The Institution of Marriage
So many politicians these days are talking about the “institution of marriage” as though it is something that is so perfect that nothing will ever rattle it. They don’t grasp the notion that over half of the Americans that get married will get divorced. Husbands leave their wives and wives leave their husbands. People fall out of love. Some people who marry were never in love to begin with.
Politicians want to deny gays and lesbians the right to marry because it will destroy this institution of marriage, but they don’t acknowledge that the institution, as they see it, is already destroyed. It has already been rattled and broken by so many people not taking it seriously or by husbands who beat their wives. It has been destroyed for a long time according to the standards that these politicians believe are true.
They believe that marriage is sacred and that this is a reason that gays should not marry. Is being sacred really an essential part of a marriage? To be sacred something has to be declared holy. Why, then, are these politicians not fighting to keep non-Christians from marrying? Why is it okay for an atheist couple to marry, while a gay couple has to settle for a non-legal companionship? No one should have to settle.
This is America–the land of the free and the home of the brave. Why is it okay to hide behind some antiquated notion that marriages still fit some picture perfect mold? Why is it okay to deny freedom to people who deserve the right to marry? How are we being free? How are we being brave? Our founding fathers may not have shown us freedom by owning slaves, but they set up this nation to be free. In order for us to be free, we must give equal rights and opportunities to everyone.
Religions do not have to sanction a marriage in order for it to be legal. I don’t believe churches should be forced to marry couples, whether they are heterosexual or homosexual. Churches should be allowed to make that decision on their own. What I would like to see is the legal availability for gays and lesbians to marry. It’s already been done in Massachusetts, and I don’t think that the world has ended because of the marriages.
Shouldn’t the institution of marriage be based on love and not some obligation that people feel to uphold antiquated practices?
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