Question

Why must one use a reference point to determine whether or not an object is in motion

Answer 1

Because there's no such thing as "really" moving. 
ALL motion is always relative to something.

Here's an example:
You're sitting in a comfy cushy seat, reading a book and listening
to your .mp3 player, and you're getting drowsy.  It's so warm and
comfortable, your eyes are getting so heavy, finally the book slips
out of your hand, falls into your lap, and you are fast asleep.

-- Relative to you, the book is not moving at all.
-- Relative to the seat, you are not moving at all.
-- Relative to the wall and the window, the seat is not moving at all.
-- But your seat is in a passenger airliner.  Relative to people on the
    ground, you are moving past them at almost 500 miles per hour !
-- Relative to the center of the Earth, the people on the ground are moving
   in a circle at more than 700 miles per hour.  
-- Relative to the center of the Sun, the Earth and everything on it are moving
   in a circle at about 66,700 miles per hour ! 

How fast are they REALLY moving ?
There's no such thing.
It all depends on what reference you're using.