Gay Marriage Issue Solved?

[micatala]

I know this has probably been suggested before, but a recent column in the St. Paul Pioneer Press by Joe Soucheray brought this to my mind again.

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincitie ... 154831.htm

Joe's suggestion is simple.


Invent a new word for the union of two same-sex couples, and let marriage apply only two man and woman unions.



If we would invent a new word for these unions, while allowing same-sex couples the same legal rights as married couples (tax deductions, etc.), would this solve the problem?


To break it down:

What specific objections would proponents of legalized gay marriage have?


What specific objections would opponents of gay marriage havae?

[Cephus]

The bolded part indicates that the IRS is in no way trying to 'silence' anyone. Clearly, anyone, including pastor's have the right to make whatever political statements they wish.

If you want to play the political game, you have to pay your entry fee (ie. taxes). The tax codes are set up specifically to keep church leaders from ordering their adherents from voting a specific way to impose religious influence on the political system. Any church that wishes to forego their tax-exempt status can make any political statements they want to. So in fact, 1John is wrong, yet again, the only "silence" this imposes are on groups who wish to be leeches on society, not on everyone religious.

You notice that what I said early on in this thread has turned out to be correct though. No matter what you do, some Christians will never allow the "homosexual problem" to be solved because the very existence of homosexuality in any way, shape or form is viewed as an affront to Christianity. Christianity doesn't just want to be free, they want to be in charge.

[Simon's Legacy]

Inventing a new word for gay marriage--would this solve the problem?
It wouldn't solve the problem. But it would be an indication that the problem was starting to be solved. Abolition didn't occur overnight. Suffrage didn't occur overnight. Integration didn't occur overnight. This won't either. But a new word would be an indication that it was getting there.

What objections would a proponent of gay marriage have?
I'm one of those.
What objection would I have? The same as always--just basic human impatience and dispair at the blindness of Christians.
A generation or two from now when our grandchildren are freely worshiping together with their gay brothers and sisters; standing up for them at weddings; chaparoning them at proms; sending their children to their Sunday School class--they will look back on this time, shake their heads and laugh at our foolishness.

[Grumpy]

Simon's Legacy

To your post I have only one word to add.

AMEN!

Grumpy

[Cathar1950]

I am going to second Grumpy.
Amen and Amen.

[micatala]

I in general have to agree with Simon.

In a couple of generations, the number of people who will have absorbed their parent's prejudices will have significantly diminished, probably to the point that gays will be in general accepted into the society, including the church.

However, looking at the current situation with regards to race, I don't think we will be completely out of the woods. We still have racist neo-nazis, skinheads, throwbacks to the confederacy, etc. We currently have a controversy with regards to Hispanic immigration, and racism is rearing its ugly head there as well. It is unfortunate that we are likely to continue to find small and virulent pockets of anti-gay sentiment, even as most in society come to see it as a non-issue.

[Cephus]

In a couple of generations, the number of people who will have absorbed their parent's prejudices will have significantly diminished, probably to the point that gays will be in general accepted into the society, including the church.

Yes and no. Prejudice doesn't just magically go away, otherwise we wouldn't have all the anti-gay sentiment we have today, it would have just vanished generations ago. Society needs a general kick in the rear to get things moving. Back in the 50s when the military was integrated, it didn't just happen, they had to say "we're doing this, deal with it". It didn't happen overnight, my best friend's father who was in the military at the time says there were an awful lot of black soldiers that "accidentally" fell down stairs while wrapped in a rug, but it did happen because it was forced upon people.

That's really what needs to happen today with gay marriage. It needs to be legalized, not because everyone wants it, but because it makes no sense *NOT* to have legal gay marriage. There's something called equal rights under the law in this country that gays are currently being denied. Nobody has to like it. A lot of people didn't like interracial marriage when ti started becoming common, but no one could deny it. And once it becomes common, that's when prejudice starts to die because people see that their fears are unfounded, it's not nearly as bad as they thought it would be.

[micatala]

In a couple of generations, the number of people who will have absorbed their parent's prejudices will have significantly diminished, probably to the point that gays will be in general accepted into the society, including the church.

Yes and no. Prejudice doesn't just magically go away, otherwise we wouldn't have all the anti-gay sentiment we have today, it would have just vanished generations ago.

True enough. One should not minimize the struggle that is often necessary.

[Lonecrow]

I have an alternative solution. Why do we need laws for marriage at all?

The state should get out of the marriage business altogether and then each Church could decide for themselves if they wanted to allow same sex marriages.

If your gay and you belong to a church that does not perform same sex unions, then maybe your at the wrong church. No? Why would you "worship" with those that despise you.

There are many laws on the books that refer to maritial status but it shouldn't be to hard to redefine those in terms of an economic relationship which is really all the state is interested in when it comes to marriage.

Myself I have been living with my "wife" for 18 years, two kids and an almost paid for house. We never thought much about getting married in a church or at city hall. We could give a rats ass what either of them thinks of our relationship.

[Lonecrow]

Almost forgot...

...More important, the state is in effect using its licensing power to bring the church to heel...

Um isn't that what it is suppose to do? We live in nation states not theocracies right?

Christianity doesn't just want to be free, they want to be in charge.

You said it brother. I am rather sick of hearing christians bitch that their rights are being curtailed because they can't tell others what to do. Get over it already.

[Cathar1950]

I like what one comedian said "if you want gays to quit having sex , let them get married".
He must have been married.