MathGeek Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 A couple of people I am connected to personally got me going on this issue, so I'll add my two cents. First off, a marriage (be it civil or religious) is a gay marriage as long as the participants are not seperated, divorced or annulled. As long as the participants are happy, I don't see why this is an issue. Second, we live in a culture that is "MYOB". If two people are shagging behind closed doors in a consenting arrangement, HOW DOES THAT AFFECT ME? If a male and a female get off on autoerotic asphyxiation, how am I going to know about it? If two guys are getting off on bukkake, how am I going to know about it? If a male and a female are at a bar when everybody in the county seems to know that each participant is stepping out on their significant other, why do I get reamed when I tell them that they're breaking their marriage vows? Am I the only one that sees this? Third, why is it okay for me (a straight male) to be married multiple times when a gay man can't be married at all? Last I checked, straight males are the stereotype for being asshole scumbags. These are the jerks that like to troll the bars for anything with female parts that move and end up having me support their multiple children because they weren't happy staying at home with a bottle of lotion and a box of tissue? If the state isn't going to allow gay people to marry, then the state better back up that proposal by creating a database of people who've been married multiple times. I know it violates every libertarian principle I hold dear, but so does the fact that people are being discriminated in an open, egalitarian, live and let live society such as ours. Fourth, if the purpose of marriage is to have children, shouldn't the marriage discrimination be extended to couples that can't have children? Depending upon one's view of it, if the ultimate result of marriage is to ensure that offspring are produced, yet many couples need to seek outside assistance to see it done, doesn't that quality as an unnatural relationship? Maybe this particular point is too nuanced for this argument, but I still find it to be a valid point. Roman Catholicism isn't in favor of gay marriage AND any helpful method that ensures childbirth (ie. in-vetro fertilization and having a surrogate delivery). Since Roman Catholicism is viewed as the big dog in Christianity, isn't it logically incosistent for the Catholic Church to wed people where at least one of the participants is infertile? Fifth, if gay marriage is outlawed because the Bible deems it morally wrong, doesn't that present a problem of inconsistency on his end. The God of the Bible saw it necessary to accept the sacrifice of Jephtath's daughter because Jephtath made an oath of sacrifice to God if Jephtath was successful in battle. The God of the Bible tested Abraham's faith by allowing Isaac to have his gullet almost surgically removed. The God of the Bible allows for miscarriages because Ecclesiastes 3 talks about a time and a time for death. And, since God talks about knowing each baby in the womb before its born according to Psalm 139, then God knowing allows people to be born that end up being infertile and even homosexual. Due to these reasonings, this is why I reject the Bible when it is brought up in the debate over gay marriage. Sixth, churches are private institutions and many of them reject couples petitioning for various reasons. They are well within their rights to say no to anybody because they are private institutions by definition. They have the right to discriminate, but the state does not. If anybody can go to a county courthouse or a city hall to "tie the knot", then who really has the power to ensure that the marriage is "sanctified"? These are my six reasons on why I don't reject gay marriage as a legal option. I would like to hear any and all opinions on this issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Genesis Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Didn't Jesus say divorce is a sin in the bible? So, why don't Christians try to get divorced banned from the government and why do Christians have higher divorce rates than non-Christians if they really respect "traditional" marriage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trike Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Didn't Jesus say divorce is a sin in the bible? So, why don't Christians try to get divorced banned from the government and why do Christians have higher divorce rates than non-Christians if they really respect "traditional" marriage? Duh, because that would ruin the sanctity of a marriage they entered into when they were 21 just because they were aching to have sex...and the realized that they had huge problems in their relationships. (true story, if I had a nickel for everyone of the couples here at my school that get married just because they are tired of denying their horniness....) But on a serious note, I think the whole "family values" thing that many Christians get so caught up in is a load of b.s. from the standpoint of their own holy book. The "family values" in the OT were pretty messed up ("what? you gang-raped my concubine and left her for dead? I'll show you! I'll cut her up into little pieces and send her to the other tribes of Israel and then we will come and annihilate all of Benjamin!" to "Hey Isaac, go over and lay on top of that altar there, would you?") and you cannot find a religious figure head more anti-Focus on the Family values than Jesus himself and Paul looked down on institutions such as marriage. I wish they would just admit the obvious, it isn't about religion at all, but they have a social advantage that they would like to keep all to themselves and feel important that they are the only ones who get to pass on insurance benefits, tax rebates and the like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbobrob Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Odd thing when you let gays marry (like here in Massachusetts), they act a lot like straight marraiges do. Some work, some don't. But, my marriage has not lessened any, nor has it been strengthened by gay marriage. Me and my bride have all the same issues, and deal with them the best we can, regardless of the fact that two men are married to each other and live down the street from us, or two women married to each other come to the holiday parties and socialize like human beings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Sixth, churches are private institutions and many of them reject couples petitioning for various reasons. They are well within their rights to say no to anybody because they are private institutions by definition. They have the right to discriminate, but the state does not. If anybody can go to a county courthouse or a city hall to "tie the knot", then who really has the power to ensure that the marriage is "sanctified"? These are my six reasons on why I don't reject gay marriage as a legal option. I would like to hear any and all opinions on this issue. I agree with you that it's total B.S. to discriminate against gay marriage. And I also agree that it's total B.S. that only religious institutions and the government can grant power to declare a couple married. Because in the end, that power resides in the government's hands, not the church's. Let whoever wants to live together happily for the rest of their lives have a ceremony of their own choice, and if they so choose, declare themselves married and apply for a legal name change and other various legal agreements that go along with being married. That stuff can be taken care of in contracts. It is outdated the way we are doing it now. I bet you it will change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulQ Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Odd thing when you let gays marry (like here in Massachusetts), they act a lot like straight marraiges do. Some work, some don't. But, my marriage has not lessened any, nor has it been strengthened by gay marriage. Me and my bride have all the same issues, and deal with them the best we can, regardless of the fact that two men are married to each other and live down the street from us, or two women married to each other come to the holiday parties and socialize like human beings. Very wise perspective, and I agree 100%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts