Should Same Sex Marriage be Legal?
Addressing the issue of same sex marriage.
Same sex marriage has enveloped this nation in what has become a heated debate over the morality of the issue. Whether it is religion, the sanctity of marriage, or even the effect on potential children, this issue has exploded upon our country and doesn’t appear to be dissipating anytime soon.
According to my Christian beliefs same sex marriage is immoral and goes against the very order of nature. Throughout the Holy Bible, especially in the book of Leviticus, it states that a man should never lay with another man as he would a woman and a woman shouldn’t lay with another woman. In my beliefs homosexual acts are a sin, which means that it is the same as murder or even using the name of God in vain. I am instructed not to hate the sinner but to hate the sin. So I do not hate homosexuals but I do hate the sin.
Others, including myself, believe that same sex marriage will destroy the sanctity of marriage. Marriage is defined as the unity of a man and a woman. I understand that definitions can change with time, such as the word gay has in the twenty years, but wouldn’t it make more sense to create a new covenant that is for same sex marriage. That is what we strived to do when our country came up with civil unions. The only problem we have encountered is that civil unions do not enjoy all of the same rights as married people. This would in fact lend a temporary solution if they were given the same rights. It would protect the sanctity of marriage, however I don’t know if most religions would accept this since it is still a sin.
Another problem with same sex marriage is the effect it could have on children of these couples. These children could face years of abuse and emotional instabilities. They could undergo ridicule at school from classmates on the fact that their parents are homosexual. The child could come to resent their parents and in turn resent all homosexuals. Or it could in fact cause the children to become homosexual themselves which makes you wonder if this is only because of the household they were raised into.
No matter what we do as a country it will be affected by this ongoing debate. No matter what the future decision is it is most assuredly a decision to be made at a State level. The Civil War was fought to secure individual States their rights. The more decisions we can keep out of the federal governments hands the better. It will be interesting to see how this issue explodes with all of the talk that Obama will allow homosexuals to openly serve in the military.
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Preacherman
On December 9, 2009 at 8:03 am
Using Leviticus to affirm to stand point that homosexuality is wrong is the same as using Psalm 13:9 to affrim that killing children is good!
morgue13.2
On December 11, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Pft, the bible is full of examples of situations in which it is strongly implied killing children is good. God seems especially fond of it as a pastime. Kinda makes you wonder if it’s the best possible source for morality advice.
Preacherman
On December 13, 2009 at 3:47 pm
I find it amusing that people misinterpret most of the things in the Bible, and put a new (and sometimes very intolerant) spin on them. Leviticus, and all the bible verses, that have been interpreted to mean ‘homosexuality’ are actually quite badly translated, and can be interpreted differently with the correct translation of the word.
Also, the parts about ‘homosexuality’ are also placed on the same lines as eating “that which is ‘unclean’”; i.e. Shellfish, hare, goats, pigs (any animal with a cloven hoof, actually). Yet, many bible-bashers omit those bits, but carry on with the parts that talk about ‘homosexuality’.
If you actually cut out all the silly, irrelevant, and badly translated, parts of the bible, then you are left with only a few tenets that stand out: “Love they neighbour”, “He who is without sin cast the first stone”, etc. Which seems to be easily forgotten by the blind idiots that seem to preach their petty dogmas.
I’m not saying that the Bible is correct in any way (in fact I have read it through and through, and find most of it quite faulty, especially when put up to today’s findings in medicine, evolution, and ‘true’ science in general). However, I do see some ‘good’ in it, if taught to be interpreted properly, and to be a bastion of good and not this vile attributer of discrimination. A religion is supposed to teach morals, and how to live together, not cause this hatred.
Marriage should be open to everyone who wishes to spend the rest of their lives together. I think of it in the more pragmatic sense, that people who wish to live together, spend the rest of their days together, are by all definitions, a family. They should be given the right to share each others lives.
I find the sentence: “same sex marriage will destroy the sanctity of marriage”, quite amusing. I think heterosexual marriages have already ‘destroyed’ the ’sanctity’ of marriage by the high number of divorces. I would even go so far that there is nothing ’sacred’ about marriage, as it seems to end so quickly. Returning to my pragmatic point again; marriage ends up being a means to share each others lives, financially, institutionally, and emotionally.
I can understand that a hypocritical religious bigot would not accept same sex marriage. More so, one that does not, and can not, understand that the bible is more contextual, and based on a period in time, that can no longer be applied to today’s world. The world has changed dramatically from those times. Also, citing my previous statement, the bible verses pertaining to ‘homosexuality’ have been badly translated, and when read with the proper translation can be interpreted in a completely new way. Makes you wonder how inaccurate the English bible is!
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