Saturday, March 30, 2013

Why are we still talking about Gay Marriage?


I really don’t understand.

I don’t understand how people who profess, as part of their larger political philosophy, that they want to get government out of people’s lives insist that the national government should make a law for everyone defining marriage.  Could there be a more intrusive example of government intrusion into our lives?

I don’t understand how people who profess to love the constitution would choose to ignore the 1st amendment to our Constitution and try to force the rest of us to live by the rules of their religion.

I am disappointed that people who try to make a historical argument about the institution of marriage have so little understanding of the history of marriage.

I am fascinated that people of faith who quote scripture to defend their positions seem to want to ignore all the variations of marriage that the bible has sanctioned.

It would be funny if it weren’t so sad that most of the same people who insist that same sex marriage should be illegal will also insist that closing the gun show loophole or banning 30 round magazines infringe on their constitutional rights.  Ignoring the simple reality that there is no evidence that gay marriage hurts anyone while also ignoring the tremendous cost that we as Americans pay every day due to the easy availability of guns in our society.

Why is this something we still have to debate?

I really don’t understand.

4 comments:

Chris said...

Well said. I don't understand either. I also don't understand how the people who so quickly quote Leviticus have somehow seemed to make peace with divorce, even though it's the one thing that Jesus actually prohibited.

Bill said...

I am of two minds on this. One is that marriage is a religious commitment, a sacrament, between a man and a woman. It really isn't up to current trends or media to sway this. Each church has its right to make their own decision. The other is that there are secular benefits to marriage. I tend to believe that someone in a committed relationship should be afforded healthcare and visitation benefits. It's unfortunate that we've allowed ourselves to make a mockery of marriage, though. Kim Kardashian and most of Hollywood tend to use marriage solely to draw attention to themselves. I only hope that, should gays get secular marriage rights, they treat it with the dignity and respect it deserves.

Uncle Walt said...

Bill,

When I have had this discussion with people I try to refer to the Civil contract called marriage. It is this state regulated contract that I believe should be blind to the gender of the partipants.

Houses of worship, on the other hand, can and should decide for themselves who to offer the sanctity of thier services. They can define Marriage anyway they want. The Marriage that I am concerned about is the civil contract.

Sorry for the late response.

Uncle Walt said...

Chris,

Sorry for the slow response.

I agree with your comment about Divorce.

The other side of that is if you just read through all the rules in Leviticus and all the other things that are declared to be abomoniations. Eating Shellfish really is a choice. As is religion for that matter.