The current Facebook debate…

Now, my friends are mostly polite about it, but have a definite stance.  Some of my friends are still trying to figure out what they want to say or think about it.  George Takei is either funny with a side of serious or vice versa about the whole thing.  All that is great.   What bothers me is the vitriol than some people are spewing.  Here’s the thing, just because someone disagrees with you, it’s not okay to start name calling.  No one likes a bully.  Besides, if you’re the biggest jerk on the block and you’re debating/arguing with someone and it turns into a sourpuss fight over who can be more bitter, angry, or brutal, do you really think you’re winning any points or possibly converting someone to your way of thinking?  If so, you’re delusional.  Clear, rational thought combined with an open heart and open mind is what people respond to in a positive manner.  That just seems obvious to me. 

Is it a turning point?  Sure.  Is it an important debate?  Sure.  Do I think you can say your thoughts on the matter without being ridiculous?  Absolutely.  Here is my stance: we supposedly do not have a religious government and so I don’t see the issue with defining marriage legally as any couple that wants to marry.   So long as religious institutions are not taken to task for their various beliefs and they maintain their right to grant (or not) the sacrament if marriage as pertains to their belief system.  Frankly, I think a lot of religious groups should not grant the heterosexual marriages that they do without a whole lot of counseling for the couples involved.  I think that the question of quality of a relationship and whether something is appropriate should fall to a person’s beliefs, not to the government and frankly, cultures have defined marriage and gender roles in many ways throughout human history, so arguing on a purely religious basis for our laws bothers me.  Also, if you were to go down to the courthouse as a heterosexual, you could literally get a marriage license even if you had only met the person a half hour before.  To be perfectly blunt, straight people have been abusing marriage for any number of reasons for generations (money, green cards, because they got drunk one night and were in Vegas, etc…), why not give people who desperately want the chance to be with the one they love the right to do just that.  Someone who has been another person’s partner for 30 years, should have the same rights as a husband or wife of 30 years.  In both cases the person has cared for, loved, honoured, and been faithful to the person they are romantically involved with.  Why should it matter the genders of the people involved?

I have always believed that God is more forgiving than human beings.  If we’re all made in his likeness and if God is love, then it stands to reason that God knows who our one and only is.  By claiming that the law should deny people these rights, people are essentially invalidating their own argument in my mind because they’re arguing that they know better than God.  To me, that seems sacrilegious.  Then again, I do not feel threatened by a legal definition of marriage that is different from that of my religion. When I get married, my dad will do it and it will be to a man (still working on finding one) and hopefully the two of us will have a fulfilling, long life with each other. I hope that my gay and lesbian friends can have the same legal rights as me and be happy with their partners for their lifetimes. I know I envy many of their relationships and marriages as it is now. I don’t see a legal issue with why they shouldn’t enjoy the same rights as anyone else in this country, regardless of what various religious officials say.