The+Gay+Marriage+Debate

=Gay Marriage: Societal Views Shaped by Religion=

**Biblical Text regarding Marriage and Relationships**
//Leviticus 18:22 - 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.'//

//Leviticus 20:13 - 'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."//

//Romans 1:26-27 - Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.//

//1 Corinthians 7:39 - Marriage is the union of a man and a woman, creating a new entity, a new “whole” (one flesh). This union is brought about by a mutual commitment before God (expressed through a public vow today) to forsake all others, to keep themselves only unto their new partner, and to act in the best interest of the other (to love), and to seek to fulfill God’s purposes for their lives as a new unit. This commitment is to last as long as they both shall live//

**Religious Traditions**
The wedding has countless traditions that all stem from the Bible. Not only is marriage one of the sacraments in both Christian and Catholic interpretations, but also includes many symbolic aspects performed during the wedding ceremony, none of which outline anything other than the union of a man and woman. Although, in Christian interpretations God is the groom and the Church is the bride. The center of Christianity is the teachings of Jesus, who says this about marriage: //Matthew 19// //1When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. 2Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.// //3Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"// //4"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'[[|a]] 5and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'[[|b]]? 6So they are no// //longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."// For this reason, the Christian church has always regarded marriage as between a [|man and woman], as outlined by Jesus himself.



**Marriage Vs. Civil Unions**
Civil Unions essentially give the same rights of a marriage to same-sex unions. This is an alternative to legalizing gay marriage. Many people, in our society, believe that marriage is a term that was created in a religious context and adapted to fit our legal system, as many religious ideas have been in the past. For others, a marriage is a legal contract, that has nothing to do with religion whatsoever. In the State of Oregon, the legal rights and responsibilities of [|Domestic Partnerships] are very similar to those of a marriage.

However, some same-set couples are not simply looking for legal rights. They are looking for the equality with those in heterosexual relationships, by being allowed to "marry". With this distinction brings an important question. Does a distinctive name for the union bring equality, or further separation? Same-sex couples regard the separate label for their union as an implied hierarchy in duality.

//The Law and Gay Marriage//
In America, sex, sexuality, and certain sex acts have become a matter of public policy. Before 2003, when the Supreme Court ruled in Lawrence v. Texas that sodomy laws were unconstitutional, 14 states still had sodomy laws on the books and four states had sodomy laws that applied only to homosexuals. Why did so many states have laws that criminalized sexual acts that were preformed in the privacy of a private home between consenting adults? The answer lies in the Protestant background that America was founded on.

America was founded on the principle of separation of church and state and yet Judeo-Christian values have largely shaped what are considered traditional American values. Even the Supreme Court draws on theology in is rulings, especially on sex. According to Justice Byron White, “the law is constantly based on notions of morality” and morality in America is based off of theology a majority of the time (Love the Sin 4).

Although religious ideals have been thoroughly woven into the moral fabric of America, public policy and law is not rationalized on the basis of religion except when it comes to sex. For example, religion is not used as a basis for economic policy. So why is sex and sexuality regulated by religious views of morality? The regulation of sex is directly related to the overwhelming conservative Christian exertion of authority on American ideal and morality. Since religious values are so embedded into the social fabric of America, most people do not even realize that their views of the regulation of sex are based off religious views.

Though many Christians believe that homosexuality is a sin and the law should reflect this attitude, there is still an attitude of tolerance in American toward homosexuality. In America, where political views concerning sexuality are heavily tied into religious beliefs, the idea of love the sinner, hate the sin creates a middle ground where all concerned can enter the debate without having to compromise their views. Although this division between act and person many seem to promote tolerance, in reality it enables people to justify their judgments of fellow citizens. For instance, when former senate majority leader Trent Lott went on record in 1998 with his belief that homosexuality was a sin, his statements seemed compassionate. He said “you still love that person” and yet “you should try to show them a way to deal” with their condition (Love the Sin 2). So he while he says he is not passing judgment, he is also justifying helping homosexuals deal with their condition. Instead of actually accepting people, he is instead attributing homosexuality to a disease. His statement is a perfect example of how “tolerance can work to justify hatred” (Love the Sin 3).

So why does this matter? Why should we care that political figures use sin as a basis for law? Because when religion is used as the foundation for criminal law, tolerance can take precedence over freedom. http://www.glapn.org/sodomylaws/usa/usa.htm http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/245632/gay_marriage_vs_civil_union_an_argument.html

[|//Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT)//]
The United States does not allow openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual men and women to enlist in the military. They are not permitted to serve for the United States, because “it would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability."

//Discrimination in Schools//
Gay bullying has become a prominent social construction seen today. There have been many instances where a student who was [|LGBT] was discriminated against and not permitted to attend school functions or run for homecoming court because of their sexual preference. Moreover, there have been suicides reported of six teenage males that have taken their lives due to bullying and homophobia. This has become a very sensitive topic in our society due to the traditional values expressed in most families. Children are taught from a young age that it is “immoral” to be attracted to or have feelings for someone of the same gender. Very recently, in our culture we have seen an incredible focus on issues of being gay relating to theology, while some churches are taking the blame for these suicides: //"Whereas political rallying on issues like same-sex marriage and the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell serve to maintain some ground on the preservation of anti-gay cultural ideology, the intermittent reinforcement of violent attack is an even better tool to ensure the silence (and suicide) of [|LGBT]people and their subjugation to the closet."//

The larger issue seems to be not that gay marriage is allowed or not, but that it even requires the law.

//Mocking the Ban of Gay Marriage//
There are some who feel the ban on gay marriage arguments have nothing to do with biblical or theological influence and everything to do with society in general and how it has developed over the years. Popular satirist [|John Stewart]created a segment to mock those individuals who oppose gay marriage, implying that their reasons have no justification whatsoever. In the video, John Stewart interviews Mike Huckabee, governor of the state of Arkansas and 2008 Presidential Candidate, about his new book //Do the Right Thing// and his views on Gay Marriage and what he perceives as societies views as well. He cites several statistics from proposed pieces of legislation on the topic as a reason to keep marriage between a man and a woman. He argues that in order to legalize Gay Marriage, our society would have to re-define the term “marriage” as it has been defined as between a man and a woman. In order to do so, Huckabee says that those in support of Gay Marriage would need to do a lot of convincing to the 68% of Americans who have affirmed the traditional definition of marriage. John Stewart makes some arguments for Gay Marriage and combats Huckabee’s arguments making for an interesting and humorous interview.

//Popular Culture// In an episode of [|South Park,] the character Butters' father believe that he may be "bi-curious". Even though this show is almost always an over-dramatization of current views of hot button issues, in some instances, the issue is accurately articulated.

//Catholic// The Catholic religion is strictly against Gay marriage. Following what it says in the bible, marriage is between a man and a woman. In addition, it follows that individuals may be gay, however they may not act upon any sexual tendencies they may have.

//Jewish// Conservative Jewish tradition follows that marriage is reserved for the union of a man and a woman and does not explicitly support Gay Marriage. However, there are several other movements within Judaism that is more in support and in acceptance of Gays and Lesbians. Orthodox Jews are traditionally against Gay Marriage but many choose to cite Jewish law as it is more in acceptance of homosexuality.

//Islam// Islamic tradition follows the story of Sodom and Gomorra as the condemnation of the Gay and Lesbian lifestyle, as well as, Gay Marriage since sexual relations outside of marriage are prohibited.

//Buddhist//

Buddhist tradition is inconsistent in its stance on homosexuality and whether or not it is in support of or against it. Therefore, there is no outspoken, unified stance on Gay Marriage in the Buddhist religion.

= **Personal Religious Views** =

//Group Member 1// I am not a particularly religious person. I was raised Catholic but I have never really identified with Catholicism or Christianity. I have never had a problem with the idea of gay marriage. The argument that marriage is defined in the Bible as between a man and a woman has never really resonated with me. I was raised to believe that people deserve equal rights. I believe that marriage, since it is a government institution as well as a religious, one should not be denied to anyone.

My parents are not super religious but they do consider themselves Christian. When we talk about gay rights they always say they are in favor of civil unions but not gay marriage. Their reasoning is based off of religion. When I look at the issue I don’t take religion into account at all whereas my parents do. It is interesting to me that when it comes to matters of equality I uphold the basics of my religious upbringing of not discriminating against others just because they are different but I don’t adhere to strict beliefs like those defining marriage.

//Group Member 2// For me, religion has played an important part of my views of the law and how marriage should be interpreted in our society today. Marriage, in my mind, has and always will be defined as a union between a man and a woman, in a religious context. However the government would like to define that union, giving the partners rights that they otherwise would not have without recognition, is entirely up to them. I do not believe that a marriage can exist between two people of the same sex, because that is not how the Bible defines marriage. However, I do believe that all "unions" should be recognized by the government, there should be no distinction between a same-sex union and a heterosexual union. Those who wish to be united in this way should be able to have the choice of whomever they choose.

I believe that religion has dramatically influenced ever aspect of our legal system and for that reason, gay marriage will most likely never be wholeheartedly accepted by our society.

//Group Member 3// Coming from a conservative Jewish family, my beliefs have been greatly shaped by tradition and the opinions of those around me however the debate over gay marriage is one place where I strongly disagree with my religion. According to the Hebrew Bible, marriage is solely between a man and a woman. In the society that we have grown up in, there has been so much debate about whether homosexuals should have those same rights. I believe they should, because regardless of a person’s sexual preference, he/she is still a member of our society and therefore should have the same rights. It is also important to realize that just because someone has a different sexual preference does not mean that he/she cannot love someone. And since so many people adopt children there is no reason that GLBT cannot start a family and therefore should be able to get married.

__Bibliography__
The Bible: New International Version.

http://christianity.about.com/od/weddingceremony/a/weddingtraditions.htm

http://web.mit.edu/committees/rotc/code.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/245632/gay_marriage_vs_civil_union_an_argument.html

http://www.basicrights.org/?page_id=188.

http://www.glapn.org/sodomylaws/usa/usa.htm

http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/sexandgender/3479/why_anti-gay_bullying_is_a_theological_issue/

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-december-9-2008/mike-huckabee-pt--2

http://www.xepisodes.com/episodes/1102/Cartman-Sucks.html

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Jakobsen, Janet & Pellegrinin, Ann. "Love the Sin: Sexual Regulation and the Limits of Religious Tolerance"