By Fr. Shenan J. Boquet, Human Life International - Long before Christ ever came to earth and preached the Gospel, human beings understood that forming a life-long relationship with another person and starting a family was one of the most important, meaningful, and desirable things any person could do... Although the degree to which various societies protected marriage varied, even many of the most decadent societies, such as Rome, understood that the family unit composed of a mother, father, and children, was an essential part of a functioning civilization, and must be privileged.