Gay Marriage

A really hot topic these days. For -or- Against?

If your worried about what someone might think or say about you, you better not get too deep into this subject. One way or another, your answer is going to piss off someone. I’m not one who worries about what people think of me so obviously, I’m going to give you my opinion. But before I do, I’d like to remind you that this is my opinion. I am just as entitled to my opinion as you are to yours. And I won’t hold your opinion against you. Just as I expect you will not hold mine against me. Basically it means, ‘to each – his own’.  So – Let us begin.

I’m a very logical person and I usually come to my conclusions in systematical, logical way.  So let us begin first by understanding exactly what the question is. I prefer to phrase the question as a ‘for’ question. As opposed to an ‘against’ question. Hence, we will ask, “Are you (Am I) for Gay marriage?”  That makes it a nice and easy question to answer. right?

Well, not really. In order to answer this question, me or anyone for that matter, first has to quantify what it is that they think of – when they think of marriage. And it’s probably not the same for everyone. Which is probably why the very question is so controversial. We all have different views on what “marriage” is. For some, it might be a strict interpretation of some particular religious view. Others, within the same religion or even the same church, may differ on the degree to which they believe in that interpretation. Multiply these numbers by a given number of religions in general and you have a pretty diverse group of public opinion.

Add in the Legal issue of what marriage does to/for a couple and it’s easy to see why there is no easy solution. Or, is there?

I believe that marriage is a promise that I made to my wife in and under the presence of MY god. Period. That’s it. Nothing more – and nothing less. And here’s a kicker – We don’t even have exactly the same GOD. So her promise is with her GOD, as me to mine. And you know what? It’s going pretty darn good.  But let’s pause for a moment and insert a quick sub-question. Has our marriage affected the price of tea in China? Nope. Not one little bit. Truth is – our marriage affects no one but ourselves. (The ‘affects our family – friends argument’ is bullshit. The only thing that changed when we got married was a piece of paper. The relationship was already in place.)

It’s that piece of paper which has the power to affect a change. That piece of paper is a legal document with broad effects. It establishes property rights. It provides a blueprint where one’s assets would transfer, should one die intestate (without a will). It gives legal authority to an individual to make decisions about your welfare or assets should you become incapacitated (living will). But above all else, we must follow that old credo of … follow the money. When you boil it down, that certificate does ONE thing … it lowers the income of the government. (ie: the money they take from us.) That piece of paper means that the taxes the government collects will be reduced because the couple will be seen as “one entity”. If your looking to forecast the future – you need only follow the political tide.

I digress. The point is that I separate “Legal” and ”Moral” in my equations. Legal issues are all the stuff that can be done with a certificate. Whether it is called a “marriage certificate” or “civil union certificate” or whatever. It’s the earthly bound uses of such. Moral issues are how the issue is accepted within the religious community (which is where marriage started anyway) and it’s the “life after death” stuff.

I think that no sound mind would argue that I alone have the right to say who is to take charge of my welfare if I am unable to do so. And if I chose to give that right to another man so be it. I could give it to my father, my brother or even my nephew. And so on for each of us on earth. So legally, the issue is mute. We all have that right. This part of the equation can be fixed by nothing more than “document control”.  So now, we get to the hard part, the religious part. As I said earlier, my marriage with my wife is between me – her – and our GODS. Period. It doesn’t matter to you. It doesn’t matter to the IRS. It don’t matter to any other person on this earth and it’s none of your business anyway. Period.

So as far as I’m concerned the solution is really self-evident. Have a ‘Civil Union’ certificate (a single document for everyone) which is used for the legal stuff.  Forget the ‘Marriage Certificate’ as any form of legal document. For those already married, grant a 1 year grace period to register for your ‘Civil Union’ certificate (Yes, you could keep your anniversary date).  Your “Marriage Certificate”, if you have one or ever intend to get one, is between you, your god and your church. That’s all – and that’s how it was supposed to be anyway. That’s how GOD wanted it. Separate Church and State. So if your one of those that has spent a lot of time trying to make sure that there is a separation between Church and State – Congratulations to you. You got it. Their separate. And you have no right to bitch about it either. And for those of you who think that just because the State accepts you legally, that you have some sort of right to attend any church you want – think again. Any church has the right to accept or reject any person that they feel does not fit with their philosophy. If you don’t like it – go start your own church.

There – I have single handily solved the entire problem. My logic is undeniable.

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Posted by Michael E. on May 20 2009. Filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry