It’s pretty clear that most people in the United States are uncomfortable with gay marriage. I have no idea why, other than ignorance and fear. I’ve not heard one valid reason why consenting adults shouldn’t be allowed to marry.
This year, the religious are going crazy, crazy, crazy with legislation to keep marriage “as we’ve always known it.” An amendment to the State Constitution is being proposed. If the initiative passes, it will be overturned, but nevertheless, the conservatives feel their marriages are threatened.
Even crazier, the Mormons are all about limiting the marital rights of others, even though at one time, certain states passed an extermination order to kill Mormons precisely because of their marital doctrines, amongst other things.
It is the opinion of Blurbomat that consenting adults should be allowed to enter marriage. Gay or plural, marriage is the right of the citizenry. Not “civil unions” or any other such thing. Marriage. Despite common sitcom plot structure and media stereotyping, marriage falls under the “… and pursuit of happiness” part of what is left of the Constitution. If one brings God up into the discussion, it doesn’t make the argument against gay marriage stronger, because God’s will is subject to wide debate and not known for certain. Blurbomat doesn’t need the state to “protect” my marriage. That’s between me and my spouse to figure out, not the government. Or your God.
Open, tolerant cultures do better than closed, scared ones.
Sadly, it is in such times that great opportunity to lead and rise is lost. Those that preach intolerance and forgiveness and faith miss a wonderful opportunity to include others when they marginalize those who believe differently. It doesn’t take more than 30 seconds into the debate over marriage rights to see that it’s about God. If you believe in God, why don’t you want your brothers and sisters to be happy? If they want to marry, to show their love, why would you deny them this? Because of stories from an old book, which may or may not be true, despite what you might think? We don’t live in ancient times. We live today.
These are dangerous times, but Blurbomat believes that it’s time to stand up and say let go of fear. Time to stand up and say that people deserve to be happy. People deserve to not live in the margins. People deserve to be accepted into the mainstream. Except for the indie fundamentalists who are always hipper than the rest of us and living in the mainstream is totally selling out.
In our lifetime, people have died for freedom, whether we want to see it as such or not. When people died in New York, in Washington and Pennsylvania, they died because they live in a free country. They died not to celebrate fundamentalism. Not to celebrate religious intolerance or partisanship. They were taken prematurely from this life because of freedom. Freedom to not believe in one God but many. Freedom to not even believe in God. Freedom to say that our elected leaders are morons. Freedom to say that the system is flawed. Freedom to go to any church they wanted or none at all. Are their lives for naught?
We should imagine a future that is full of hope not fear. And to make that future happen. With our vote. I’m voting against Proposition 3 in Utah. Gay marriage should be allowed in this country.
Has anybody heard an argument against gay marriage that makes any sense? Is there a valid reason to stop consenting adults from marrying?