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Gay Marriage

11 min read

Introduction to Philosophy
14 November 2014

Gay Marriage

            It is morally wrong for gays not to be allowed to be married. Morally wrong, in the sense that it defaces what we as American stand for in our assumptions of ‘equality’ for all. Married in the sense of two people being legally bound together. Marriage itself should be about love and equality. Observations of recent years, show this is what seems like the case. Most people nowadays are looking for love, or the ‘One’. Seemingly, this way of marriage is much better than in the past. As a race, or at least in American society, we (or hopefully most) have moved past the view of the stigmatized gender roles of Man and Wife. Quite frankly the very ‘need’ for marriage in general is outdated. Women do not need man to provide for them, and in a similar sense, men do not need a woman to cook, clean, or ‘carry on their lineage.’ Women can get jobs and provide for themselves, and men are capable of taking care of their own home. As far as children go, for men, they can find a segregate mother or adopt a child; women can go to a sperm bank or adopt as well. Men and Women, in the United States, have reached a state of security that allows this freedom and equality of the sexes. In this sense, the olden view of marriage, as a way to bind a woman lawfully to her husband and have children, is obsolete. So, then, in today’s terms what is marriage? Stereotypically, marriage is seen as a union of a man and a woman, and in the outdated version it is viewed as the only socially acceptable means of procreation. Before modern times, marriage was just a means. In the historically accurate case of Madame Bovary’s it was “Why –why –did I ever marry?” (pg. 1062) Marriage in this sense wasn’t what we, as a modern society, would find acceptable. Instead it was nothing more than a form of slavery; a woman bound to her husband as the good books says, to simply ‘love and obey’. Hogwash, we as a modern American society have moved past such chauvinistic pig-like mentality of former years. Today, marriage is about love; most and foremost, not in the ‘traditional’ tragic love stories i.e. Romeo and Juliet of olden times. No, today, marriage is about finding ‘the One’. Simply, people now days marry for love. Love isn’t defined by sex; therefore, regardless of a person’s sex, they –as members of our modern society- should be able to marry if they love one another. It isn’t a difficult thing to understand; so, then why do some people believe that gays shouldn’t be allow to marry?

            According to Miriam-Webster’s online dictionary marriage is defined as “(1) : The state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law; (2) : the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage <same-sex marriage>”. The deliberate need to separate the two from ‘marriage’ to ‘same-sex marriage’ is the problem with the situation. The definition should simply read, marriage is ‘The state of being united to another individual in a consensual and contractual relations recognized by law,’ period. The all too common mentality that homosexuality different and ergo ‘wrong’ is the core basis of most objections against gay marriage, that, and people’s religious views. Being that the most common argument against gay marriage is that homosexuality violates the biblical and/or religious standard set for marriage. Most are quick to say homosexuality is wrong, and depending on their beliefs they are fast to bring up the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. They believe that the government should follow biblical teachings in both politics and law. However, with that reasoning women wouldn’t be allow to teach or have authority over a man. They would be expected to remain silent, 1 Timothy 2:12. This reasoning would also make slavery justifiable, 1 Peter 2:18. It is also biblically acceptable for bears to eat children if they talk smack, 2 Kings 2:23-24. If that did not top the cake for you, then you would also be required (as a God fairing Christian, of course) to kill all gays. The literal translation of this verse being: “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death” Leviticus 20:13 KJV (The Expositor’s Studybible, pg. 234). In the bible there is a whole list of people, sinners, who you are expected to kill, and if you do not, then you are not a godly person. After all, according to the bible: “Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood” Jeremiah 48:10 KJV (The Expositor’s Studybible, pg. 1330). In return of such an argument, these people will say that this was all said in the Old Testament. After the death of Jesus Christ, believers don’t follow these teachings only the teachings of the New Testament. Which in turn, brings up this: “None of the four gospels mentions the subject [homosexuality]. This means that, so far as we know, Jesus never spoke about homosexuality, and we simply have no way of determining what his attitude toward it might have been” (Westar Institute). This source then goes on to say, that “The paucity of references to homosexuality in the New Testament suggests that it was not a matter of major concern either for Jesus or for the early Christian movement” (Westar Institute).

            Another objection to gay marriage is that homosexual couples cannot produce children. Which of course implies that marriage itself can be based on the ability to do so, or not. In this proverbial wasteland of thought, it is easy for some to return back to the ‘olden’ ways and beliefs of marriage. Where, it was a woman’s job to consistently procreate for her husband. Really, the notion alone is enough to make any feminist ill tempered. For it implies, with this mentality, that couples who do not wish for children, or even couples with one or even both partners being infertile, would not be allow to wed. In modern times the absolute need for a woman, heck even a couple, to willingly go through the extremes of pregnancy and labor is void. In today’s society there is no need for a ‘direct heir’ to inherit the keys and all the glory of the kingdom. With a simple monetary exchange you can donate an egg and inseminate it in another woman. You can get a segregate mother, and, if you want to go through the process, adopt a child from an orphanage. Adding the cherry to the cake, a dirty little secret here, homosexuals can do the same thing; really, truly, absolutely shocking, right? Modern marriages are for love, the idea that there must be children is simply an outdated thought.

            Another argument against legalizing gay marriage is that doing so will legalize other kinds of relationships, such as bestiality or even pederasty. Of course no better argument could possibly exist other than: ‘If you legalize one, you legalize them all’. Really, it makes total sense, it’s perfectly understandable why the opposing group would think it’s that easy to get a law passed. After all, it’s not like they themselves have been trying for years to earn the same basic privileges as other sexually oriented people. However, on the planet Earth, the best example made of this specific argument would be made in satirical video of Garfunkel and Oates’ song, Sex with Ducks. Where the opening to the song beings as follows:

“Pat Robertson once said, ‘It's a long downward slide. That'll lead to legalizing sex with ducks. If two men can stand side by side’.
God, I hope he's right. 'Cause if gay marriage becomes lawful. Gonna find myself a duck. And legally do… Something awful (awful, awful)”

Though completely ridiculous, the song makes its point in showing how absurd this specific argument against gay marriage is; it is called a ‘Slippery Slope’ argument. Which “…is a fallacy in which a person asserts that some event must inevitably follow from another without any argument for the inevitability of the event in question” (Nizkor). It’s clearly an argument making mad grasps at fraying straws, and in no way pertinent to the case at hand.

            In each of these cases, the opposition’s argument never completely answers why it is morally wrong for gays to become legally wed. Plain and simple, it is morally wrong for gays not to be allowed to be married. There is no well-founded opposition that supports that gays should not be married. People always seem to go out of their way to discriminate against others for their differences, and quite frankly it is utterly aggravating to sit by and watch. It was the same way about segregation between whites and blacks. Then again between interracial marriages and their children. Now it’s homosexuals and their ‘privilege’ to be wed. Hopefully, in another twenty years or so, this will be something we as an American nation look back on in shame as well; because not allowing gays to wed is as morally wrong. Just as segregation and the past views of interracial marriage was in their own respective times.


 

Works Cited:

    Lawall, Sarah N., eds. The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. Eighth Edition. Volume Two. New York : W.W. Norton, 2006. Print.

    "Marriage." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2014. <www.merriam-webster.com/dictio….

    The Expositor's Study Bible. King James Version. Crossfire Edition. Baton Rouge, LA: Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, 2010. Print.

    Walker Jr., William O. "What the New Testament Says about Homosexuality - Westar Institute." Westar Institute. 1 May 2008. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <www.westarinstitute.org/resour….

    Lindhome, Riki "Garfunkel", and Kate "Oates" Micucci. "Sex With Ducks: The Music Video by Garfunkel and Oates." YouTube.com. YouTube, 26 May 2009. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXPcBI….

    "Fallacy: Slippery Slope." Fallacy: Slippery Slope. 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <www.nizkor.org/features/fallac….

 

INSTRUCTOR'S FEEDBACK: (275/300) "You have some good arguments. There are some questionable asssumptions that have no support for, such as historically comparing marriage in the U.S. to slavery. Women have generally had a choice to marry or not in our country. It is unlikley that so many would opt for "slavery." Also, why not abolish marriage as a legal institution and treat everyone as an individual? This is an option not explored. Could we not let people "marry" according to their own beliefs and have social contracts for sharing material posessions as an option?  Also, since you engaged the Christian Bible in this, you overlooked some arguments that are more relevant to the New Testament. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 7:1-7 giving no option for same sex marriage, only marriage between a man and woman, and this was written to people in a Roman province who were quite familiar with homosexuality. As for Jesus' Attitude toward it, he was a Jew and it was not an acceptable practice in his culture in those times as you referenced some of their texts prohibiting it.  You had some good points about producing offspring. Modern science certainly weakens the argument for the need to procreate by conventional means. Many of your citations were not MLA style and seom editing is needed."

MY REPLY: I think the instructor was actually kinda cool about since he's an 'ordained preacher' n all~ :D

I don't know why but I love this paper~ :happy bounce: ♥♥♥

Sorry for not uploading any new artwork recently~ Sweating a little... 

Much Luv ♥♥♥,
~ :orange:
Wereabouts  


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I've always loved to draw, loved to color, and loved to show others my works~!! :happybounce:

I've grown a lot artistically wise in these past few years~ ♥♥♥

~And I really believe the support I get on dA has been a major contributor~!! :love:

To show a few of my favorites:

Angeline, a mix media drawing I did in mostly pencil~ :heart:
Angeline by wereabouts

Kacey, my first full charcoal portrait~!! :love:

Kacey by wereabouts

Mrs. Harris, my college English teacher~ pen & ink~!!

Ms. Harris by wereabouts

My beautiful friend, Katie~ my absolute favorite graphite portrait~!! :love:

Katie by wereabouts

My first watercolor portrait (B&W) of my friend DJ and his lover Ted~!! -I totally didn't mean to do the tear streaks, but after one happened I added more... then they broke up like a few days after I showed them the painting... so now I have the awkward beauty hanging on my wall~ ♥♥♥- Tho I hate what happened I do love this painting~!! :D

WIP~ Progressed by wereabouts

And lastly~ my heart, Cody~!! :love: ♥♥♥

He hasn't seen it yet, but I hope that he'll love it~ It's my first time EVER~ doing a portrait in color, none-the-less in watercolor so I absolutely adore it~!! XD ♥♥♥

Cody by wereabouts

I couldn't imagine  not having dA, I'm really thankful for the community and opportunities it's given to me and allowed me to grow as an artist. So, there's only one thing left to say:

♥♥♥ :party: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DeviantART~!! :party: ♥♥♥

Much Love Always,

-Misty :orange:
Wereabouts
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onion head 'smoke' I learned something new today from my new watcher: Aeyerlock~♥♥♥ 
 
I'm super stoked, because I never knew the etiquette of Llama Badges~!! :la:

I didn't know how to send one~ or that they were free~!! :faint:

I've had my dA account forever, but I never really played around on it, or started uploading my art until this year~!! :happybounce:

I just liked to watch other artists~♥♥♥

I've received 29 Llamas without ever giving a single one~!! :squee:

So, after Aeyerlock explained Llamanese to me~ I took the time to send each person who had given me a Llama one back in return~!! :tighthug:

They are completely worthless, and have no material meaning at all, but for each on I got~

 It made me happy and gave me a smile~!! :love:

So now that I know I can return the favor~ (... at no cost~)

I plan to always give one back in return~!! ♥♥♥ :tighthug: ♥♥♥


Thanks Again Aeyerlock~!! Huggle!
 


Best Wishes,


~Misty :orange:
Wereabouts
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Contest

1 min read
I'm going to join this contest~♥♥♥

Anyone reading this should too~!! :D

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Comment and I`ll
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(10) Tell you to do this in your journal too, if you haven't already.
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