im josh and need peoples opinions

[thesystemisdown]

ok for my english class we are having a debate on whether or not gay marriage should be legalized. feel free to post pro/con ideas so that i can get a good idea of the whole scope of the issue. the debate isnt until late april so theres plenty of time to debate or discuss things here if yall want

thanks, josh

[Zerbie]

Hi Josh,

Welcome.

Suggestion: Do a search. There is a 'search' function near the top right of the webpage. Search on key word "marriage" and other phrases that relate to your topic - these subjects have already been discussed here A LOT. Most recently, on the 'general chat' forum someone posted about debating the same topic for class and suggestions were made. Do a search and you'll find a lot already here.

[andrewlittle]

... generous opportunity to do your work for you.
ok for my english class we are having a debate on whether or not gay marriage should be legalized. feel free to post pro/con ideas so that i can get a good idea of the whole scope of the issue. the debate isnt until late april so theres plenty of time to debate or discuss things here if yall want

thanks, josh

Please, feel free, look around the website, do a search, and READ what has been posted. Also, as suggested to someone else recently in http://www.soulforce.org/forums/showpost.php?p=22545&postcount=7, you might want to consider actually using a library and reading some books.

This is a wonderful website, but it's designed for people sharing their thoughts and reflections with each other, not for providing people with fodder to avoid doing their homework.

[thesystemisdown]

thank u guys for directing me to those areas. i wasnt sure where to start and it helps to see which topics are the most heated before i start researching. and andrew im doing this out of my own choice; i could just print off a bunch of papers saying how immoral homosexuality is or i could examine both sides of the argument to get a better idea thank you very much

[Jamie McDaniel]

i could just print off a bunch of papers saying how immoral homosexuality is or i could examine both sides of the argument to get a better idea...

Josh, if you were a student in 1967 instead of 2007 and you were writing a paper on interracial marriage, you wouldn't clip a bunch of articles from a segregationist's newsletter proclaiming that whites marrying blacks was immoral and turn that in. (Interracial marriage, by the way, was illegal until the Loving versus Virginia Supreme Court ruling of 1967.)

Likewise, there is a lot of antigay stuff out there. Misinformation, partial truths, outright falsehoods, and lies of omission.

If you are interested in what those fighting for racial equality in 1967 have to say about LGBT equality today, check out this article.

www.soulforce.org/article/766 (http://www.soulforce.org/article/766)

If I were your teacher/professor, I would likely be impressed with a student researching the link between the struggle for African-American equality and the current struggle for LGBT equality. It adds a historical element to the paper.

If you are interested in discussing the religious argument for gay rights, you should consider watching some videos (http://www.soulforce.org/videos) and reading some books such as this one (http://www.soulforce.org/application.php?application=amazon&action=showdetails&amazon_id=13), or this book (http://www.soulforce.org/application.php?application=amazon&action=showdetails&amazon_id=36). Also this DVD (http://www.soulforce.org/application.php?application=amazon&action=showdetails&amazon_id=40) is a really great documentary about why we want marriage equality in the United States (legal recognition of our marriages is already the case in Canada, Spain, The Netherlands, Belgium, and the state of Massachusetts.)

[Pablo Rafael]

Josh,

I can let you know my opinions. It isn't anything scientific or researched, but if you can use personal opinions, read on.

My opinion is that gay marriage should be legalized because:

1. Humans are social beings. God told Adam "..it is not good for man to be alone". God set up marriage to give a special kind of partnership to two people.

2. The family unit is an important foundational unit of our society and should be encouraged, assisted and strengthened. Gay families need the support of society and need to contribute to society.

3. Though many religious groups preach against gay marriage as contrary to God's will, there is no place in the Bible where committed, monogamous same-sex relationships are spoken against.

4. Our US constitution protects the basic rights of all people. Those of us who are attracted to members of the same sex should have the basic right of marriage that any heterosexual person has.

5. Our US history is full of discrimination. At first only white male property owners could vote. We have slowly made progress in granting rights to former slaves, Native Americans, women. Even with progress the struggle is not yet over. We should strive to give ALL people the right to participate fully in our society.

6. Many gay and lesbian individuals have been pressured by society and church to keep their sexual orientation a secret. This is neither wise nor healthy. Gay youth are more prone to depression and suicide. The pressure to pretend to be something one is not can lead to dangerous emotional problems.

7. Marriage encourages long-term committment and stable family relationships.

8. Gay couples should be allowed legal rights such as inheritance rights, tax status, rights to make decisions for a hospitalized or dying "spouse" etc as anyone else.

Don't know if this is any help.

Tu Amigo, Pablo

[matthewspeed]

Once again, Pablo says it well. You give great bullets on the reasons for gay marriage. If not for religious reasons, for civil reasons. Legalized marriage is a civil right more than a religious right. ( ha, no pun intended, "religious right")

As a homosexual individual, I pay my state taxes, federal taxes, sales tax - I contribute to this civilized society. I help keep the economy flowing. My heterosexual neighbors do the same. I should be able to partake in the benefits of a legalized marriage, just like any other married couple. If I choose to have children with my husband, I should be able to get the tax credits for having children. I really have no problem with churches condeming same sex marriages. They have the right to free speech and religion. That is what this Great country was founded on. But the government has an obligation to provide the same rights to all it's citizens. I can find any liberal church to perform my ceremony, but I need the government to provide me my rights. We have to fight for that! Each denomination is different. We can choose which church to worship. But there are no denominational government court houses to choose from. The entire national government (with the exception of a few states) will not allow a legal same sex marriage to take place.

I am outraged at fundamentalist christians demanding that the government not acknowlege our desires for legalized marriage. If they want to believe it is immoral, then bless them! They have that right to believe that and to attend a church of their choice to worship and be with fellow believers who feel the same. I have that same choice. But again, the government is for all the people, not just certain groups that hold particular beliefs. It is such pride to think that the government should only represent their philosophies. Pride comes before the fall. If this country is falling apart morally and ethically, it has nothing to do with the rise of gay liberation, it has to do with the evil pride of the people who claim to worship the God of the bible.

" Judgement first falls on the house of God."