Sponsored links

An essay donated by Brian Biedul

Views on same-sex marriage

Sponsored link.

Views on same-sex marriage.

I am writing to try to put the same-sex marriage issue into perspective.

Two things happen when people get married in a church.

1. A priest (minister, rabbi, etc...) creates a union between two people under the laws of that church. For instance the Catholic church performs the holy sacrament of matrimony. Each church has the right to define what is a marriage within that faith. If the church will not recognize same-sex unions, that is their right.
    

2. At the end of the ceremony the priest must sign a document that enters these two people into a civil agreement that the state recognizes under state law. This is a binding legal agreement that gives certain rights to these people. Tax breaks, the right to visitation, inheritance rights are just some provisions to this huge legally binding agreement.

The right to enter into this civil agreement should be available to all people regardless of sexual orientation. Period.

The people that backed Prop 8 in California tried to make it seem as though the state was going to force churches to marry gay people. That was a lie and they knew it. In many religions lying is a sin. Go figure.

I would like to go on record as supporting same sex marriages as a civil right. I would also like to go on record as supporting the right of a church to define marriage as they see fit.

One other point I would like to make is that laws should not be decided by a majority vote.

	Would the white males of the time have voted to end slavery?
	To allow women to vote?
	To allow "interracial" marriage?
	To allow black men to vote?

I would think not. Sometimes lawmakers must simply do what is right and not what is popular. This is what the state supreme court did in California. To overturn this ruling by popular vote seems wrong and illegal.

	Should the KKK be allowed to put a proposition on the ballot to repeal anti-slavery laws?
	How about a proposition to throw Jews out of California?
	How about a proposition to exterminate the mentally disabled?

Where does it end? Don't we put people into representative positions to make just laws?

I am not gay. I do not belong to any church. I am only a citizen that is concerned that we as a people are heading down a very dangerous road. Let us put aside our religious beliefs to arrive at a set of laws that protect all of our civil rights collectively. The separation of church and state is an idea that could not be made more clear by this issue.

Initial posting: 2009-OCT-04
Latest update: 2009-OCT-04
Author: Brian Biedul

Sponsored link

Web ReligiousTolerance.org

Page Translator: This page translator works on Firefox, Opera, Chrome, and Safari browsers only After translating, click on the "show original" button at the top of this page to restore page to English.

Sponsored link: