Ramblings of a Constipated Mind

Well, I haven't seen any movies yet, so I thought I might as well use this time to write a detailed argument for my opinion on homosexual marriage (I know, what kind of guy does that?). It's an issue I have tried to see both sides of. I have spent time reading the opinions of both those opposed to it, and both those who support it.

My conclusion: no matter what I believe about the act itself, I must emphatically support that gay marriage be legally allowed by the government.

The issue of homosexual marriage is one that has ignited aggression in the church, and for good reason. Christians argue: I do not support gay marriage because I do not approve of homosexuality. The response usually is something like: You are close-minded and are violating the rights of homosexauls.

As I already stated, I support gay marriage. It is a reluctant support, of that I am certain. I do not particularly want to support it, and yet, when I try to examine all the aspects that much be taken into account, I find that I have to. Not only as an American, but as a Christian as well.

Before I go on, I must explain what I mean when I say that I "support gay marriage." I need to make it clear: I am not referring to the act itself. I do not support the idea of two gay people becoming married, because as a Christian I personally think homosexuality is a sin. What I mean when I say that I "support gay marriage" is that I support what the current debate has to do with: whether or not it should be allowed by law. I believe that, whether I agree with the act or not, homosexuals should legally be allowed to get married.

Now that that's out of the way, I am going to do my best to describe all the elements I have taken into account when coming to this conclusion:

1) I am a Christian, and as far as I can see, Christ does not support gay marriage. I have heard arguments that the Bible can be interpreted to not directly be against homosexuality, but I have yet to find such passages. Rather, I have found many passages (particularly Romans 1) which seem to directly condemn it. So, from a purely Christian standpoint, I must be against the act gay marriage. If only it were that simple. Unfortunately, my Christianity is one the only element to take into account when dealing with this issue, not to mention the fact that the act of gay marriage is not what we are currently debating. There is always the fact that...

2) I am an American. Many people have argued that our founding fathers were strong Christians and modeled the Constitution after those beliefs. I somewhat agree with the second part, but not with the first. I find it hard to believe that everyone responsible for the Constitution was Christian. Also, if you take a look at the Constitution, it is not a very rigid piece of rules. It seems to be designed in a flexible way; the founding fathers knew that times would change, and that the United States would have to change with them. They left the Constitution open to amendments, and never directly supported nor opposed social issues. Looking at the Constitution will give us no direct answer on the matter of gay marriage.

However, I feel it does provide an indirect one. The Bill of Rights in particular seems to be founded on one main idea: equality. The concept that we are all equal before God. We are free to say what we want, believe what we want, print what we want, etc. According to the idea of "separation of church and state", the government cannot hold any particular religion its ideals as more important than those of another. This means that a Christian President should not officially support Christianity above all other religions. It means that his/her faith should not be treated superior to those of others.

Anyways, the bottom line is that America was foundedo n the idea of equality and equal opportunities. Which means that...

3) As an American, I cannot oppose gay marriage. To do so would be against the very idea of equality that America is associated with - or at least, used to be associated with. The government cannot promote one religion over another. It cannot promote one age group over another. It cannot (though it wasn't always this way) promote one sex over another. In the same way, I do not think it should promote one sexual orientation over another. To say that heterosexual marriage is okay, but homosexual marriage is not, goes against what I hold to be the most important ideal of the foundation of the United States: that government favoritism should not be tolerated.

This is the main conflict: from a religious standpoint, I shouldn't support the option of gay marriage because I do not support homosexuality, and yet from a political one I must. Some may ask: which is more important to you, the fact that you're a Christian or the fact that you're a citizen of the United States? The first one, obviously. However, the next important aspect to take into consideration is...

4) Although I am a Christian, others are not. Although I may oppose homosexual marriage for religious reasons, that doesn't matter to a person who isn't a Christian. From a purely American and human rights standpoint, they have no reason not to support it.

And that is what I especially dislike about the church these days: they simply cannot understand that non-Christians look at things from a completely different perspective. If you tell them, "Don't support gay marriage; Jesus preached against homosexuality," they'll probably respond, "What does that matter to me?" Christians look at things (or try to, anyways) from the perspective of Christ. Non-Christians do not. So telling them they shouldn't support gay marriage because of what Christ said not only is pointless, but probably annoying to the non-Christian as well.

The next, and perhaps most important point I'd like to make is...

5) God gave mankind free will. It all started in the Garden of Eden, when God said: "Here's a fruit. I recommend you don't eat it, but the choice is yours." God didn't say, "It is impossible for you to eat it" or "I will force you not to eat it." He said, "Obey Me if you want nothing but Me. Disobey Me if you would rather please yourself."

God gave us a choice. And as Christians, we should do the same to others. We should not try to force them to believe what we believe, or to forbid them from believing something else. Although I do think Christ would be against gay marriage, I don't think he would approve of the government not offering both options to their full extent. If we offer people heterosexual marriage, we must also offer them homosexual marriage. The choice of their sexual orientation, and what they do about it, is up to them. If we marry liars and murderers and thieves and adulterers and other sinners, it is not fair to not offer the same opportunity to homosexuals.

Christ said, "Love me, and follow me." He did not say, "Force others to do the same." It is my opinion that opposing the offering of gay marriage not only goes against against the ideals the United States was founded on, but also the attitude of God towards His creation.

As my final point, I would like to use an example of what I mean that isn't related to gay marriage...

6) Put yourself in the shoes of somebody else. Imagine you are a Jew. However, the government is run by a Nazi President. This President passes a law saying that everyone is free to have a high-paying job...except for Jews. Jews can only receive minimum wage, because the President's personal beliefs are that Jews are inferior to everyone else.

You're a Jew. I'm guessing you wouldn't really like that. Everyone else would, but you wouldn't. And for good reason: it's not fair. The government is denying you a privilege that everyone else has simply because of your race.

Now imagine you are a homosexual in today's society. The President makes it legal for everyone to marry...except for homosexuals. Homosexuals can live together and have relationships with each other, but they can't get married. They can only get "minimum wage." Why? Because the government (and many sections of society as well) believe that homosexuals are inferior because of thier sexual orientation.

Can you see the similarities? If the tables were turned, and the law claimed only homosexual marriages were legal, I'm guessing you'd all be upset. You'd protest and say, "It's not fair! I have the right to marry as well! If this country is based on equality, I should be allowed the same rights as everyone else!" And you'd be right.

That is why I support gay marriage (civily, not religiously) - not the act itself, but the existence of the option. Although I do not support homosexuality, that doesn't mean homosexuals should be denied the right to marry, any more than it would be fair to deny marriage to any other type of sinner, or person whose lifestyle I did not approve of.

I may not like it, but to oppose gay marriage would go against the basic beliefs I have about God and my country.