Over the past several decades, the gay rights movement has moved from the hidden outskirts of acceptable society to the center of American politics. I believe the real momentum that sparked it's evolution occurred fifteen years ago when Ellen DeGeneres publicly came out in 1997. She subsequently used her hit show 'Ellen' to further propogate gay-right issues and it's acceptance. While her show soon tanked and was cancelled, the seed was planted and a media metamorphisis was initiated. I remember at first, television shows displayed large warning signs that 'inappropriate and possible offensive adult material' was included in it's episode, but as society acclimated they stopped displaying warnings. Eventually they introduced the first gay kiss on TV. The conservative mainstream went berserk and protests were held with fists in the air and anti-gay signs and slogans were everywhere. Soon the fervor dissipated and homosexuals in our living room became common place as one show after another introduced gay characters into their popular television series. Today there is hardly a show on TV that doesn't have some connection to a gay character or couple. The media paints an alluring picture of acceptance. They endear us with charming characters with witty lines and compassionate hearts free from social and moral consequences. This pervasive movement into our lives through social media has changed our social perception and acceptance of gay individuals. Just a few weeks ago, the President of the United States publicly declared that he is supports gay marriage and that our nation should be more accepting of the gay lifestyle, which would have been unheard of just years before.
In consequence to this social evolution, we have been hearing a lot of hype and media chatter about the 'War on Marriage' or more specifically the 'War on Traditional Marriage'. I understand the offense and threat of redefining the definition of marriage and it's moral implications as acceptable normalcy into our society, but in my opinion the real war on marriage has been raging for much longer and it's current poster-child, the inclusion of gay couples into marriage, is but a small diversion from the actual evil behind the fight. I think the real war on marriage is found in the mass frequency and acceptance of premarital heterosexual immorality and flagrant extramarital ease in which spouses so easily break their sacred marriage covenants by embracing sexual interactions outside of their marriage whether through pornography, filthy literature, perversions, inappropriate relationships or actual physical infidelity (Adultery). Never before in history are adulterers and fornicators more accepted than they are today. It is as if immorality has become so common place that society cannot even imagine a life with standards and virtue. Honor, faithfulness, sacrifice, delayed gratification and integrity can likewise be said to be lost in marriage expectations. As I see it, the morals of our society at large can be compared to the continuous melting of a hot wax candle till there is nothing left but a lone moral wick standing in a puddle of molten promiscuous wax!
With the horrendous onslaught of moral decrepitude in this world, what makes homosexuality a worse sin than all other sexual aberrations? In my view there is nothing more evil, divisive and destructive than adultery. Not only are they engaging in sexual acts outside of wedlock (which by Christian definition is morally reprehensible), but they are also breaking their marriage covenants, shattering their family and destroying the intimate trust of their loved ones. This selfish act of unbridled lust can permanently devastate and fracture an entire family with unmeasureable harm. Nothing that two gays can do to each other can ever result in the far reaching outbreak of chaos and pain that adultery can cause. Yet, adulterers can live respectable lives in our society. They are seldom persecuted or discriminated against. In fact, in some situations they are even praised for their conquests! On a similar note, fornication whether casually or as a result of a deepened relationship account for nearly 60% of all babies born (with 89% of those babies conceived by 15-19 year old girls)!!! Where is the social outcry for all of this? Yes, there is some, but nothing on the scale of the outcry about gay marriage in my opinion. Certainly if families are falling apart because of the lack of faithfulness within their 'traditional' marriages and out-of-wedlock pregnancies are leading to more than half of all children being born, the result is a vast multitude of children left to grow up without the support and stability of a 'traditional family' and thus the world is forced to carry the inevitable weight of these social burdens and their ever increasing consequences! Are these not tremendous casualties of war--the real war on marriage?
So I am left to wonder why are the gays, those whose sexual actions account for the least amount of real harm or consequences to society, left taking the brunt of the moral burden? Are the gays just a convenient scapegoat to distract the world from the real moral decay that pervades our society or are they simply the ominous yellow canary indicating how close we are as a society from becoming completely morally bankrupt?
The gays are asking for equal rights and social legitimacy. Social conservatives respond citing further moral degradation. I therefore ask, Will gay marriage somehow lessen the sacredness of traditional marriage? Personally, I do not think so. Let me clarify, either it may be seen as a continuation of the erosion of social morals that already make a mockery of the sanctity of marriage or it can be seen as I would see it: That no other person's marriage or relationship effects who I am or what I have. The success, sacredness and happiness of my relationship and marriage is not based on a comparison of others, nor is it based on another's perceptions and beliefs or lack thereof. I have made covenants between my wife and God and no one else matters. I see it similar to baptism. The validity and sacredness of my baptism is not diminished because others of different faiths or beliefs also baptize. Their beliefs and baptisms do not lessen my baptism, neither do other's marriages of whatever level of sacredness lessen my marriage.
Secondly, will the inclusion of gay marriage in society be the tipping point that will lead to rampant immoral promiscuity as so many conservatives fear? Hard to say. I feel that society has already plummeted off a proverbial moral cliff decades ago and has been accelerating towards Hell with ever increasing incident by heterosexual misconduct already, although I would imagine that any accelerant would increase it's breadth and pace.
There is a war on traditional marriage, but I do not feel it is all about the gays. While I myself am not threatened by gay marriage and I feel great empathy for those who struggle with same-sex-attraction, I do feel that it's inevitable inclusion to normalcy in society is a manifestation of societies general descent of traditional values and morals. This is the real glossed-over issue--the mainstream loss of morality. As is often said, we are free to choose, but not to choose our consequences. The world is on a slippery slope of immorality from so many fronts and it's consequences are at our door.
The gays are asking for equal rights and social legitimacy. Social conservatives respond citing further moral degradation. I therefore ask, Will gay marriage somehow lessen the sacredness of traditional marriage? Personally, I do not think so. Let me clarify, either it may be seen as a continuation of the erosion of social morals that already make a mockery of the sanctity of marriage or it can be seen as I would see it: That no other person's marriage or relationship effects who I am or what I have. The success, sacredness and happiness of my relationship and marriage is not based on a comparison of others, nor is it based on another's perceptions and beliefs or lack thereof. I have made covenants between my wife and God and no one else matters. I see it similar to baptism. The validity and sacredness of my baptism is not diminished because others of different faiths or beliefs also baptize. Their beliefs and baptisms do not lessen my baptism, neither do other's marriages of whatever level of sacredness lessen my marriage.
Secondly, will the inclusion of gay marriage in society be the tipping point that will lead to rampant immoral promiscuity as so many conservatives fear? Hard to say. I feel that society has already plummeted off a proverbial moral cliff decades ago and has been accelerating towards Hell with ever increasing incident by heterosexual misconduct already, although I would imagine that any accelerant would increase it's breadth and pace.
There is a war on traditional marriage, but I do not feel it is all about the gays. While I myself am not threatened by gay marriage and I feel great empathy for those who struggle with same-sex-attraction, I do feel that it's inevitable inclusion to normalcy in society is a manifestation of societies general descent of traditional values and morals. This is the real glossed-over issue--the mainstream loss of morality. As is often said, we are free to choose, but not to choose our consequences. The world is on a slippery slope of immorality from so many fronts and it's consequences are at our door.
In an associated note:
The LDS church has created a wonderful pamphlet entitled,"God loveth his children" (2007) which eloquently elaborates the LDS church's position toward same-sex-attraction. It is well written and expresses a greater understanding, sympathy and empathy for those who struggle with this than is often portrayed across the pulpit. See link below:
