When it comes to gay marriage, no wonder America?s confused.
Opponents of gay marriage would have us believe the term itself is an oxymoron: a two-word contradiction in terms, like compassionate Republican or fundamentalist Christian or even, these days, truthful President.
But let’s back up a bit. Before we start a discussion on gay marriage, maybe we should start with a far more basic question: what is marriage?
I ask this question because, in order to make progress on this issue, we need to define our terms. Not defining your terms breeds confusion.
Remember when President Bush declared that ?major hostilities? were over in Iraq? We all thought ?cessation of major hostilities? meant “The war is over,” but, as it turns out, that phrase really means, ?The Iraqi War of Attrition, in which more Americans will be killed than died in the whole Gulf War, is about to begin.”
But I digress.
So what is marriage? Is it:
a) a religious service administered by the church (like baptism, communion, or, in the Catholic church, child molestation)?
b) a civil contract administered by the state
c) a way for straight couples to force their friends and family to fork over hundreds of dollars? worth of the exact merchandise they specify on registries at Tiffany?s, JC Penny, and Target?
d) Something ultra-conservatives like Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh (who position themselves as staunchly pro-family) have done two or three times apiece?
Or is it something else entirely?
Stay tuned. More to come.
I think this option is more of a “marriage ceremony” not a “marriage”:– a religious service administered by the church (like baptism, communion, or, in the Catholic church, child molestation)?
I think this option is the legal term “marriage” that is used often by our government and especially used during divorce or financial statements:–a civil contract administered by the state
I think this is one reason some people choose “marriage” rather than domestic partnerships (not to mention the American way otherwise known as greed):–a way for straight couples to force their friends and family to fork over hundreds of dollars� worth of the exact merchandise they specify on registries at Tiffany�s, JC Penny, and Target?
This is a point I have made repeatedly when discussing this topic… I think “pro-family” was a typo and was supposed to be “poor-family”:–Something ultra-conservatives like Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh (who position themselves as staunchly pro-family) have done two or three times apiece?
I certainly am glad there are others that are angered by the double-standards and hypocrisy spat from both the right and left on this issue!
Cheers!
Unlike any of the above options, I have learned in my 17 years that marriage is not a union from the state or the church. A marriage is a personal agreement between two people, yet is granted by the state. As idealistic as this may sound, there still, in this world of moral decay, remains the essence of truth between 2 people. But, for the most part, marriage is almost all of the above.