to no understanding of the financial sacrifices which must be made when children come along. This is a FURTHER stress on a young family.
Many of these problems affect women more than men, because women are, by nature, more easily corrupted AND (more importantly) society is focusing all their efforts on her corruption. Women today have many, many enemies (both spiritual and temporal)! The typical "defense" of a single woman is her family, and mostly her father/brothers, who are naturally more rational and wise to corruption. But our western world has so infected everyone with feminism that even men can't see the dangers that lurk nor can they see the long term consequences of seemingly inconsequential decisions. So women are encouraged to move out of the house and get an apartment, to go to college, to get a job, to spend like the rest of the US consumer spends (i.e. frivolously and stupidly, only thinking of the short term), with NO thought to what happens when marriage comes, or what her duties are, and what skills she would need.
Again, without a dowry, what is the typical, modern woman contributing to the marriage, except school debt, a small savings account and a pretty face? Where is the TRUE preparation for marriage, AS A VOCATION, by women? Where is the preparation for marriage, even on a non-spiritual level (learning domestic skills, cooking, cleaning, etc)? Where is there ANY financial preparation? ...Most importantly...why aren't catholic parents teaching their children to look at life this way? If a man thinks he has a priestly vocation, he studies/prepares for 6-7 years. If a woman thinks she has a vocation to marriage, she hardly prepares at all. She just spends her money on looking good, and maybe some spiritual preparation too, so that when Mr Right comes along, she'll learn the "house stuff" AFTER marriage. THIS IS INSANE! But it's the world we live in. And it's just another (in a long list of problems) that feminism poses for men, as well as the young couple who gets married. For these problems will cause stress, they will REQUIRE an adjustment period for the woman, and it will, overall, reduce her happiness (at least for a while) because being a 'stay at home' mother (if she chooses the ideal) will be a shock to her system, due to a lack of preparation.
(Certainly, much of this can apply to men too. Many do not prepare for marriage adequately either. But living by oneself, having a job and financial responsibility is a natural state for men to be in, and to experience. None of these situations corrupt men for marriage; on the contrary, they are necessary for him to learn independence, autonomy and decision making, which is why those young men who live with their parents in their 20s-30s is a subversion, just like it is subversive for women to NOT live with their parents. ...But my comments were mainly focused on women and feminism...)
Topic: Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the church, and delivered himsel (Read 16763 times)