GAY MARRIAGE

Gay Marriage



Gay Marriage

The topic of gay marriage has overwhelmed the headlines of local papers and lays heavily on the social conciseness of every American for the past few weeks. The president, House of Representatives, and senate have confronted this issue head on. The president states, Eight years ago congress passed and signed the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage in federal law as a union between one man and one woman. The act passed the house of representative by a vote of 342 to 67, and the Senate by a vote of 85 to 14. As this issued is discussed, the president and most of the senate feel the same way, that gay marriage is morally and spiritually wrong.

In recent months some judges and local officials have made an attempt to redefine marriage. Alan Cooperman, a writer for the Washington Post reports, Four massachutes judges have indicated they will order the issuance of marriage licenses to applicants of the same gender in May of this year. The ruling by the court on the Massachusetts Constitution could set new legal ground, and drew quick reaction from advocates on both sides of the issue. Massachusetts' governor immediately denounced decisions and said he would work for a constitutional amendment to overturn it. But an openly gay U.S. congressman from the state said the amendment couldn't come before the voters before 2006, and by that time same-sex marriages will be law. President Bush waded into the debate with a statement criticizing the ruling. "Marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman," he said. "Today's decision ... violates this important principle. I will work with congressional leaders and others to do what is legally necessary to defend the sanctity of marriage."

A broad array of religious groups and conservative political activists has united behind the idea of a constitutional amendment against gay marriage. Opponents of gay marriage firmly believe that marriage is an institution only between one man and one woman. Furthermore, marriage is the sole purpose for procreation, to repopulate the world and ensure the continuation of the species. James L. Lambert, writer for the Washington Post, reports that if gay marriage is made legal, there will be a psychological fall out, meaning that society will confuse its inhabitants by changing the social order (traditional marriage) that has been the cornerstone for every civilized country since the beginning of man.

The union of a man and a woman is honored and encouraged by every religious faith. For example, in Christianity the natural truth about marriage was confirmed by the revelation contained in the biblical accounts of creation, an expression of the original human wisdom in which the voice of nature itself is heard. There are three main elements of gods plan for marriage, as it is said in the book of Genesis.

In the first place man, the image of god, was created male and female. Men and women are equal as persons and complementary as male and ...