As a Christian same sex marriage is not a challenging subject to discuss from a biblical perspective. I accept as true what the bible said; that marriage is for a man and a woman and not anything else besides that. With that said, same sex marriage became an arduous topic to discuss once I put my Christian principles aside. For now I have to ignore what I believe and look at the situation from a third person, impartial view. I wanted to challenge myself on the issue of same sex marriage from a non-Christian point of view. The main saying used during a debate on same sex marriage is “the separation of church and state”. This phrase is a good piece of debate material. It is mainly used to ensure that the state is not governed by the church; that there will be a freedom of religion. One ethical standard may not be suitable for the entire population that makes up a nation. I come from a Christian background. I am a fervent believer in the true and living God and His word, which has rules and regulations that shapes us for our own good. Coming from a Christian background, my initial reaction to gay marriage is that it is morally wrong. Consequently, after seeking the logical, instead of theological, side of the debate, I had to put my Christian morals aside, and look at the situation from a third person, unprejudiced standpoint. That opened the door for a debate that surprised many of my church members, family members, and I included. I found that I could not logically
Greater social acceptance of homosexuality along with legalization of gay marriage might produce more happiness for homosexuals. Moreover, if gay marriage were legalized throughout the country, then the full benefits of marriage would be extended to homosexuals, including benefits for Married couples that are obtained through tax policy, insurance coverage, and inheritance law. One of the most common non-consequentialist arguments against homosexual sex is that it is Unnatural, which it goes against nature. Natural law arguments against homosexuality And same-sex marriage have often traditionally been grounded in religious viewpoints on sexuality and the sanctity of heterosexual marriage. For example, many Christians and Jews who denounce homosexuality do so on the basis of Old Testament Bible verses such The Old Testament appears to permit polygamy. And the New Testament prohibits divorce. If we reject gay marriage on biblical grounds, should we also reject divorce and permit
The majority of the time a conservative politician is talking about same-sex marriage, they almost always refer to The Bible as their argument. The book of Leviticus is a notorious reference when it comes to criticizing same-sex marriage. The books states that "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: ... Do not lie with a male as one lies with a woman. It is an abhorrence" (Leviticus 18: 1, 2, 23). Since it is stated in this book, many Americans believe that because weddings are religious ceremonies that there should be no homosexuality involved. There is a huge flaw in this argument is in the Bill of Rights, Amendment I states that: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;" (The Bill of Rights). There is no established religion within the United States, and there never will be, as long as that law stands. Marriage is a union of two people recognized by the state - a civil right. It is ordinary for a church to be aware of the ceremony as well; however, when a couple gets married in a city hall, the marriage is not recognized by a church. If two people are married by a judge, the marriage is not recognized by a church. So in all reality, same sex marriages would not have to be acknowledged by any religious group in order to be legal. A person who uses things such as The
Opposed to contrary beliefs, I “hate the sin, but not the sinner.” I will not condone it. I will not vote for it. I will not hate them, and I will not be a bully. I recognize that we live in a nation full of Christians and not a Christian nation which separates the church from the state, but my Christian faith does not agree with the practices of homosexuallity. On top of that, if gay marriage is not a “big deal” then why did people force the Supreme Court embedded gay marriage in the Constitution? With everyone arguing about the Supreme Court decision and that “Same-sex marriage is [now] a fundamental constitutional right guaranteed under the 14th Amendment”, an easy response is to attack the opponent by arguing that what happens under the roof of someone’s home is not the business of the government. My bigger question, however, is if the marital status of two people is not the business of the national government, then why did the Supreme Court have to hear and review to the court case to please the people? Shouldn’t the judiciary branch of the government focus on imposing more important policies for the betterment of the American nation instead of personal
Forbidding gay marriage is unjustifiable and unconstitutional. “While some are more accepting of less-traditional views on marriage and family life (secular, liberal, unmarried and black Americans), others hold fast to more traditional outlooks (religious, conservative, married and white Americans)” (Amy B. Becker). “Thus, the view of traditional believers is preordained: homosexual acts are sinful” (Haag). The question that comes to mind is this; if the bible says love thy neighbor and to not judge, and the constitutions states we all have equal rights, how are these anti-gay movements justified? Are homosexual sins any worse than the others; can a religious person justify alcoholism or adultery but disagree with loving someone who is of the same-sex. A quote that relates to this situation and is commonly found on social media and clothing is, “Don’t judge someone just because they sin differently than you” (anonymous). Homophobic bullying is a huge problem against the homosexuals and their families. Rimalower and Caren mention a great point, that this bullying not only affects the same-sex couples but their children; believing that the children have a similar sexual preference as the parents. “D’Augelli indicates that up to half of lesbians and gay men have experienced some form of bullying in school and many school problems of lesbian, gay, and bisexual students, such as poor academic
A political argument against same sex marriage is that it ruins the sanctity of marriage. Even if this were true, sanctity, as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, is “the state or quality of being holy, sacred, or saintly.” Meaning that the word sanctity itself refers to religion. The fact of the matter is, even if same sex marriage ruins the “sanctity” of marriage, homosexuals want marriage in a purely legal form and religion should have no say in it. Same sex marriage is not prohibited in our constitutional rights and therefore should be perfectly legal in this country, if religion had no influence in the matter. Another example of religion and politics joined in an offbeat dance is the topic of abortion. One of the arguments against abortion is that it is immoral because it kills a living being. As if this country was built on morality. Which goes back to one of the bible’s ten commandments, “thou shalt not kill”. Which don’t get me wrong, society is better off having that embedded in their moral codes. But the way I see abortion is the same way I see having scrambled eggs for breakfast. Killing an embryo is equivalent to killing a baby chicken in my eyes. I bet the pope has a nice big omelet before he attends his sermon. In my own personal opinion, religion should remain what it truly is, a voluntary belief, nor science and
I do not think someone’s right to marry should be determined by religious views. Today, there are a lot more rights that go along with being married. Not just the marriage itself. These include the right to see your spouse in the hospital, making medical decisions for your spouse, making burial or final arrangements, and housing benefits to name a few. To see how not having these rights affects couples, I would strongly recommend watching the documentary Bridegroom or the video It could happen to you. Therefore, a marriage is a larger issue than the coming together of two people. I do not agree that the basic reason for marriage is the ability to procreate. Several cultures have their own ideas and forms of marriage, therefore it should not be controlled by a few biblical beliefs. For example, Native American tribes would many gay and lesbian couples frequently and even thought of them as sacred. Also, as said in Doing Ethics, some couples choose to not have children or they cannot have children? Does that mean their marriage is not
Another week, and another tough debate that places our government in the crosshairs. There is a separation of church and state, and In my opinion, there should also be a separation of state and marriage. Head (2016) wrote, government regardless of its level should not have interests in the legislation of relationship between anybody...citing that unless the state is sacramental (which it is not), or interested in propagation of children (unless unlikely), it has no business in the marriage arena (N.p.). You would think it would have been that simple, but before Loving v. Virginia 1967, many states and local governments had a say in who could, and could not be married based on race-citing biblical scripture as the reason. According to (Robinson,
The issue of whether a loving, same-sex Christian marriage can exist under complete Biblical authority has been one fraught with debate and controversy. This disagreement has notably increased in the past century, with the advent of homosexuality being recognized as an exclusive sexual orientation and the recent Supreme Court decision to recognize homosexual unions as marriage. In these times, more than ever, the church needs to have a concrete and truthful stance on this matter.
Gay marriage is one of the most controversial topics being discussed in America today. Today in America, Christians feel like that because the bible states that homosexuality is a sin and then it should be illegal. A few states have taken the first step and started to accept the marriage of same sex marriage. I Believe that the government has no right to tell people if they can or cannot get married. Their choices doesn’t have any thing to with security or credibility of the nation , and it does nothing to affect
conflicting ethical theories regarding homosexuality exist. We do however, reject the idea that government should also be conflicted between these ethics. Religious arguments against homosexuality have no place in government legislation, just like the bible's support for slavery or it's subjection of women no longer do. Similarly, while marriage may be religiously derived, it does not stand as a singularly religious institution today, and therefore it need not conform to religious principles. Civil marriages are perfectly legal, and popular, and have the exact same status and terminology as ones done in a religious setting. In fact, civil registration is necessary for marriage, the presence of a religious figure is not. Therefore a secular
Thomas Jefferson wrote about “unalienable rights” in The Declaration of Independence. What he meant was there are rights that are given to us as human beings and cannot be taken away by the government. “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” are among those rights that are being suppressed against same sex couples. Their right to pursue happiness with their significant other is taken from them by the state. Psychologically and medically married couples are healthier in general because they have someone to share their good days and bad days with as well as someone to take care of when they are sick. However some marriages are not so healthy where one of the partners is abusive whether emotionally or physically and it usually occurs in heterosexual relationships. Orphaned children and children in the foster system also benefit from the union of gay couples because since they can’t have their own children they often look to adoption when starting their own families. Because homosexuals are denied the right of marriage to their loved ones they take marriage more seriously than most heterosexuals who take their right for granted. While the Constitution never specifically stated a need for “separation of the church and the state” the idea is implied because America is a diverse nation and “freedom of religion” definitely is in the constitution. “Freedom of religion”
As we know, same-sex marriage has been discussed and argued for a long time. Within the controversial topic of gay rights, there’s no area more controversial than same-sex marriage. And all of us ask ourselves if same-sex marriage should be legal or not. But the fact is that we have to start thinking about it as a moral and religious topic. The government shouldn’t legalize the same-sex marriage because the
Many who allege same-sex marriage as a violation of their religious beliefs also regard same-sex marriage as an opposition of natural law, or the beliefs and ethics that we
The United States is a country built on a number of ideals and institutions. The moral structure of many Americans today was developed by our ancestors and the founders of this nation through the institutions that were a part of their lives. Family, religion, marriage, equality, and justice are just a few examples of the important components that provide a moral basis for our country. If any of these elements were to become too mutated, the effects on society could be devastating. Right now in the United States, one of these building blocks of society is being threatened by the possibility of a negative transformation. The building block of marriage as the sacred
As we know, same-sex marriage has been a prominent issue that has so many arguments not just in the United States, but around the world over many years now. There is absolutely nothing more controversial than same-sex marriage in gay rights topic. Everyone has different opinions about same-sex marriage whether it should be legal or not. We now have to consider two aspects that are moral and religious. These two form a fundamental belief that same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples are different. Based on the definition of marriage, the view of religion, bad effects to children, and the lifestyle that should not be encouraged; therefore, the government should not legalize the same-sex marriage.