Eric's Thoughts on Proposition 8 and Gay Marriage Generally

[ericbair]

As most of you are probably aware, the California Supreme Court recently issued a ruling that legalizes same-sex marriage in California. As a result, various conservative groups launched a ballot initiative (Proposition 8) to amend the state constitution to overturn this ruling, and the initiative will be on the ballot in the November election

Comments

Supporting and Preserving Marriage

[anonymous]

I see where you're coming from with your post, but I think you are focusing on the wrong things.
To start (and I know this wasn't the main point of your article), the Church did send aid to the victims of Hurricane Gustav. In fact, they had supplies and people on the way before the storm ever hit. The church always has and always will assist in disaster relief efforts. We donate through our tithes and fast offerings.

Second, it is more correct to say that the church is FOR preserving traditional marriage than it is to say they are against gay marriage. They are trying to uphold the standard of marriage that God put in place when he created the world. As a church member, I'm sure you've read the The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God. Gender is an essential characteristic of our divine destinies.
The world is spiraling downward fast and while this proposition won't solve all or most of the world's problems, the church (and most other churches out there) are taking a stand to preserve the God given institution of marriage.

If you haven't already I'd suggest reading The Divine Institution of Marriage that the Church put out on August 13. You can find it online. It goes into great detail as to why it is so important to support this issue. Hope this helps. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Re: Supporting and Preserving Marriage

[ericbair]

Yes, I am aware that the Church sent aid to victims of Hurricane Gustav, but that wasn't really my point. My point was that the Church is asking its members to spend their time and money fighting gay marriage, and I was wondering why that time and money couldn't be spent helping the sick and afflicted (or any number of other things).

I read "The Divine Institution of Marriage" before I made my original post, but it didn't really resolve any of my concerns... Basically, I felt like it made a number of claims without really providing the warrant for these claims. "Gay marriage harms children." "Gay marriage will weaken traditional marriage and families."

As I've studied this subject, I've researched the scientific literature extensively, and I simply can't find any solid scientific evidence to support these claims. States and countries that have legalized gay marriage have actually had lower divorce rates and higher incidences of heterosexual marriage since gay marriage was legalized. To me, that casts very serious doubt on the claim that gay marriage somehow weakens heterosexual marriage.

And as for the claim that it's bad for children, it's simply never been studied in a scientifically rigorous manner. However, given that many single parents have managed to successfully raise children, I have a hard time believing that children with gay parents would automatically be scarred for life. I'm pretty sure that two parents is generally better than one, even if the parents do have the same gender. And also believe (and the scientific evidence supports this belief) that the parents' education, socio-economic status, and moral values are far better predictors of how a child will turn out than whether or not the child has both a mother and a father in the home.

I don't know. Like I said, my intent isn't to criticize the Church or to claim that its leaders are wrong. But I still have lots of unanswered questions on this particular issue.