Of marriage, Christian definitions of marriage, sorry I guess I should have spelt that out.
So let me see if I understand you…goout:
Of marriage, Christian definitions of marriage, sorry I guess I should have spelt that out.
Just like divorce is legal but no one is forcing Catholics to divorce, nor is the church forced to recognized civil divorce, gay marriage is legal but no one is forcing Catholics to enter homosexual unions.
Not voodoo no, just one opinion that you should definitely use when the church is deciding if a couple can marry. But just like the government allows second marriages even if they violate Catholic teaching, the government has no reason not to allow gay marriages for the same reason. Unless you think Catholic church teachings should be imposed on non-Catholics, which is to be fair the topic of the thread.
Hi blackforest,
The government does allow gay marriage.goout:
Not voodoo no, just one opinion that you should definitely use when the church is deciding if a couple can marry. But just like the government allows second marriages even if they violate Catholic teaching, the government has no reason not to allow gay marriages for the same reason. Unless you think Catholic church teachings should be imposed on non-Catholics, which is to be fair the topic of the thread.
Why would you consider a marriage as defined by the government to be equal to one sanctioned by the church? The government also uses the word marriage to describe when someone divorces and remarries.
So I think there is a vast difference between the government having the right to define the marriage relationship under law in a way which provides a preferred status BECAUSE on a subjective level such a definition encourages the protection and support of children, and banning behaviors that are subjectively immoral (on a secular level) at the penalty of fee or jail time. In other words, defining something with the purpose of conveying a benefit to those who engage in that behavior, is different than defining something for the purpose of imposing criminal punishment.
The government used to understand marriage as between man and woman and as such to be a foundational institution of civil society. For that reason it lent support to marriage through laws.
Those are scientific facts and cannot be disputed.
This is more of an intellectual concept and they can disagree with it since it is only philosophically evident. Besides the Church uses specific definition for clarity and a secular government has the freewill to use a different one if they want and that’s the reality.
It’s kind of hard to get the government un-involved in marriage, given that the concept of marriage was originally meant to maintain order in society, not for religious reasons. A man who married a woman had the sole right to have relations with her (adulteresses were often divorced or killed), thus ensuring that any children she had would be his, and he also assumed the responsibility of supporting his wife and children. The offspring of his marriage would also inherit his property and assume other responsibilities. Social classes and tribes determined who they wanted to remain in the powerful sectors of society by controlling who a man could marry (for example, can’t be someone poor, can’t be someone from outside the tribe, etc). The Christian religious concept of “one man, one woman” came along later.
But does society not do that as it is? Are liberal, secular values not being imposed on society under the banner of ‘tolerance’? Is there such a thing as a ‘free society’ where values are not imposed on others and enforced by law?
Given that’s basically what we have, I agree it would not.
Fair questions.
Sin causes social harm. Yet this fact doesn’t preclude outlawing all sin, does it? Replace the words “same-sex marriage” with “adultery.” The latter certainly poses social harm and has wrecked countless marriages. Adultery is legal, but that doesn’t mean that society “recognizes” it as something acceptable, as evidence by the majority of married Americans being faithful to their spouses. Who Cheats More? The Demographics of Infidelity in America | Institute for Family Studies
That’s like asking if I oppose bacon and eggs made with bacon and bacon. There’s no such thing.