A hot topic for the American public of late is that of gay marriage. In particular, the American public is quite divided on whether or not government should “allow” such marriages to take place.
At the heart of this issue, whether both sides acknowledge it or not, is whether government should be involved in marriage decisions at all.
Many individuals and organizations opposed to homosexual marriages are quick to quote the Bible and point out that God is opposed to homosexuality. They further make the case that its a sin. While all that may be true, the problem with this argument is that religion and government are separate institutions in the United States.
For instance, interracial marriages like my own were illegal in most of the country until Richard and Mildred Loving challenged Virginia’s anti-miscegenation laws before the United States Supreme Court. The records of their court cases involve many quotes from the Commonwealth of Virginia and dissenting Supreme Court judges speaking on behalf of the Bible and God in favor of outlawing interracial marriages.
The problem with the argument that “God is against something so it must be outlawed” seems to run counter to the concepts of free will and moral choices. How can someone make the correct “moral” choice if said person has no other choice, except compliance or prison with regard to said choice?
The argument against homosexual marriages is rooted in the same sort of “God is against it, hence it must be illegal” argument. This type of argument confuses the role of the church in setting morality and promoting spirituality with the state’s role of protecting individual freedom and promoting liberty. In short, government has no business enforcing the church’s beliefs with regard to marriage rights. Religious beliefs with regard to marriage are best handled in the pulpit, rather than through the raw power of government force, such as was used against marriages like my own in prior decades.
This message also posted in AMU’s Introduction to World Religions newsgroup.