Butterfly,
You are very wise and I admire your opinions about marriage and religion.
Though we adopt different religiong yet we share a lot of beleifs in common.
One thing I would like to clarify is that in Muslim religion we all exist to WORSHIP God (Allah)....this could be acheived through every single act we do on a daily basis...not just going to Mosques or doing certain prayers.
We beleive that marriage is worshipping, work is worshipping, raising our children is worshipping, being nice to the poor is worshipping, fighting for our beleifs is worshipping, going for a picnic with yout friends and family on a weekend and enjoying the beautiful weather and the nice scenery is also worshipping.
and also as you said,passing on our genes to the next generations and teaching them what we have learnt is also worshipping and this is trhe whole purpose of our existance...to Worship God