As our Supreme Court debates the issue of gay marriage this week, and the issue is debated in the public sphere as well, here is my little bit of input. While my opposition to gay marriage is ultimately rooted in my belief in the Bible, I offer here four questions purely from a logical/rational standpoint. None of these questions are new to the conversation, I just put them in my own words.
Let me say one more thing that I wish to make clear... Even though I am opposed to gay marriage, I believe all gay people should be treated with love, dignity, and respect. I hope that always shows in what I have to say.
Now, onto the questions...
1) Are we ready to redefine the foundation of human history? Gay marriage does not expand marriage; it redefines it. Big difference. A pina colada (non alcoholic for me) is made from a pineapple and a coconut. You can't say, "I'm going to have a pina colada, except I'm going to use two pineapples." If you do that, you no longer have a pina colada. You have pineapple juice. (Unless you redefine what a pina colada is!) Marriage, for the entirety of human history, has been a man and a woman. Maybe you're okay with changing the definition, I don't know. But please understand the magnitude of what you're actually doing. This is not some piddly little thing, nor is it merely semantics. You are redefining an institution that is the foundation of human history.
2) Are we really that smart? Again, for the entirety of human history, marriage has been defined as a man and a woman. Why? Is homosexuality a new development? Of course not! Why then has gay marriage never been formally recognized by any government until recent years? Should that alone not give us pause? Are we really that much smarter, or more evolved, than all the ones who have gone before us? (i.e. ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans) Again, maybe you think we are. I'm just asking the question.
3) Where will it end? Let's say we take the step of legalizing same sex marriage this month. Next month, a group of three consenting adults wishes to formally unite in marriage. (This, in fact, is already happening in other countries.) If anyone should be able to marry who they choose, and if society has no right to say who can and can not get married, who are we to deny them? To take it a step further, what if someone wants to marry a child? What if someone wants to marry their pet? Please understand I am not equating these behaviors with homosexuality. I am merely saying redefining marriage to include gay couples may not stop there. Do these scenarios seem outlandish? Honestly, so did gay marriage to the vast majority of people not too long ago.
4) Are we prepared as a society to say that a child is not best served by being raised by a father and mother? Okay, this ship probably sailed a long time ago. But just to be clear, this is what we're saying if we affirm gay marriage, right? The institution of marriage is inseparable from the institution of family. In essence, then, it becomes our stance as a society that a child is just as well served being raised by two men, or two women, as they are a mom and a dad. (Just to clarify, I am not saying a single parent cannot do a great job of raising a child. That is clearly not true. I am saying a child is best served by having a loving father and mother in the home. I have never met a single parent who disagrees with this.) Biblical beliefs completely aside, just based on what we know about child development, are we really ready to make this leap?
