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How is gay marriage a threat to "religiously sanctimonal" marriages?
(I'll really appreciate if you actually read this before answering, to really understand what I'm saying. and I hope you won't try to attack me in your response, if you disagree with me. Just let me know what you think in a civil way, as I've tried to be here. I'm always trying to become a more tolerant, and compassionate person, in conjunction with having my Catholic faith)
It makes no sense. Marriage can be recognized by the state, and not by a religious institution. I'm Catholic, and if I wanted my marriage (to a man, since I'm straight) to be recognized by the Catholic church, I'd have to have it be in a church. Otherwise, the church would not recognize it. Since a same-sex marriage would not be recognized by most, if not all, religious institutions, I don't see what is threatening about it, at all. You can't say you're accepting of gay people and their relationships, but not want them to share the same benefits married couples have, in terms of their legal rights. It's just hypocritical. This doesn't affect traditional marriage in any way.
Many traditional marriages aren't even tied to any religious institutions, or if they are, may not even be recognized by your own religious institution (like a Presbyterian couple's marriage wouldn't be recognized by the Catholic church, for example). Not to mention, the countless amount of people who violate their wedding vows, even if their marriage is apparently "rooted in their religious faiths". But despite all this crap that goes on, the concept of a religious, sanctimonious marriage is still pure.
Just like, despite all the human errors Christians (and everyone else) have made, I still believe in the concept of Christianity. And we're not supposed to be assholes to other people for having different views. We're supposed to love and be supportive of everyone, no matter how different they are from us. Everyone is facing their own battle. Focus on "the man in the mirror" and work out your own problems. Yeah, I believe my religion is the best, but I try to show that by being a good person to others. All the Christians who blast gay people and everything give Christians a bad name, in my opinion. There's still a lot I have to understand and interpret about the Bible to form my beliefs on things, but this is the point I'm at now. I feel like God would want us to feel sympathy for gay people, and treat them out of love (since I believe it's a natural phenomenon), just like anyone else facing any kind of affliction. I feel bad for saying it's an affliction, too, since I'm sure many proud gay people would disagree would that, but I can't change what it says in the bible. but that doesn't affect how i feel about gay people. a couple of my close friends are gay, as well as some of my most favorite musicians, that I look up to. It really pisses me off when they get flack over trying to find love, in the only way that makes sense to them. if they believe in god, and are good people, i'm pretty sure they can get in heaven just like everyone else, because homosexuality is just like any other sin people do everyday. but by supposedly "good" christians, jews, muslims, etc. constantly blasting homosexuals, all their doing is forcing them away from their religions, which is ironic, because they're supposed to attract people to their religion
sorry for the tangent there, but yeah. i don't get why religious institutions, especially churches, are getting so up an arms about this issue that doesn't affect them one bit. it's especially interesting, as a black girl, that many churches with predominantly black congregations are extra against gay marriage, because it reminds me of when not too long ago, they were marching for civil rights. to be treated equally in the eyes of the law. so much irony, it's crazy
america needs to wake up. don't want a gay marriage? then don't have one. it's your life, do what you want. so much for america being the land of the free, home of the brave. i'm just proud of obama for doing what he did, and hope that his message helps other people to start evolving on this issue too, as I have been, through the years. It's funny though. I say this, my current views, and yet I'm afraid of offending someone in some way
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Maybe give some free advice about: Random Weirdos?
The first and most crucial answer lies in the concept of Authoritarianism.
For the long version, go to this link, it's a really interesting read [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
The "whole book in PDF" on the left side is what you're looking for.
What this first part comes down to in most basic terms is that many people are arrogant, entitled, selfish, and judgmental. These four things in combination cause them to believe that they have the right, privilege, and sometimes even the duty to enforce their worldviews upon other people. Through whatever methods they can manage, they endeavor to make other people think like they think, act like they act, accept what they accept, and reject what they reject. It's almost like a massive group insecurity complex where people prove that what they feel and believe is valid by convincing themselves and everyone else they can that everyone who feels or believes otherwise is wrong. "If everyone else but me is wrong I must be right, and if everyone I pay any attention to agrees with me I'm right then too!" basically.
The second part is about religious control. People tend to band together and be motivated when you provide them with a common enemy. Gay people just make for a really convenient common enemy. They're a minority group, they're misunderstood, they want things.
All it took, given the above, was a few well chosen catch phrases like "homosexual agenda" to make it seem like the desire for equal rights was some kind of insidious satanic crusade against the rest of the world and a metric fuckload of lying about everything that has anything to do with gay people and American Christians had a great bogeyman to scare the ignorant masses of their congregations and convince them to participate more readily because "the gay people are trying to gay up your America and turn your children gay and cover the country in pink paint" or something.
Stepping back from that stance even an inch would be basically admitting that the last several decades of anti-gay crusading has all been lies and bullshit. Sure, there are plenty of people who wouldn't care either way because they'd never look at anything involving religion with a critical eye, but there are plenty of people who would step back, realize that they'd been lied too for years, and raise their kids to be skeptical enough of religion that the following would thin even more than it already has.
The third part really boils down to dogs pissing on trees to mark their territory, only with humans and politics and things like marriage. Muslims, Jews, and Christians have been in conflict over Jerusalem for a long, long time. Everyone says "that's my holy city!" and they can't share because having it be two different group's holy city makes it less special in some way that no one can really define but that many people are willing to die over.
Marriage in the US is no different.
You seem intelligent so I'll risk offending you. Your religion is a sham. So is every other religion. I'm not so arrogant as to pretend I know whether or not there is a supreme being (or five billion of them or something) but I can tell you with absolute certainty that the judeo-christian god is a complete and utter falsehood created by man.
It says in the bible that god made us in his image. The truth is that we made God in our image, to impart some level of divinity to human nature as is convenient for people to say "this is right because God says so and there's nothing you can do about it"
For the vengeful, so is God. For the merciful, so is God. For the loving, the hateful, the strict, the bigoted, the charitable, so is God. Religion takes on so many forms because everyone wants God to reflect how they feel about the world and everyone wants to believe that God is more like them than like the other people down the block.
That, and people want to believe that there really is a plan. There is not. The world is arbitrary. Some good people have good things happen to them, some good people have bad things happen to them, some bad people have good things and some have bad things happen to them too. Shit just happens, propelled by the chaos that is human interaction and the universe we live in.
God was our invention because many people simply cannot live in a world where the only things that actually matter are the things we choose to value. They can't handle the unstructured truth that reality is. So they invent an immortal divine person who says that the things they believe are right and throw in an afterlife along the way because hell, who wouldn't love to believe that some part of them is immortal?
I don't expect you to just believe me or anything, but maybe in ten to fifteen years when you're a hell of alot more cynical some of what I just said will percolate back up to the top of your brain.
There comes a point in many religious people's lives (only those above a certain IQ, generally) when they doubt doubts that cannot be dismissed or explained away. They face a choice at that crossroads, to bury themselves in denial and refuse to allow doubtful thoughts to intrude, or to go where those doubts take them and modify their beliefs or abandon them entirely based upon where those doubts lead them.
Here's to hoping you don't take the denial route.
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Okay. I'll be honest, I did not read the WHOLE question here, but I can answer the basics - since this was on my R.E Exam! (98% not bad tho i say so my self! )
Chrisitan marriage is monogamous and hetrosexual. In the past, it was a sin to be gay, because two men was considered unnatural!
Religious marriage is about sex- men and women couldnt have sex unless they were married.
It is about companionship (not necesarily love)
and children. CHILDREN. The ideal christian marriage means the couple are in the perfect situation to have children. In roman catholic church, it is a rite of passage. Since gay couples cannot technically have children, gay marriage isnt technically religious. (i know they adopt)
But i understand your point here- maybe nowadays we should let them get married in a church? Quakers are the only denomination that do!
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