*** ORBUSMAX GUEST OP/ED ***
Gay Marriage Battle, Homosexual War - By Warren E. Peterson
March 29, 2004
Gay marriage is just one battle in an ongoing war, a tactical move toward a
strategic goal. Make homosexuality a socially and morally acceptable life
style.
The arguments in favor of the goal come like an avalanche. Homosexuality is
genetic, I always knew I was gay. It's a matter of fairness. We deserve the
same civil rights as anyone else. If you don't accept gays, you're homophobic
and hateful. Gays are good, caring people. The Bible calls us to love one
another. Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. It's just about love
between two people. The traditional institution of heterosexual marriage has not
been all that successful. And it continues with other variants on the theme.
Some public officials and church leaders look the other way or claim they
have the authority to defy the law be it secular or ecclesiastical. They fail in
the legislative process and therefore seek activist judges to force what the
majority does not condone. Do they have the right to press their views?
Absolutely. They can do it by any means they want but they should not be surprised
when strong opposition arises and there is a price to be paid.
Against this onslaught, are opposing points of view. 1) It just doesn't
seem natural. Indeed, homosexuality is not the norm as maybe five percent of the
population, at the outside, engages in the lifestyle. 2) Same sex marriage
contradicts hundreds of years of tradition and we should be very careful before
changing what is a basic foundation of society, one man with one woman. 3)
Homosexuality runs counter to the need for children to propagate humankind. 4)
Consider the unintended consequences. As we lower societal standards to
accommodate gays, what other rules of good order will we compromise? Polygamy?
Prostitution? Free speech? Free association? 5) The Bible speaks of homosexuality
only in the negative. St. Paul flat out calls it a sin and Jesus, while never
addressing the subject specifically, does honor marriage between a husband and
wife. Religious leaders asked him about divorce. Jesus responded that Moses
wrote law allowing it but that was only because man could not live up to God's
original intention: But at the beginning of creation God made them male and
female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to
his wife and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one.
Therefore what God has joined together let man not separate. (See Mark 10:
2-9). 6) Religious belief is woven into our Constitution and laws. Laws punish
bad behavior (sin) but also lead us do right. The consequences of getting
arrested for drunk driving, for instance, have helped the taxi business. 7) We all
are born with or develop imperfections. We yield every day to temptations to
do things we know in our hearts are wrong. 8) The Bible says to love one
another and to forgive transgressions. But love does not trump the ideal and
forgiveness does not abrogate standards. We all fall short but that's no reason to
lower the bar.
We have taken the Moses approach in much of our culture and we will no doubt
do it again with regard to same sex marriage. Civil unions may be the outcome
of this latest battle but the war will continue.
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Warren E. Peterson graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, served
three and a half years in the Navy, one term in the Washington State House of
Representatives and is now retired after 34 years with Boeing.