Gay Marriage (touchy subject, keep it nice)

I think this argument has become a bit stereotypical world-wide really - I bet alot of people from religious groups actually support gay marriages, but in the media, of course, the people that strongly object will get reported on TV etc, which gives the entire religious community a bad name. During sociology we've studied this, and evidence actually shows that a high percentage of religious groups are pretty outraged when these laws are put in place, because they arent always a result of their beliefs, but of the governments irritating urge to be as politically correct as possible, even doing things that are totally unnecessary. For example, Christmas nativity's were banned in england (not sure of its status now) so's not to offend Muslim groups - but alot of Muslims were writing in to the radio and the media saying that it's totally uneccessary and they dont support it. (Personally i dont conform to any religion)
I think the media has alot to do with picking and choosing who to blame, but the government just needs to chill out and stop panicking in my opinion :rollseyes
A marriage is just a certificate - I think they should be able to celebrate marriage in any way they choose. Plus "Marriage" just sounds like you're being bound by lock and key anyway. aaagh the government wont learn.

 

In the eyes of the law, marriage is more than a certificate - it is also a contract, and it has iys own special laws associated with it in every culture.

If you doubt that marriage is a legal entity with a life of its own, ask anyone who has ever gone through a divorce!

 

Ooohh no i agree, i Know it is. Things are dealt differently in every aspect with married couples - thats why i feel it should be relaxed a little - People commit suicide over divorce!
That said however, It'd be easier to con benefits and such if the legal side of marriages and the family were relaxed. There's always a positive and negative to everything.

 

You think the government should stay out of marriage, and you don't oppose the idea of homosexuality, but you don't support gay marriage? Are you saying that you're largely apathetic about the issue, or something else? Understand I'm not picking a fight; I'm genuinely curious as to what you mean. The more I know about opinions about this, the better.

 

He's differentiating between marriage and partnerships.

 

Keep this thread friendly.



~Raven.
Senior Super Moderator.

 

Gay marriage makes no difference to me at all.
Canada has legalized it and guess what.
The world has not spun out of control.
The sun still rises and sets.
Who really cares what goes on in the bedrooms
of strangers or friends.
People and the media should deal with what really matters.
Food on the family table.
Money in the bank.
Jobs for everyone.
Education and health care.
Leave the private lives of people just that. PRIVATE.

 

This needs to be carved into a beautiful sheet of dark grey or burgundy granite and erected for all to see in a public area. Yup, that's what I think.

 

As usual, Lessa has cut to the heart of the matter, and I think has it exactly right. Another issue that, really, should not be an issue.

 

Bravo. Applause.

 

It's this one line that sums it all up. Its this one line that we should ALL respect.

 

Agreed with 100%


But I see the reason why gay marriage is so tender in this world is that its not "natural" or to those who believe it not "natural".
Not only that, but in this society...mostly in the American society we make anything not "natural" something to fear whether with religion calling it a sin to love whomever you love or the media, for those who don't believe in religion, they make it seem frightful.
In this society to make people bend we use fear.
That is why so many people are against gay marriage.
Its half religion and the other is fear.
We make this "unnatural" fearful.

Hope that made sense and didn't confuse anybody.

 

I'm curious, if marriage is such a distinctly Judeo-Christian institution how is it that atheists, Hindus, Buddhists etc. are able to get married and no objection has been raised?

 

It isn't only Judeo-Christian. But that's the context in which it is generally known within the western world, thus any issues with marriage in the western world are going to be largely concerned with the Judeo-Christian element, rather than that of other religions.

In terms of atheists marrying, I would think that any true atheist would choose to get married at a registry office, rather than a church, to avoid hippocrisy.

 

That works if it is two atheists marrying. I am United Methodist; my husband is atheist. We had a compromise ceremony with my pastor presiding over the ceremony, but we got married outside instead of in a church with secular readings as well as scripture.

I actually think it is funny that a clergy person can marry an atheist to a Christian and have the church recognize it, but two believers who happen to be gay cannot be married or recognized.

 

@Banzai - Yeah, that's sort of my point. A previous argument made in this thread was that gay people couldn't be "married" because the marriage ceremony and etymology of the word itself was Hebrew and therefore "marriage" was a strictly (Judeo-Christian) religious term. By that argument anyone not belonging to an Abrahamic religion should be barred from "marriage".

And like Carmina, I've found the "typical" Christian reaction to homosexuality odd. I recall when a pastor who'd cheated on his wife with a male prostitute made news in the Christian circle (maybe it made real news too I don't remember) nobody cared that he had:

a. cheated on his wife.
b. paid for a prostitute.
c. lied about about it.

The only focus was whether he was gay and when he said he saw a therapist who informed him he wasn't, well, 'praiseJesushallelujah!' they all breathed a sigh of relief and moved on. Apparently, a harmless orientation is more concerning to the Church than adultery, lying, and prostitution.

 

where religion is involved someone is going to object to just about anything.
my husband says he is athiest, I am baptised United.
We eloped so got married at the court house.
Our witness's are catholic.
According to our witness' we are not married because we didn't get married in
church. And if we were married in a United Church it still isn't considered married
because we are not Catholic and a priest told me I wasn't Christian because I
was not Catholic.
Does this explain why I steer clear of Religions in a big way.
Do what you like as long as it doesn't hurt others.
35 years ago my brother was in training to become a United Church Minister.
He wanted to get married to a French Catholic girl.
Between her father and the church he had to convert to Catholic to do so.
He did then dropped it and went back to United but he couldn't become a minister
because he had converted to Catholic.
Now he is a pastor for a different religion.
Such a rigamaroll. just to try and live their lives.
Religion and government should stay out of private lives when it really won't change
the world or even impact it in any great way.

 

Marriage is not specific to any culture or race. It is an ancient custom. As such, it has changed radically through the ages, though in essence it remains constant as an officially-recognized procreative union of two individuals. In ancient times there were officially-recognized procreative unions between individuals of like gender. (Look it up if you don't believe me.)

Western civilization has put its own peculiar onus on marriage, and made it seem that marriage must be between two (and only two) male/female individuals ONLY with no exceptions. That is really just a culture-specific thing that most of us (regardless of where on Earth we live) have grown so used to that we seldom question. xoxoxo

 

I wasn't asking that question in an honest manner I was making a point: that marriage isn't only a Christian institute (even Thomas Aquinas said as much) with the hopes of hearing what the person who claimed that marriage was only a Judeo-Christian practice had to say on the fact that non-Judeo-Christians were marrying.

 

I think Prop 8 is gonna pass. Last I heard it was pretty tight, but I just saw the latest ad from those Yes on 8 folks (those guys have a lot of money, judging from all the airtime they're buying up), and it's brutal. It really hammers the "they're gonna teach gay marriage to your kids!" thing down hard. I think it's gonna freak parents out and they'll vote to pass it.

 

I don't know if I'm qualified to comment on this.....personally Ithink I'm not.....


From the Indian perspective though, I don't care because I don't see. Most same-sex couples here are still in the closet........the Indians know that they exist but as long as it's all hushed...they don't give a damn. There's only one instance I've heard of it leading to marraige and it was a female couple. And it caused media sensation. We still have arranged marraiges, love marraiges are a scarcity, and sex before marraige is a taboo subject, the male population being more hesitant. So I don't have any take on it, though I don't care. They're human too.

I read a really interesting article by a gay last year, and I posted a poem by him. I'll see if I can pull it up.

 

Tomorrow I get to vote. After that, we will see how it comes out. I know I am voting No on Prop 8. We shall see how the rest of California votes. I will keep my fingers crossed for civil rights and tolerance.

 

Gay marriage should not be legalized. That would be a seismic progression in perversness. What's next? Brother and sister should be allowed to be married? Marrying Zebras? Where does it stop? It is unnatural.

As far as civil unions I am unsure. What really is the difference between a "civil union" and "marriage" if they provide the same functions?

 

Don't be so daft, allowing two people to declare their love for each other isn't going to undermine society, nothing will change as a result other than two people feeling happier cos they got married.

Comparing that to incest or marrying an animal is just ridiculous (although there are people in America who have had ceremonies with animals), people made similar arguments about letting women vote and so far civilisation is still standing. (One second. We didn't have global warming back then though did we? Maybe letting women vote caused global warming!)