Marriage Issue
Gay marriage and equal rights for those so aligned – not something that you have heard much of this election cycle, which is kind of surprising considering the hot button issue that it had been back the last two presidential elections. I have only heard mention of it in passing this cycle and really not from any of the candidates themselves. I guess I heard it mentioned on the radio in passing the other idea, specifically some folks saying that it was not such a big issue to them compared to other things this time around and of course the counter view by some who are pushing for it that it is a major issue.
I was further thinking about this because some Muslim folks in England are now pushing for their religious councils to be formally recognized as legally binding decision makers, especially in regards to things like marriages and the like. What is currently occurring there is marriages are performed by the religious authorities, sometimes even before folks become British citizens. Then in the case of divorce they pick and choose the process and path by which they proceed, often using the civil courts for custody and alimony and such, but letting the local Muslim council actually met and make the decision for granting the divorce. It was worth noting the British government is pretty saying we are the judicial body and English is what you live under.
Fundamentally though the whole problem with this issue is a lack of keeping a good separation of church and state. I am sure that a lot of people don’t agree with me on this one but hear me out for a bit. If back in they day we had clearly sayed we have marriage, which is the church domain and their domain only and in the same time we had said if you want your marriage to be recognized by the state you have to get a license for some sort of civil union that is recognized by government just think about it. If such had happened, you could get the civil license for the union, and then have whatever kind of ceremony you would have liked otherwise. For instance, a nice christian ceremony would be fine and you could call it a marriage, the same would be true if of jewish or muslim faith and you had your religious ceremony. It goes right on and no worries. The legal union occurs based on the license and/or application that was made for such, the rest is just your ceremony.
Given that, if someone comes along and wants to have a gay union – will sure, if we as a people of the state or country so allow it, then no problem. It however, does NOT then interfere on the sanctimony of the churches view of what a marriage is nor does it make anyone who has had a church performed marriage think that said marriage is any lesser. And further, if some church out there does decide it feels that marriage is allowed between two of the same-sex, then so be it, the parishioners of the church can make the choice and again, not a problem aside from that churches stand point.
In this situation too, any legal standing of partners would be granted from the standpoint of the legal standing of the union being recognized by the state. It would mean however, that commitment would have to be made to one another at least so much as the make the application or obtain a license from the state issuing body. Which is the one point I have always made, having come from a situation where I lived with one woman for a number of years – if same-sex with a piece of paper can get benefits and such why shouldn’t I have been able to do the same for her?
This also works nicely for all the divorces, though I don’t think that is what should really be a motivating factor in any of this. But the civil union is what is dissolved by the court, much as a legal business partnership is dissolved. Assets are split and things such who is allowed to continue with which things (such as child custody) are determined by the court, as the civil authority over such matter. Anything that you put together with whatever religious faith you practiced at the time of any such union such as marriage would be a matter to resolve with the religious authorities who over saw such a ceremony.
What an idea, what a concept. I think however, it will never come to pass in my lifetime in any sort of harmonious way. The reason, we did not practice a true separation of church and state back in the beginning of things. Marriage is a integrally intertwined by both definition and even legal terms, especially historically, with the organized church.
Now just to clarify my view-point on a couple of things, since I am sure by throwing this out some people are wondering.
- I am personally fine with homosexuality and your right to practice it if you so choose especially if done with same sensibility that I would practice my own sexuality in public – that is with deference to those around me.
- I do NOT think that anything that is called a marriage in the biblical sense should be recognized as being applied to a homosexual couple, but if a particular branch or denomination decrees, then that is their right
- A legally recognized union of some sort that allows for the same kind of standing that a marriage affords a couple of today is perfectly acceptable in my opinion.
