 Opponents of gay marriage demonstrate outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Tuesday as the justices take up the question of Proposition 8, which banned same-sex matrimony in California before a lower court overturned it. (Andrew Harrer, Bloomberg photo / March 25, 2013) |
With the issue of same-sex marriage argued before the Supreme Court and raging elsewhere in America, a question:
Is it possible to be a traditional Christian or Muslim or Orthodox Jew — and hold to one's faith on what constitutes marriage — and not be considered a bigot?
And is faith now a problem to be overcome, first marginalized by the state and then contained, so as not to get in the way of great changes to come?
The issue of same-sex unions is by nature contentious and divisive. It is not merely about equal protection under the law, but redefining the foundation of our culture, which is the family itself.
It's not my intention to add to the anger and the noise. If you've followed the news of the crowds outside the Supreme Court this week, and watched those vicious little boxes within boxes on cable TV, with angry people barking at each other, you'll get plenty of noise.
I'm not angry. Yet I am struggling. And I've been silent on the subject for some time, trying to figure it out.
I'm not opposed to same-sex unions. Americans have the right to equal protection under the law, and same-sex couples should be able to expect the same tax benefits and other considerations allowed to those of us who are now being called, in some quarters, "opposite-sex couples."
As far as I'm concerned, Americans have the right to do as they please as long as they don't infringe upon the rights of others. America is all about liberty and freedom.
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