I don't know what I am - Liberal or Conservative. I vote Democrat or Republican depending on which views I, not necessarily agree with, but think are best for the country, state, town or whatever. I don't know how I feel about gay marriage, but I think people's views of it are very mislead. When asked about gay marriage sometime during the debates, I believe it was Joe Biden who said marriage is a religious ceremony. But is it really? I mentioned this fact to someone and they explained to me the history - which I actually recalled learning at some point during high school. Holy Matrimony was not an original sacrament. In very early Christianity, marriage was a private matter and somehow has managed to become a public, nation-wide issue. There was a time - and my memory is quite foggy - where the Catholic church in Italy was selling sacraments...I believe as a way to convert people to Christianity. It was then that they decided to make marriage a sacrament and a religious event, so to speak. Before this, it was simply a legal contract, and in early Rome not even that - it was simply a mutual agreement and that was that with no government or religious involvement. Today, there are so many variations on standards and morals, this would never work.
Some people are against gay marriage because of religion. That's awesome - I respect that. Christianity decided long ago that a man should not lay with another man. But they also decided that marriage was not for love - though that was more of just a general happenstance as opposed to a 'law'. And the ceremony that Biden (or possibly Obama) spoke of began as not a religious ceremony, but more of a cultural ceremony.
(Please forgive my jumping around...I can't think in a straight line.)
Our country was founded somewhat on Christianity but also grew from freedom of religion. It grew so much and now, not everyone is a Christian (surprise, surprise). So why is the country still acting as though we are a strictly Christian nation? This mainly comes into affect with controversial issues such as gay marriage and abortion. When people bring forth these issues, its almost as if you're looked at as a non-Christian if you believe one thing, and a Christian if you believe another. The country was founded with straight, Christian white men at the top and every other race, religion, creed, color put below them, along with women.
If everyone else has come so far, why can't people accept the gay community trying to make the jump into the acceptance pool?
My biggest problem with people who are anti-gay marriage is that they feel like its their business. If you're a woman and you don't believe in gay marriage - that's cool - you don't have to marry a woman. If you're uncomfortable around gay people, don't hang out with them. I'm sure people with think negative things about you, but they'd think the same thing if you were friends with them and then they found out you severely disprove of their lifestyle.
I think what California did was a little wrong...sort of. I like that they voted for gay marriage, but the way they went about it was disappointing. First, they legalized gay marriage and THEN they had a vote and it got taken away. States should have a vote first. My opinion is that gay marriage is both a church and state issue. Since it isn't the business of any straight, anti-gay people anyway, it should just be legal nation-wide and then your church can decide that its a sin or anti-Christian or whatever and then your church doesn't have to perform a gay marriage ceremony. That's the beauty of America - we don't have to do anything we don't want to (within reason - we still have to pay taxes :( ). Or if people are so unhappy with the idea of people they don't know who love each other getting married, then a state-by-state vote would probably work out best. And then, no one could ever take it away, unless the Federal Government just felt like fighting about it forever.
I'm sure this whole thing just seems like an endless rant, but I hope I made some clear points. Here comes the question you're never supposed to ask anyone:
What does your religion tell you about gay marriage? How do you think it should be handled in the government?
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