Same-sex Marriage
I recently read a petition online that one of my closest childhood friends signed that infuriated me. Let’s get something straight right off the bat: Same-sex marriages doesn’t harm you, so why unnecessarily harm gay people? Stop the religious bigotry and open your eyes for once!
I’m in full support of freedom of religion, but not when that freedom imposes itself harmfully on the lives of others. Just because YOUR church and YOUR religious beliefs are against same-sex marriage doesn’t mean that everyone else’s is! Marriage didn’t begin with Christianity so stop trying to confine the rights that everyone has to suit YOUR religious doctrine.
I know the bible says that marriage should only be between a man and a woman, but guess what? Not everyone believes in the bible. Just because you do doesn’t mean that the rest of the society has to live by your rules.
It’s amazing how Christian fundamentalists are in full support of freedom of religion when it comes to teaching creationism in schools, but suddenly are against it when it comes to same-sex marriages, abortions, or anything else that doesn’t agree with them. Do you not see the hypocrisy? Are you really that incapable of thinking rationally?
I won’t say who the person is, but I know that she is much smarter than this. I just find it unbelievable that anyone (especially among those who are close to me) could be so ignorant.
Let’s look at part of what the petition says:
We believe that the family is the bedrock and backbone of our society. Therefore, the fundemental institution which creates the family, marriage, should be protected.
First off this wrongfully assumes that families can only exist inside of a marriage. If a married couple has a child and then later divorces does that mean that the father or mother is no longer a parent of that child? Or what about couples who have children and were never married to begin with? Could you really look at their children and tell them that they don’t have a family?
fam-i-ly adjective: parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not.
Other than certain legal rights (tax benefits, custody, etc) marriage isn’t the key definition of a family. Ask yourself this: If your son or daughter one day had a child outside of marriage would you really believe your grandchild was of no relation?
Further, we recognize that marriage as an institution serves a larger purpose than a demonstration of love and commitment between two adults.
Oh really? Let’s hear some examples outside of your own religious beliefs.
We recognize that the State has an interest in protecting the institution of marriage because it is vital to protecting the institution of the family and the family is the bedrock of our society.
Oh I wholeheartedly agree that families are integral to a healthy and functioning society, but I don’t see where marriage helps any especially with its high rates of divorce among Christians. Bitter and nasty divorces sometimes harm family members for the rest of their lives. What proof do you have that marriage between a man and a woman is more beneficial to our society than a same-sex marriage, or no marriage at all?
We acknowledge that marriage, while a demonstration of love and commitment, also serves for the betterment, growth and continuation of our society because married couples will produce the next generation of Americans.
Oh yeah, because we all know that unmarried couples are incapable of producing children.. /sarcasm. How about instead of being so concerned with producing more children we take care of the millions of starving ones we already have?
While not every married couple will produce offspring, no homosexual couple has the physical capacity to do so.
Your point?
I’m sorry, but this way of thinking really needs to end. If you’re against same-sex marriage take it up with your own church, but leave the rest of the nation out of it. Remember the little line in the bible that says “do unto others as you want done unto you”? If you really want people to stop imposing limitations on your religious beliefs and practices, then stop doing the same thing to them.
The issue with many ‘Christian Fundamentalist’ is that they believe that they are living in a theocracy, something that was destroyed 2500 years ago. Instead of focusing on the individual righteousness that Christ has demanded, they are intent on this idea of corporate righteousness, in other words, instead of casting the beam out of their own eye, they want to scratch out the toothpick in their neighbor’s.
You just took the words right out of my mouth
Well said.
Actually, I think you understate the disagreement! When I studied morality in college (as a seminarian for the Roman Catholic Church), there was a long-held understanding that such a thing as invincible ignorance exists. That is, some hold irrational beliefs that cannot be overcome by rational thinking. What infuriates us so much is the invincible ignorance of those who because of their blind acceptance of “cultural Christianity” as opposed to a scholarly reading of Scripture vomit forth the same tired and uneducated beliefs that they assume are Chrisian vis-a-vis same-sex marriage as a civil liberty. Over time, if we persist and not give up, truth will prevail. Unfortunately so many have and will continue to suffer in the meantime.
I am amazed that I am free to marry in California now. I thought I would have to continue suffering injustice for the rest of my life. Others have had to do this: minority slaves, women, children, et al. Like them, many of our brothers and sisters have lived lives of discrimination, violence, and humliation and died before they ever saw this new day. We must coninue in the struggle; at least our founders recognized that any Church or any particular belief system would not be established. Those who uphold that standard will be our friends in the struggle, no matter whether their faith-system agrees with it or not. Our opponents are on the wrong side of history and certainly violate their oaths to uphold the Constitution of this country.
There will always be people against equality. Marriage is a basic civil right that should be attainable by all Americans if they choose. For those who are uncomfortable with gay marriage check out our short produced to educate & defuse the controversy. It has a way of opening closed minds & provides some sanity on the issue: http://www.OUTTAKEonline.com
I really like what you have said here.
Personally I don’t know why people would want to take a person’s right to love away from them. People who think like that make me so mad, because I know if it came down to the same thing with them they would be furious to not be able to marry the person that they love. I would hate anyone to who would tell me I couldn’t marry the person that I love.
Thank you everyone for the responses. I was mad at first, but now actually a little hurt that one of my closest friends could think this way and sign such a petition. I know that she has the freedom to believe as she chooses, but it’s still a bit shocking.
I think true respect for the freedom of religion exists only when one can hold to his own beliefs without making the “other” wrong. While I fundamentally disagree with how fundamentalist christianity handles homosexuality, I try (and often struggle) to afford them the right to their own beliefs. HOWEVER, I surely agree that one group does not get to legislate their beliefs and thereby impose them upon the rest.
Good post.
This country is full of ignorance and bigotry anymore, everyone thinks they know better then someone else and can therefore set limitations on what someone can do with their life. Even when the end result simply does not impact their personal life at all.
addtionally the census bureau reported a 50% divorce rate in this country so if that is what serves as the “backbone” of our society we might want to think about inserting some steel rods.
And lastly I have to point out that unless there is something to homosexuality that I’m unaware of, Lesbians don’t magically become infertile just because they are dating another women. They are 100 percent capable of having a child through artificial insemination so I don’t see how they are incapable of raising a family. Hell, even gay men can have children by using a surrogate mother.
I just don’t get how people buy into this.
c,
Do you mind if I cross post this on d-C?
Paul