Today we have the issue of gay marriage
that is creating division across American, and many places around the
world. We have two sides, both are entrenched and unwilling to budge
a fraction of an inch. There was national outrage by
progressives when a pizza owner said she wouldn't cater gay
weddings(doesn't cater any weddings), but would, and have, happily
welcomed gays daily as a customer. There was a threat to burn down the eatery. The owners
received death threats. They were harassed to the point they were
forced to close until conservatives came to their aid.
People divide this issue along the
lines of religion and discrimination. Both sides have valid points. I
say we just need to solve the problem. The easiest way, or at least
simplest sounding, is to remove marriage from government. We have
couples of the same gender, and of opposite gender, that choose to
make a lifetime commitment. Even heterosexual couples sometimes
choose not to enter into a government devised contract. Because a
couple chooses not to get married, or can't because of laws, they
cannot take advantage of certain government benefits.
If one of the couple should die, the
surviving partner cannot draw from the others Social Security.
Unless they have made a will, the partner doesn't automatically
receive their joint property. A family member can come forth and
claim half of that property. If one was found unconscious and rushed
to the hospital, that partner cannot sign for certain medical
procedures, and sometimes not even be allowed to visit their loved
one. You might say that the couple should make sure they complete all
documents in the beginning of their partnership, but like all people,
couples often procrastinate, sometimes until it's too late.
Christians say that marriage belongs to
the church. At least legally, marriage belongs to government. Many
people go to a government agent and exchange words that have nothing
to do with any religion. If a minister marries a couple, they must
sign and witness all the appropriate government documents. No matter
if it's a bureaucrat or a minister that performs the wedding, 50% of
the couples will end up before a judge for divorce. The government
representative, the judge, decides the terms of separation.
There are those who argue that a
majority vote was cast saying that marriage can be only between a man
and a woman. Because laws and statutes are applied differently to
married couples, such a vote is meaningless. What if a state decided
to vote for a return to Jim Crow laws? We know that courts would
never allow such inequalities. Citizens cannot vote to have the law
applied unequally to citizens. This is why courts can strike down
DOMA laws that prevent gay marriage. If certain laws and statutes
didn't segregate married from non-married couples, then courts
couldn’t intervene. If marriage is solely a religious entity, then
government should never play any part. Because some people of
religion nearly a century ago asked government to control marriage
because of various prejudices, they therefore gave up control. If
the church wishes to regain that control, they must remove government
from the equation for all marriages, whether it's same or opposite sex. The only group correct on this issue are libertarians
Below are a few ways the law
separates legally married couples from those who simply cohabitate
for life. Although the commitment is the same, the law doesn't
recognize that commitment in most states. The difference is a legal document called
a marriage license.
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