Thoughts on Marriage

Yesterday morning the Supreme Court made decisions on two bills focusing on gay marriage with reckless disregard for the will of the people and thousands of years of precedent. The term gay marriage is an oxymoron, since the relationship between two people of the same gender will never be a marriage in the true sense no matter what it is called.  Marriage is a relationship ordained by God and has little to do with the legal definitions set out by people.  It's those man-made laws and definitions that need to be examined and in many cases corrected.  When two adults, not related by blood and whether or not there is a sexual relationship between them, live together for an extended period of time, share living expenses and provide moral support to each other, they should be entitled to certain rights if both parties so desire.  In my opinion if they're in an openly committed relationship they should be entitled to the same inheritance or survivorship rights as heterosexual couples, just don't call their arrangements  marriages. 

Society and government's interest in marriage has historically been based on protecting name and inheritance through the legitimacy of offspring and providing for the support of a dependant wife.  During periods when wives generally didn't collect pay checks or have the same educational benefits as their husbands, laws were enacted to protect them when they became widows with no means of support.  Divorce laws were written to recognize the years a woman spent raising her children and running her husband's home.  Society has changed and not many women aren't eligible for their own Social Security or inheritance benefits now and most can or do receive paychecks for their employment.  Perhaps it's time to re-examine laws concerning spousal dependency rather than change marriage.  

The worse bullies I've ever had the misfortune to have to work with were gay.  Yet one of the most competent and capable editors it has been my pleasure to work with was also gay. Several people I care deeply about profess to be gay and live a lifestyle that appears empty and shallow to me, but I see plenty of heterosexuals throw their lives away on meaningless pursuits as well. Competence, talent, and intelligence are not restricted to or absent from either homosexuals or heterosexuals. 

I've felt great compassion for two different young boys whose lives were made a sad circus by overbearing lesbian mothers more interested in forcing a political statement than the welfare of their children.  Two women I know who made big productions of coming out a few years ago, claiming to be lesbians, made me chuckle.  A year after their big announcement one married a man and was pregnant at her wedding. She now has nothing to do with her former partner.  The other one ended the long term relationship with another woman she was in, but remained long distance friends with her partner, who moved to another city.  A few years later she married a man who had been a friend for several years.  Gay couples don't hold a monopoly on arrested development or a lack of parenting skills. We all know heterosexual individuals who are immature, selfish, and poor parents.   

Most of what we hear from either the gay lobby or from the general public, psychologists included, is just hype meant to sway opinion one way or the other and is based on few facts.  There is no gay gene, some homosexuals can change if they want to, a rare few people are born with dual genitals (I knew a seven-year-old child with this problem years ago and I'm convinced no one deserves the hurt and embarrassment she went through before her parents agreed to surgery to remove the unneeded equipment.), there's no positive proof whether homosexuals are born, made, or choose to be gay (I suspect all three), but what we do know is that all people are God's children and as such should be treated with respect.  I'm tired of the accusations that anyone who doesn't support gay marriage is a bigot who hates gays.  Not so.  Most people I know, including me, have friends, co-workers, and family members who are gay and we certainly believe they have a right to careers, to buy homes, to rent apartments, and to patronize the same stores anyone else does. We love them and sympathize with their desire for acceptance. I also believe they are entitled to the same legal and financial benefits as anyone else. Rather than hate them, most people are more prone to pity them. 

Where we differ is in our willingness to set aside God's commandments concerning marriage, chastity, and establishing a stable environment for bearing and raising children.  Marriage isn't a right; it's a privilege, one granted by our Creator with strings attached.  Families in our society are under enough pressure today and face increasing problems.  Liberalizing and devaluing the marital relationship does no one any good. We should be working on stabilizing and supporting families, strengthening individuals, and becoming more obedient to God instead of promoting social divisions, undermining families, and creating judicial chaos.