What’s your opinion on same sex marriage? What arguments do you agree with concerning your opinion? Is a nation the proper authority for deciding laws about this issue? Is God solely the authority on whom people should depend for an opinion about same sex marriage? Is your own conscience solely the authority on which individuals should depend…? How should people reason about same sex marriage, or is reason inadequate on this and other topics?
If you pay attention to the Gallup polls in the US, you might believe that acceptance of gay and lesbian relationships (known before 2008 as homosexual relations, according to Gallup) has passed the half way point to 64% of Americans now in support. http://www.gallup.com/poll/1651/gay-lesbian-rights.aspx
But if you look at the 2005 Texas support for a narrow definition of marriage as only between a man and a woman, you take away a very different perspective. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/26/us-usa-gaymarriage-texas-idUSBREA1P1VE20140226 That definition passed overwhelmingly in Texas nine years ago, yet in 2014 court decisions appear to run contrary.
In both Russia and parts of Africa, the laws strongly punish same sex marriage. In other places of the EU or North America, the opposite seems to be gaining acceptance, meaning laws protect same sex marriage in many places. The public opinion worldwide is really a bit confusing, to me, hamilton.jerry. I have an opinion, of course, and if you’ll show me yours….
So at http://HamiltonFinanceServices.com (HFS) they offer their own poll question, in their usual open-ended style: What do you think about marriage between same sex people? Do you favor it or oppose it, and by how much do you hold that opinion, strongly, mildly, or almost not at all? Is your opinion based on religion, politics, ideology, or something else? What else?
The polls and court decisions seem to make the answers to such a basic question more complex than seems necessary, according to HFS analysis. What do you think? I, hamilton.jerry, encourage you to comment with a rich mix of words, images, and sounds that truly reflect your views, and I hope to hear from a fair cross-section, not just a vocal group of like minded souls.
It’s a hot issue and one that many simply do not want to touch… particularly those who oppose such since they are often labelled in less than flattering ways. But you’ve asked a fair question and I’ll answer briefly (without the “rich mix of words, images, and sounds” since I’m incapable of doing so).
I’m opposed to same sex marriage on the basis of my religious convictions. Would I march in a crusade against such? No.
JamesD, I do not want to offend you. I’m serious. But your comment reminded me of a picture posting by George Takei’s (Lieutenant Sulu) husband, and that’s why I do a repost of the pic here.
[img]https://vivaldi.net/media/com_easysocial/photos/6138/27560/8b9824a1248771dfe0b57e624b486d19_original.jpg[/img]
DaJunkie and JamesD, thanks for diving in despite the sharks somewhere out there. Since you have taken time to post your views, I will offer mine. As a committed member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have chosen to listen carefully to latter-day prophets who have spoken on this sensitive topic. And I have prayerfully studied many opinions, not the least of which is my daughter’s who takes pride in her active advocacy for LGTB rights. She and I agree to disagree. First, to her and now to you, I admit that human sexuality puzzles me despite a degree in psychology and a few dozen books I have studied to learn more. My church leaders teach that sex is a sacred power to be used carefully as commanded in contemporary guidance by modern prophets. In a nutshell, that guidance is that men and women should remain chaste, meaning celibate, until marriage and then totally loyal emotionally, sexually, and in every other meaningful way to his or her spouse after marriage. They also teach that any sexual conduct, even masturbation, should be cautiously avoided because it constitutes abuse of sacred pro-creative powers entrusted to mortals by God as part of a mortal probation to determine whether each of us will listen to and obey God. Sexual relations with anyone other than your spouse are clearly to be avoided, and only marriage between one man and one woman is recognized as a legitimate marriage. I don’t apologize for my church leader’s counsel because I accept it as the best understanding mortals have today, but I also don’t ever wish to compel anyone else to believe as I do.
Well… I’ve learned today that the Orthodox Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not that far apart on some issues and this appears to be one of them. At the risk of being “out of touch” with such enlightened views on sexuality as our current society likes to pride itself, I hold on to the traditions of our Fathers. And as you, Jerry, I would not compel anyone to believe as I.