Can a Secular Society Change the Definition of Marriage?
Let's face it; with 2 divorces I will never be nominated as the poster child for "traditional" marriage.
But I do see same-sex marriage as an issue today.
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has taken up the case.
In recent weeks, many politicians have admitted a "softening" on the issue or that their position on same-sex marriage has "evolved.
" I honestly believe Charles Darwin would be incensed at their use of that word.
It has probably has more to do with their future political ambitions than their true feelings.
I have many friends in the LGBT community, some who have become very close.
Many of these friendships predate the current LGBT "civil rights" movement.
So where do I stand on the issue? That had left me to do a lot of thinking.
And after much thought, I find I come down on the side which says it is wrong.
This is my first essay on the subject.
I am trying to be brief in an effort not to lose the reader.
I have set the ambitious goal of writing other essays to explain my position with more clarity.
Same-sex marriage cannot be defended or opposed within a self-imposed limit of 60 lines.
But before my more liberal readers shut me down and hit the back arrow, or my conservative readers hit the "recommend" button and link me to their Facebook page, let me state how my position affects them.
Most importantly, my opinion doesn't affect you at all.
I do not make policy, I write what I feel.
This issue has caused me to do an inordinate amount of thinking and research.
Just what is my position? How did I get there? And is there a way to reconcile my beliefs in a manner which allows me to accept the lifestyle of my friends, yet continue supporting my own belief system? Thomas Jefferson's wrote that "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
" Is marriage a "right" that comes from our Creator or a duty? Marriage has been defined for thousands of years, and by most religions, as the union of man and woman.
Society now has come forth and decided to re-define something that has been one way since the beginning of recorded history.
I see two societies in America: one, a society which believes that our nation was founded by men who believed in Judeo-Christian principles, principles which formed the basis for our Constitution.
The other is a secular society which has come about in the past sixty or seventy years and seems to be focused on our secular (or sexual) desires.
Jesus instituted the rite of marriage of in Matthew 19:4-6.
Many ask what Jesus would have said to homosexuals.
I believe Jesus would have treated them just as any other person he encountered during his ministry.
He would have loved them.
This Jesus never condemned homosexuality, and again I do not doubt he would have accorded them with the same love he (and his Father) showed all those who listened to and/or followed him.
But, in my reading, the Bible does condemn homosexuality.
Hate the sin, love the sinner.
That may offend my LBGT friends.
Is this opinion homophobic? If you mean, do I harbor deep-seated prejudices, then the answer could be yes.
But I recognize these prejudices and attempt to overcome them by trying to understand the person with whom I am talking.
I am White, yet when I talk with a Black man, I know I do not understand the environment in which he was raised.
I o give the same understanding to my LGBT brother or sister.
I cannot see the world through their eyes.
I have to listen with all my senses, trying to understand their feelings, opinions, and ideas.
Back to the basic question: where do I stand on same-sex marriage? I am still opposed to it.
But I also believe that the government, especially the federal government, has no place in it.
Marriage is a religious issue, not a secular issue.
It is time for government to get out of the issue.
Most nations in the world require that couples obtain a civil union before acquiring their church-sanctioned union or marriage.
That is where I stand.
The police power granted to the states through the Tenth Amendment leaves marriage, like driver's licenses to the states.
Marriage is not a right.
The LGBT movement is not a civil rights movement.
Blacks did not "come out of the closet," their plight was obvious.
The women's right movement was led by an obvious class.
DOMA's days are numbered; a solution to that problem exists when addressed correctly.
The U.
S.
government MUST get out of the marriage business.
Get rid of the marriage deduction.
All people pay individual taxes, regardless of status.
You work; you pay taxes on YOUR income.
Allow each state to define a "domestic partnership" or "civil union.
" These would be performed by a state-designated official.
After that, a couple could go to a church and get married.
"Marriage" would then be defined by that church, keeping our First Amendment right of Freedom of Religion.
I am certain that SCOTUS would uphold each church's right to define marriage.
But I do see same-sex marriage as an issue today.
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has taken up the case.
In recent weeks, many politicians have admitted a "softening" on the issue or that their position on same-sex marriage has "evolved.
" I honestly believe Charles Darwin would be incensed at their use of that word.
It has probably has more to do with their future political ambitions than their true feelings.
I have many friends in the LGBT community, some who have become very close.
Many of these friendships predate the current LGBT "civil rights" movement.
So where do I stand on the issue? That had left me to do a lot of thinking.
And after much thought, I find I come down on the side which says it is wrong.
This is my first essay on the subject.
I am trying to be brief in an effort not to lose the reader.
I have set the ambitious goal of writing other essays to explain my position with more clarity.
Same-sex marriage cannot be defended or opposed within a self-imposed limit of 60 lines.
But before my more liberal readers shut me down and hit the back arrow, or my conservative readers hit the "recommend" button and link me to their Facebook page, let me state how my position affects them.
Most importantly, my opinion doesn't affect you at all.
I do not make policy, I write what I feel.
This issue has caused me to do an inordinate amount of thinking and research.
Just what is my position? How did I get there? And is there a way to reconcile my beliefs in a manner which allows me to accept the lifestyle of my friends, yet continue supporting my own belief system? Thomas Jefferson's wrote that "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
" Is marriage a "right" that comes from our Creator or a duty? Marriage has been defined for thousands of years, and by most religions, as the union of man and woman.
Society now has come forth and decided to re-define something that has been one way since the beginning of recorded history.
I see two societies in America: one, a society which believes that our nation was founded by men who believed in Judeo-Christian principles, principles which formed the basis for our Constitution.
The other is a secular society which has come about in the past sixty or seventy years and seems to be focused on our secular (or sexual) desires.
Jesus instituted the rite of marriage of in Matthew 19:4-6.
Many ask what Jesus would have said to homosexuals.
I believe Jesus would have treated them just as any other person he encountered during his ministry.
He would have loved them.
This Jesus never condemned homosexuality, and again I do not doubt he would have accorded them with the same love he (and his Father) showed all those who listened to and/or followed him.
But, in my reading, the Bible does condemn homosexuality.
Hate the sin, love the sinner.
That may offend my LBGT friends.
Is this opinion homophobic? If you mean, do I harbor deep-seated prejudices, then the answer could be yes.
But I recognize these prejudices and attempt to overcome them by trying to understand the person with whom I am talking.
I am White, yet when I talk with a Black man, I know I do not understand the environment in which he was raised.
I o give the same understanding to my LGBT brother or sister.
I cannot see the world through their eyes.
I have to listen with all my senses, trying to understand their feelings, opinions, and ideas.
Back to the basic question: where do I stand on same-sex marriage? I am still opposed to it.
But I also believe that the government, especially the federal government, has no place in it.
Marriage is a religious issue, not a secular issue.
It is time for government to get out of the issue.
Most nations in the world require that couples obtain a civil union before acquiring their church-sanctioned union or marriage.
That is where I stand.
The police power granted to the states through the Tenth Amendment leaves marriage, like driver's licenses to the states.
Marriage is not a right.
The LGBT movement is not a civil rights movement.
Blacks did not "come out of the closet," their plight was obvious.
The women's right movement was led by an obvious class.
DOMA's days are numbered; a solution to that problem exists when addressed correctly.
The U.
S.
government MUST get out of the marriage business.
Get rid of the marriage deduction.
All people pay individual taxes, regardless of status.
You work; you pay taxes on YOUR income.
Allow each state to define a "domestic partnership" or "civil union.
" These would be performed by a state-designated official.
After that, a couple could go to a church and get married.
"Marriage" would then be defined by that church, keeping our First Amendment right of Freedom of Religion.
I am certain that SCOTUS would uphold each church's right to define marriage.
Source...