Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Gay Marriage

I'm not going to pretend that I'm an avid blogger because I'm not (as you can see from my post frequency). The truth is that I think most blogs are a waste of time both for the author and for the reader. There are a few exceptions. The people that own these blogs have something unique, interesting, and valuable to give to the reader. Generally speaking, I don't find that to be true of the daily play-by-play of life presented by most bloggers. Often, bloggers post their opinions about this or that. However, I don't think there is any lack of shared opinions on the Internet.

And now that I've shared my opinion about shared opinions (and blogs in general), I am going to share my opinion about the title topic by posting to my blog. Hey, that's what they're here for, right? I will attempt to make it worth the effort, both in my writing it and your reading it, by presenting a different viewpoint in a persuasive manner. If you are a busy person and do not wish to waste time reading something you agree (disagree) with, I will tell you now that I am opposed to the explicit legalization of same-sex marriage. Please allow me to explain why.

I think most people who are opposed to same-sex marriage have that opinion because 1) the majority of their social circle has that opinion, 2) they are afraid of change on some level, and/or 3) they have a strong moral objection to the concept. From my perspective, I think most proponents have good intentions; they see no reason to block two people who love one another from taking an oath of lifelong commitment to one another. I can pinpoint two specific problems with the interaction of the two groups. The opponents want to legislate morality and are callous toward the gay-rights group. The proponents hold that humanistic values are more important for the benefit of society than are any individual's religious beliefs, and as such, all citizens should put aside or change their religious beliefs in this case. In attempts to ease the transition, they present alternate interpretations of holy books so that everyone can be content (except the very conservative bunch who refuse these interpretations).

However, what if I were to submit that being opposed to same-sex marriage could be patriotic? It is in the sense that some of us love this country, love living in it and enjoying its freedoms and wealth, and we don't want to see it end. I'll explain that statement because I realize it sounds ludicrously extremist.

Suppose you believe in the literal interpretation of the Holy Bible. You believe that it is exactly what God wanted written, so that it is exactly what He wants humankind to know, and thus it is by definition absolute truth. Whether you actually believe this or not is irrelevant. It's a hypothetical situation to aid you in seeing the issue from another perspective.

If you know that the God of the Bible is real, that He is all-powerful, that He is indeed angered by same-sex intercourse, and that He has in the past destroyed two cities specifically because of it, how could you dare condone same-sex marriage in this country? You know fully well that you would be putting our country on a path to destruction! How incredibly stupid!

Even if you reject the Bible as absolute truth, would it not seem like asking a lot of someone who does to condone same-sex marriage? It would be analogous to telling a child to pretend the large teeth-baring dog barreling towards her isn't there because you can't see it. Fearing for her life, she is probably not going to be content with that solution. Even if she is, if the dog turns out to be real, the results will be unpleasant.

You may not agree with me, and that's fine. I just hope that I've convinced you that my opposition to same-sex marriage is based on what I truly believe is best for the country and not because I hate gay people, am afraid of change, or am incapable of making up my own mind.