Again, whether or not the term "civil rights" which conjures up memories of the struggle for black racial equality can be used to apply to the struggle for gay rights is irrelevant. Labels and semantics are irrelevant to those who simply feel as though gay people deserve the right to marry and be able to keep their jobs. Only small-minded people focus on comparisons... No body is saying it is equal, we're simply saying that no legal discrimination should exist for same-sex couples. That's it.
So? From that you get religion? OK. Whatever. I am a free man, and though I do not wear it on my sleeve, I will talk about anything I please, when I please, without the slightest concern for those whom it may offend, and if some are foolish enough to not believe truth then what can I say to that, consequences suck. I am a real Man and a real American, not some feminized urbanized Obama voter.
Avoid what? Your religious concerns are not "over my head". I know them and understand them in their entirety. But I reject them as illogical.
That....makes no sense. So now people shouldn't marry if they believe government shouldn't be involved in marriages? Really? Nonsense. Ideally, marriage would be regulated by the churches, the fact that it's sanctified by the State is a condition that while a breach of local state authority(or religious authority) isn't going to stop people from loving others. Your argument makes no sense no matter how many ways I try to spin it.
That article would have a lot more credence to it if it a) actually provided links to the surveys, b) came from a website with a neutral point of view on SSM, & c) didn't ignore the fact that children often grow up in a household with only one parent, and d) didn't ignore the fact that not everybody marries for the purposes of procreation (or that it's not necessary to get married to procreate). We live in a secular society. Our laws are not based on the Bible's writings. Demanding that laws follow your specific version of morality which is based on a specific version of the Bible (which can widely vary based on the translation used) is counter to the principles of this country.
And I must note that mutual respect is hardly one of the social contract items employed by most leftist Obama voters.
Then with all due respect.. I think you're not taking it upon yourself to engage your intelligence. Let me give you a clue... Civil marriage and religious marriage are two different things. Make sense now? Taking legal proceedings to end the civil contract doesn't mean you are "divorced" under God. Ask the Catholic Church. - - - Updated - - - So, you can't offer any evidence to substantiate the claim in your article that gay marriage hurts heterosexual marriage?
Surveys taken in Europe, where same-sex marriages have been legal for over a decade, reveal that traditional marriage suffers badly as a consequence. Why didn't it give the links to the surveys?
The problem with saying that marriage should be regulated by the churches is that implies that you have to be religious to get married. Not everybody in America belongs to a particular religion. Therefore you would be denying marriage to a lot of heterosexual couples. I wouldn't be married. My parents would've never gotten married. While the obvious solution would be to declare civil-unions having the same force as a marriage, it sets up an a separate-but-equal system. And time after time, the courts have ruled that "separate-but-equal" is anything but equal and have struck down those kinds of laws. The federal government doesn't recognize civil-unions for the purposes of various federal benefits. They only recognize marriages.
Found this. SPAIN http://www.marilynstowe.co.uk/2008/05/08/why-are-there-so-many-divorces-in-spain/ To my mind, there are a number of reasons why. Firstly, the divorce rate in Spain has risen sharply since the government there introduced an “express divorce” bill in 2005, which has made divorces quick and easy to obtain. Secondly, I find that the popular view of Spain as a deeply conservative, religious country is outdated. Like its European neighbours, Spain has moved with the times – and the social stigma that was once bestowed upon divorced women has been significantly reduced. One final reason springs to mind. My practice, Stowe Family Law, specialises in international family law. We have noticed that over the past few years, our number of expat clients – many of whom are based in Spain – has soared. I am sure that expat divorce account for a relatively modest amount of the overall total. Unfortunately, in my experience there can sometimes be “darker motives” behind a permanent move to sunny climes. It is not unknown for husbands to encourage a move abroad as part of a strategy to divorce in the most financially advantageous way possible. This is because husbands stand to lose the most from UK divorce law. The family moves abroad, the marriage ends – and many wives, when they do not know to whom they can turn, are left stranded and destitute.
http://10toptens.com/misc/top-10-countries-with-highest-divorce-rates-in-2012/ 10 Top Countries With Highest Divorce Rates in 2012 The only country in the top 10 countries with highest divorce rates in the world that have legalized gay marriage is the US.
With the direction the winds are blowing, it's people who think like you that will soon be in a closed, shamed into keeping their opinions to themselves.
Btw, you say "destructive spiritually"... so I take it you believe our spiritual higher selves have a physical gender? XD How little you allow your current form to understand... The fact is when we love and express commitment for one another, whether we are gay or straight, we express the love of "god".
I don't recall ever suggesting that's what it says. I am not a Christian, my understanding of "spiritual truth" is likely very different to yours.
And you know what? We have the same right as you to talk about anything we want, so man up and deal with it.