This a great way to start our blog because it allows us to introduce a format we will use once a week for the heavier topics. We will introduce the subject and then give each one of our own, probably different, opinions on the topic.
SUPREME COURT HEARINGS FOR THE OPPOSITION OF PROP 8. AND DOMA
Tuesday, March 26 2013, the Supreme Court held a hearing basically for the case of Proposition 8 vs. same-sex marriage. Proposition 8 is a Californian constitutional amendment stating that the State of California will only recognize marriage between a man and a woman.
On Wednesday, March 27 2013, the Supreme Court held a hearing for the arguments for and against DOMA. DOMA is the Defense of Marriage Act passed in 1996 and signed by President Bill Clinton. It states that no U.S. State, county, or any subdivision is required to recognize same-sex marriage.
Opinion 1:
As a Catholic, I am always hearing, "the bible clearly says that marriage is between a man and a woman." This is true. I also hear though, stuff like this; "God hates gays," "Gays need to be cured by God," and "Gays will burn in hell." None of that is true. Not even close. God loves you no matter your sexual orientation. Doesn't matter if you're straight, gay, or lesbian, God loves you.
And so this is my argument; since God loves every human being, wouldn't He want them to be able to choose who they love? Who they can spend the rest of their life with? He does want them to. So why can't the nation, supposedly under Him, recognize that as well.
To be completely honest, as a supporter of gay marriage, it actually makes me uncomfortable to watch two men kiss each other. But who I am I judge other human being's love? Nobody is. So I just get out of their way and let them live their life. Pretty messed up huh? I can totally see all the radical right wing republicans thinking they just find the hole in my argument. They probably think I just made it that easy for them. Trust me, I'm not that stupid.
See, my whole argument is based on this expression: "Talk after you've walked a mile in somebody else's shoes."In any argument or dispute, my main goal is to look at it from the perspective from both sides. From the conservative Catholic stand point, I see how God Himself made marriage between man and woman in Genesis 1:28. I see how this has been going on for thousands and thousands of years. I see how it is a sacred sacrament that should not be tampered with. I see how being raised by two men or woman is a devoid childhood (To solve this I would hope they could find a heterosexual friend or relative to help with some aspects of the child's growing).
But I also see from the stand point of the opposition. I realize "How do they not get that I LOVE the person I chose, how do they not get that I was born this way, I can't change who I am and who I love." I'm sure there are some homosexual people out there that even though God loves them all the same, they wish they weren't gay or lesbian. They can't change that though. They were created by God that way, and He wouldn't want them any other way. So if all men are created equal, why are homosexual denied certain rights?
About 4 months ago, when I first found the album The Heist, one of his songs stood out to me. It was Macklemore's argument for the support of same-sex marriage. To me, it was an incredibly smart song, compared to society's current standards of Hip-Hop. As these two current hearings came closer, this song started to trend to its peak. So here it is;
Now that you have read a good, respectable point of view on this issue, I am here to provide a different point of view. This topic of Gay marriage has seemed to have truly emerged in very recent times. In the 80's the Reagan Administration claimed AIDS was the wrath God inflicted upon gay men and in the 90's President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, something he regrets now. I am a devout Catholic and a conservative when it comes to social issues. The Gay marriage issue is something that I am personally strongly against, however legislatively, I believe that a gay couple cannot be denied the rights that a heterosexual couple have in the eyes of the government. However, this union between a gay couple should not be considered a marriage as the title of marriage should be reserved to the covenant between a man and a woman.
Taking it from a religious perspective and not a legislative perspective, I am against gay marriage 100%. First I must address that this does not mean that I hate gays. This could be farther from the truth. I believe that I as a Catholic must follow in Jesus' footsteps and love thy neighbor. Jesus in fact loves gays. Since Jesus is God and God is love then is against his nature to hate. However, Jesus loved us so much that he revealed certain truths to us that must be heeded. Many people try to argue the theological standpoint against gay marriage by saying that Jesus preached love and therefore he would let gays marry and have sexual relations. This cannot be farther from the truth. Just because Jesus loves thieves(because he loves all people) does not mean he loves the action of theft. It is the person that Jesus loves, however we are accountable for our actions. Marriage is a fundamental covenant instituted by Christ at the beginning of times with Adam and Eve (not Steve). It is appropriate that God created man and woman as opposites because that is the law of nature, opposites attract. Because of the fact man and woman are opposites, we are created to attract and to Procreate which is a major argument for traditional marriage. Gay couples simply cannot procreate and therefore cannot fulfill the duties that come with being part of a marriage.
I understand the argument that some people are born with tendencies to be attracted to people of the same gender. Nevertheless, this does not mean that this fact should be accepted. Someone might be born with a natural tendency toward violence. I have seen many children with this problem and if left untreated, it will carry on into their adult lives and worsen. Just because this kid has a natural tendency toward violence, does that mean that his actions should be acceptable and we should let him/her "be who he/she is"? The answer is no because being violent is something that is wrong and immoral. The same is true about homosexuality. I believe gays should be loved however they should also be helped. There are many methods out there such as psychology and medical hormone treatments that can help. It is very important for parents to be responsible and teach their children what is morally acceptable when it comes to sexuality. Unfortunately in our secular society, good parenting is in drastic decline.
Going back to the current legislative battle taking place in Washington and even in France, if the court decides that gays can marry on the basis that no human should be stopped from marrying someone that they love, then how then could we have laws against polygamy? What stops a man from marrying six different women on terms that he loves them all? What stops a brother marrying a sister on the same terms? These are questions I do not have an answer to but wanted to address.
In conclusion, my ultimate view legislatively is that gay couples should have the same governmental rights as heterosexual couples but their union should not be considered a marriage. I believe that this can be achieved and I can be perfectly ok with that. However what bothers me about this current movement is that it makes gay relationships seem permissible, maybe even desirable, and that should not be the case.
P.S. for all of you that are wondering what this red equal sign that is taking over all social media, it is simply a show of support for equal rights for gay marriage.
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