Thursday, November 20, 2003
Gay Marriage --
First of all, I'm all for it. But I'm also not mad at people who aren't. It is to be expected that people oppose it, and that is their right. What scares me is the way that people oppose it, the arguments they put forth.
Essentially, whatever windowdressing opponents like to use to disguise their arguments, they all boil down to the equivalent of "I don't like it," and "It's wrong." Which is also fine, because at its root all moral judgments are equally arbitrary, e.g. Murder is wrong. (That's a philosophical position for sure, but not for now. Another day.)
Well you know what, you don't like it? Tough shit. We as citizens have certain civil rights that cannot be infringed upon, just because you don't like it. That's what it means to live in a civil society, you know, that thing we've spent the last 10,000 years or so constructing. Marriage may not have been founded by the state, and it may be infused with a religious meaning, but it also has a meaning independent of God that is entirely civil in nature.
There are aspects of marriage that the state is wholly ignorant of -- love, for example. The government has no say in whether or not love is a necessary component of a marriage. Of course, in modern American society we may feel that love is a necessary part of marriage, but for the purposes of the state, that is irrelevant. On the other hand, there are also aspects of marriage that have no place in the religious meaning of marriage, like taxes. I highly doubt that God considers that tax implications of marriage when a man and a woman exchange sacred vows.
It is totally legitimate to say that you don't like that people of the same sex get married, or that atheists get married in ceremonies that are devoid of religious meaning, or even that blacks and whites get married. That's your right. You're dumb, but, fortunately for most, punishing a lack of intelligence is beyond the reach of legislation. It's an entirely different story if you want to deny the people you don't like their civil rights. And there are substantial rights that go along with marriage, beyond the state's recognition of the union. Like health care benefits, probate rights, and taxation.
If it's against God, he'll deal with the gays in the hereafter. But as The Man said, give to Caesar what is Caesar's. Separation of church and state means that you cannot impress your metaphysics on others, and civil rights means that you cannot deny someone their basic rights just because it upsets your ego.
So rave if you want. Bring God into it if you wish. Deride the loss of family values. But don't deny people their rights.
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First of all, I'm all for it. But I'm also not mad at people who aren't. It is to be expected that people oppose it, and that is their right. What scares me is the way that people oppose it, the arguments they put forth.
Essentially, whatever windowdressing opponents like to use to disguise their arguments, they all boil down to the equivalent of "I don't like it," and "It's wrong." Which is also fine, because at its root all moral judgments are equally arbitrary, e.g. Murder is wrong. (That's a philosophical position for sure, but not for now. Another day.)
Well you know what, you don't like it? Tough shit. We as citizens have certain civil rights that cannot be infringed upon, just because you don't like it. That's what it means to live in a civil society, you know, that thing we've spent the last 10,000 years or so constructing. Marriage may not have been founded by the state, and it may be infused with a religious meaning, but it also has a meaning independent of God that is entirely civil in nature.
There are aspects of marriage that the state is wholly ignorant of -- love, for example. The government has no say in whether or not love is a necessary component of a marriage. Of course, in modern American society we may feel that love is a necessary part of marriage, but for the purposes of the state, that is irrelevant. On the other hand, there are also aspects of marriage that have no place in the religious meaning of marriage, like taxes. I highly doubt that God considers that tax implications of marriage when a man and a woman exchange sacred vows.
It is totally legitimate to say that you don't like that people of the same sex get married, or that atheists get married in ceremonies that are devoid of religious meaning, or even that blacks and whites get married. That's your right. You're dumb, but, fortunately for most, punishing a lack of intelligence is beyond the reach of legislation. It's an entirely different story if you want to deny the people you don't like their civil rights. And there are substantial rights that go along with marriage, beyond the state's recognition of the union. Like health care benefits, probate rights, and taxation.
If it's against God, he'll deal with the gays in the hereafter. But as The Man said, give to Caesar what is Caesar's. Separation of church and state means that you cannot impress your metaphysics on others, and civil rights means that you cannot deny someone their basic rights just because it upsets your ego.
So rave if you want. Bring God into it if you wish. Deride the loss of family values. But don't deny people their rights.
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