Marriage, Reason, and Religious Liberty: Much Ado About Sex, Nothing to Do with Race. The Church and Civil Marriage by Various | Articles. No-fault divorce changed the American culture of marriage. So did the sexual revolution. Now proponents of gay rights are redefining marriage at an even more fundamental level. What’s to be done? As a post-biblical vision of sex, gender, and marriage gains the upper hand in our society, should our religious institutions get out of marriage?
Should priests, pastors, and rabbis renounce their roles as deputies of state authority in marriage? Or should we sustain the close links between religious and civil marriage? To help us think more clearly about these issues, we asked eight writers to respond to the following question: With the legal affirmation of same-sex marriage in some states, should churches, synagogues, and mosques stop performing civil marriages?
Ryan T. The redefinition of marriage will have profound consequences for society. The coercion that should really concern us is broader—and unavoidable wherever same-sex marriage is recognized. —Ryan T. Vigen Guroian Russell D. Same-sex 'marriage' has negative effects, shows latest evidence. London, 2 March 2013: The experience of legalising marriage for same-sex couples in Europe and North America shows that such legalisation has negative effects for real marriage and for families, shows latest evidence. The evidence was presented to the House of Commons committee examining the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, in a written submission by Dr Patricia Morgan, the British family policy researcher, on behalf of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) www.spuc.org.uk The submission can be read in full at www.spuc.org.uk/campaigns/ssmsub20130301 Based on research and data from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Canada and the US, Dr Morgan concluded that: As a pro-life organisation, SPUC campaigns against same-sex marriage because: marriage - the permanent, exclusive union of one man and one woman - is the basis of the family, the fundamental group unit of society.
SPUC's communications department can be contacted on: Judges Extend Supreme Court DOMA Ruling. Same Sex Marriage Cartoons. Legalize polygamy: Marriage equality for all. Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/Reuters Recently, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council reintroduced a tired refrain: Legalized gay marriage could lead to other legal forms of marriage disaster, such as polygamy. Rick Santorum, Bill O’Reilly, and other social conservatives have made similar claims. It’s hardly a new prediction—we’ve been hearing it for years. Gay marriage is a slippery slope! You can also listen to an audio version of this piece. Yes, really. For decades, the prevailing logic has been that polygamy hurts women and children. But legalizing consensual adult polygamy wouldn’t legalize rape or child abuse. Right now, all polygamous families, including the healthy, responsible ones, are driven into hiding (notwithstanding the openly polygamous Brown family on TLC’s Sister Wives, that is).
Many people argue that there is no such thing as a “healthy, responsible” polygamous family, particularly for the children born into one. The definition of marriage is plastic. A modest proposal for polygamy: Column. Those arguing for "marriage equality" at the U.S. Supreme Court this week should be ashamed of themselves. They're just as guilty of discrimination as those dastardly conservatives still bitterly clinging to their guns and their religion. Why no argument for polygamy, polyamory and other forms of diversity? Why are they only defending their exclusive definition of diversity? How dare those seeking to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act signed by President Clinton, or Proposition 8 ratified by the people of California, stop at just redefining marriage to include two consenting adults of the same gender.
Why do these people believe they have the authority to draw a moralistic line against any consenting adults, and thus force their moral standard upon the rest of us? Oh, sure, Showtime also features a series with a creepy old dude watching 1970s porn with Z-list celebrities as well, but who are we to judge? Steve Deace is a nationally syndicated radio host. Sexuality more like religion than race: Column. When the Masters golf tournament is played this weekend, I'll be among the millions of Americans celebrating the fact that the Augusta National Golf Club now includes female members.
But I'll also be pondering this irony: At the same time that Augusta National is finally welcoming women into its membership, the Supreme Court is being asked to rule that the most foundational grouping in human society — a marriage — need not include a woman. Look, I know same-sex marriage is supposedly inevitable (given the views of America's youth). And I want as much as anyone to get to sit at the cool kids' table at lunch. But when I consider ironies such as the one at Augusta National, I get the feeling that all of us cool-conscious Americans ought to chill long enough to make certain that we've thought through this fashionable idea.
Because there's a question surrounding gay marriage that could significantly alter the way we view the controversy — and might also help us avoid an endless culture war. MarriageGen - Home. Three More Thoughts on the Gay Marriage Debate. If the Supreme Court Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage, What Next? Marriage in the Dock—The Supreme Court Considers Same-Sex Marriage.
The next two days are destined to stand among the most significant days in our nation’s constitutional history, but the issues at stake reach far beyond the U.S. Constitution. Nothing less than marriage is in the dock, with the nation’s highest court set to consider two cases that deal with the question of the legalization of same-sex marriage. The first time the issue of same-sex marriage came before the Court, back in 1972, the Court dismissed the question succinctly: “The appeal is dismissed for want of a substantial federal question.” But now the Supreme Court is faced with two cases that demand a more substantial response. Both cases are significant. Proposition 8 was adopted by voters in California in 2008, effectively reversing a decision by that state’s Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage. Taken together, these cases threaten nothing less than the redefinition of the most basic and essential institution of human society—any society.
The U.S. Timeline: Gay marriage chronology. Timeline For more than a decade, the battle over same-sex marriage and other rights for gay couples has been hard fought in U.S. courts and legislatures and at the ballot box. Use this map to view milestones in the fight and how state laws have changed since 2000. On June 26, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act and declared that same-sex couples who are legally married deserve the same rights under federal law as all other married couples. Timeline: Timeline: Gay marriage | Full-coverage: Full coverage: Prop. 8 and DOMA Constitution bans gay marriage and other rights Constitution bans gay marriage Legislative ban on gay marriage and other rights Legislative ban on gay marriage No specific law bans gay marriage Domestic partnerships legal Domestic partnerships with added protections Gay marriages performed elsewhere are recognized Civil unions legal Gay marriage legal.
A Gay, Celibate Christian's Conflicted Take on Same-Sex Marriage - Conor Friedersdorf. As a politically moderate Christian, I have thoughtfully and prayerfully struggled through the issue of same-sex marriage along with my community and church. As a biologically gay man who chooses to remain celibate because of my religious beliefs, I have spent a significant amount of time wrestling with the implications of a complete trust in the infallibility of scripture because it has real, tangible effects on the lifestyle I live. I would like to give a brief account of my experience within the modern evangelical church and a quick synopsis of the way that has shaped my views about same-sex marriage.
Like you, I grew up in a community where gay slurs and jokes were common and tolerated, and like you, I never experienced direct gay-bashing. This persisted through most of high school. In fact, six years later, support and compassion are the only things I have experienced within the communities of Christians of which I have been a part. Chick-fil-A food fight leaves pols eating crow. Until it became the latest front in the nation's culture wars, Chick-fil-A was best known for its crispy sandwiches, waffle fries and the dancing cow ads that call on customers to "eat mor chikin. " ANOTHER VIEW: Challenge Chick-fil-A's practices That the fast-food chain is suddenly the focus of the volatile gay-marriage debate is both sad and silly.
Sad because a nation already divided into red states and blue states now finds itself riven over … chicken sandwiches. Silly because the controversy escalated into last week's national "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day" and "Same-Sex Kiss Day" sponsored by the opposing sides. Behind all the theatrics, though, there's a serious point to be made about freedom of speech, one that appears to have escaped a number of politicians who called for punishment of the Atlanta-based company because of the views of its president.
When Cathy's comments gained wider circulation, several big-city politicians lost sight of the First Amendment. Gay Marriage ProCon.org. Should We Support Gay Marriage? NO. Wolfhart Pannenberg, arguably the preeminent contemporary theologian, recently retired after 27 years as professor of systematic theology at the University of Munich, Germany, and director of the Institute of Ecumenical Theology. Can love ever be sinful? The entire tradition of Christian doctrine teaches that there is such a thing as inverted, perverted love. Human beings are created for love, as creatures of the God who is Love. And yet that divine appointment is corrupted whenever people turn away from God or love other things more than God. Jesus said, "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me... " (Matt. 10:37, NRSV). The will of God be the guiding star of our identity and self- determination.
Jesus concludes from this that the unbreakable permanence of fellowship between husband and wife is the Creator's will for human beings. The mere existence of homophile inclinations does not automatically lead to homosexual practice. What Is the Gospel Response to the Prop. 8 Decision? Matthew Lee Anderson, author of the forthcoming Earthen Vessels: Breathing New Life into a Broken Faith and blogger at Mere Orthodoxy: Within the happy confident hope we have in Christ (Jesus is still Lord, and nothing can undo that), evangelicals need to expand their intellectual horizons.
While this is a landmark decision, it comes amid a long shift in culture and philosophy. We need to look backward to discern what's at the root of that trend, look inward to see the ways that we have been co-opted by it, and look a long ways forward to determine how we can work to reverse it. Practically, I think we have relied too heavily on the will of the majority as our foundation for our legal actions. While political orders must on some level be representative of the people to be legitimate, our founding fathers set up a representative democracy for a reason. Alan Chambers, president of Exodus International: We should respond with 100 percent grace and 100 percent truth. Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra. Equal Marriage.