Gay Marriage

On June 26th, 2015, the United States Supreme Court voted to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide and in doing so, rattled the belief system of many Christians around the country. Many took to social media and with the terror and panic of Chicken Little cried, “The sky is falling”, while others lashed out in hateful speech towards the lawmakers and the homosexual community that celebrated their newly given liberty. As Christians begin to look toward the future with a new definition of marriage put into effect before the country, many begin to question what this will mean for the next generation of believers and for the church moving forward. While the federal government may revise the definition of marriage, as outlined in the constitution, it does not have the ability to change the truth of scripture or the definition of marriage outlines within.

A popular notion among many religious conservatives is the rejection of what is commonly referred to as the separation between church and state. They maintain the United States was founded by leaders who endorsed Christian principles as the cornerstone of American democracy, and that the First Amendment prohibition against government establishment was not intended to remove religion from public life. As a result, a number of disputes have made their way through to the courts, pitting those ready to defend the wall of separation, against those who would tear it down. Two recent cases have brought this battle to the forefront of political debate. The first involves an

For years the constitutionality of the separation of church and state has been debated, many people have analyzed and reanalyzed Thomas Jefferson’s famous saying “A Wall of Separation” in his letter to the Danbury Baptist. Many religious people believe that the government is slowly taking our right to freedom of religion, the reason our country was founded, away. The government’s stance on the issue has widely impacted the way America as a whole practices

"Marriage isn't between a man and woman, but between love and love." Gay marriage should be legalized in every state because homosexuals deserve the same equal rights as heterosexuals. Nobody should be told who they can and cannot marry. Everyone deserves a chance to be happy and not legalizing marriage is taking that opportunity away from homosexuals who want to get married.

The United States of America has its history written in religion. Religion and government are important topics in almost every citizen’s daily life. The act of extrication religion and politics has been a complicated topic for many years. Because the United States of America has so many roots in religion, many political figures prey on the religious beliefs in their civil duties as a public servant. According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, “Throughout the nation’s history, political and social movements- from abortion to women’s suffrage to civil rights- have drawn upon religious institutions for moral authority, inspirational leadership and organizational muscle.” The United States has a long standing tradition of separating church and state but almost all politicians run on a campaign that encompasses many religious ideals. According to Pew recent elections more than ever have had religion deeply woven into the fabrics of politics. Religion has found its way into almost all of the fabrics of our lives and has been leaking its way into one thing that was originally supposed to be kept separate. This controversy even dates back to twenty- three B.C and can be found deep in the roots of the Roman Empire, can be found in the constitution, but for America to be a “Land of the Free”, the practice of church and state intermingling must stop.

In the United States, there is social unrest regarding the government's denial of the right to marry for homosexuals. Plenty of conservatives are completely against gay marriage; and many of liberals are fighting for equal treatment. The neo-Christian politicians are using religious arguments to establish that homosexuality is an abomination. While this may be their belief system, this country was founded on religious freedom, where the people are allowed to worship how they see fit. A ground rule, set up from the beginning, states that separation needs to be made between religion and government, so the two shall never meld to become a theocracy. With the issue of gay marriage, lines get blurred and religion

What is the definition of marriage? The dictionary states it as being the legal union between a man and a woman as husband and wife. However, times are changing as the gay life style becomes more accepted by society it is time to allow all couples regardless of sex to enjoy equal protections, rights and benefits under the law. Perhaps, it makes the most sense to consider arguments against same sex marriage to realize why it should be legalized; these arguments touch upon a broad array of issues including: parenting, religion and morality, procreation, rights and benefits, and values and institute of marriage.

1. Other countries (Denmark, Canada etc.) have legalized gay marriage. (Bidstrup, 2009) The United States prides itself on being the forefront and a leader in all things so they should be leading the way for gay marriage as well.

Should this nation have the right to deny a citizen equality? Overall, the answer should be no. Surprisingly enough, the majority of our nation says there should not be marriage equality because it is unethical. The topic of marriage equality has been around for almost fifty years and it does not seem to be going away anytime soon as it is still a very prominent discussion in our society. The very first time a couple of the same sex applied for a marriage license was in December of 1970. The couples’ names were Richard John 'Jack' Baker and James Michael McConnell. They were denied marriage whenever they came forward to be married. As a result, they tried to sue the County District clerk, however the supreme court sided by the clerk (Gay Marriage Timeline History of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate). Less than three years later Maryland became the first state to officially make same sex marriage illegal and many other states soon followed in their footsteps. What made them prohibit same sex in the first place and did they have a valid reason in doing so?

Many gay couples have never gotten the chance to devote their love to each other because of legal circumstances. A debate that comes up in many conversations is that it goes against what God believes is best for us. As a Christian’s point of view, many would argue that as couples it is to follow God’s way of living. By letting homosexual couples marry, heterosexual couples believe that we could fail our marriage system. As a traditional couple, divorce rates are high in number. If the government lets gay couples marry, then our divorce rate could go up even higher in number. In the article, A Review and Critique of Research on Same-Sex Parenting and Adoption, the author says, “Despite being a lesbian herself, she found it difficult to locate lesbian couples who had been together more than 20 years” (Hosking, pg. 651). The author proves that gay marriages are just as unstable as heterosexual couples. So why legalize something that has as much instability to what we have

The proposed legalization of same-sex marriage is one of the most significant issues in contemporary American family law. As a heavily campaigned development currently discussed in law assessment; these extremely confrontational and debatable political questions are facing present day American courts. If same-sex marriage is legalized, its affect on the parents, children, same sex couples, families, and the social and political world will be astronomical. The arguments surrounding the issue though confrontational nonetheless are easily seen from a wide array of perspectives. One of the perspectives states that marriage is a promise to a spouse to stay loyal and faithful in all

Separation of church and state has long been regarded as a foundation of American democracy. At the same time, the concept has remained highly controversial in the popular culture and law. Much of the debate over the application and meaning of the phrase focuses on its historical antecedents. The reason I chose this specific topic is due to the fact I’m a devout Christian and I also have strong interest in political science. In this paper I will briefly explain some of the approaches of several philosophers handling this peculiar subject. Such philosophers are Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The legalization of gay marriages is one of the most controversial issues throughout particularly in modern life. This paper, based on secondary research, arguing for legalizing same-sex marriage through specific analysis of its positive influences. In particular, there are two main benefits regarding society as well as economy. The finds of the research indicate that gays or lesbians are completely an important part of society. Therefore, they must have the rights to live and marry legally as other opposite-sex couples. Finally, based on findings, the paper draws the conclusion that same-sex marriages should be admitted and legalized all over the world.

In the Boston Globe newspaper editorial For Gay Marriage the editors argue that gay marriage should be legalized in America. Throughout the newspaper article the is topic of the expanding circle of rights (“Globe” A18). Movements include the civil-rights movement, gender equality, rights for the disabled, 18 year olds to vote, single mothers and adoptive parents have occurred it is apparent that the right for gay marriage should occur (“Globe” A18).These advances have occurred with the help of court cases. The 1967 supreme court case Loving V. Virginia Court rulings ruled that marriage should not be restricted because of ones race (“Globe” A18). Others ruled that adoption could not be denied on the basis of sexual orientation. The Globe states that under the Massachusetts constitution, “Equality under the law shall not be denied or abridged because of sex, race, color, creed or national origin”to argue their point gay marriage should be legalized(A18). Along with the presidents The Globe uses Hillary Goodridge as an example of how her rights were abridged when she was unable to see her newborn daughter in a neonatal intensive care unit because she was not married to her partner of 15 years. (A18). The Editors discuss opposing reasons to why gay marriage should not be legalized by Massachusetts Attorney General. One argument the attorney general makes is that marriage is, “…A social institution designed to promote child bearing and rearing” (A18). The Globe the refutes this

Church and state were separate, and one didn’t impede the other, but that is no longer the case. As the popularity of same sex relationships increased it was clear that the church would no longer remain unaffected, it had to come to a consensus, it had to make a stand, it had to step off the fence. Sadly, the subject has had a profound effect in the church, the issue of same sex relationships has opened up deep divisions within the various churches as Christians struggle to come to an agreed position that is acceptable to the faith community. The subject of homosexuality has raised many debates within the church and many denominations are currently discussing the subject at the very highest levels of the church. At congregational level the churches are virtually split down the middle with conservative and Liberal Christians arguing for their opposing views. These discussions have caused churches to splinter as it becomes evident that the opposing sides in the debate can never be reconciled. The conservative arm of the church maintains a biblical consensus that it is an ungodly practice that must be condemned and the liberal arm of the church maintains a more compromising position claiming that the bible does not in effect condemn a loving and committed same sex relationship therefor leaving a gulf that can never be spanned.