Biblical Definition of Marriage (Video)

[Professor S]

To clarify, I don't think the argument is insidious, merely the methods. Ridicule destroys public discourse and Alinsky knew this when he wrote the book on using it in politics, and I think we've seen how political ridicule has affected the public discourse of today: there isn't any.

Any argument deserves a full and honest debate (I'll admit I don't always meet my own lofty goal, but I try). When that is allowed to take place, the sillier ideas will always be exposed for what they are and minds can be changed through reason. When you simply try and destroy ideas that are opposed to yours with no sense of fairness to them, then no one is enlightened because people on your side are given misinformation about the opposition that they never challenge because it fits their predisposition, and the opposition can just dismiss your argument as hateful and ignorant.

I've taken a long, hard look at both sides of the gay marriage debate, mainly because some people I greatly respect as true thinkers on the right are against it, but in the end I remain pro gay marriage. I better understand the opposing view though, and my arguments and position on the topic are stronger for having given the opposition a fair shake.

[Dylflon]

Originally Posted by Professor S

To clarify, I don't think the argument is insidious, merely the methods. Ridicule destroys public discourse and Alinsky knew this when he wrote the book on using it in politics, and I think we've seen how political ridicule has affected the public discourse of today: there isn't any.

Any argument deserves a full and honest debate (I'll admit I don't always meet my own lofty goal, but I try). When that is allowed to take place, the sillier ideas will always be exposed for what they are and minds can be changed through reason. When you simply try and destroy ideas that are opposed to yours with no sense of fairness to them, then no one is enlightened because people on your side are given misinformation about the opposition that they never challenge because it fits their predisposition, and the opposition can just dismiss your argument as hateful and ignorant.

I've taken a long, hard look at both sides of the gay marriage debate, mainly because some people I greatly respect as true thinkers on the right are against it, but in the end I remain pro gay marriage. I better understand the opposing view though, and my arguments and position on the topic are stronger for having given the opposition a fair shake.

However, many of those towing the anti-gay marriage line entirely fail to engage in a thoughtful debate.

Their arguments range from the near eloquent "I simply cannot agree with it from a moral standpoint since God expressly forbids it in the Bible" to the slogan "God hates fags" you will sometimes see on anti-gay marriage protest signs.


Most people are unable to back up their arguments with quotes from the Bible, and instead base their argument on something they have not expressly read, opting to condemn fellow human beings for something in their life they have no control over. After all, you never chose to be straight. You are heterosexual by nature. This is not open and honest debate, this is discrimination without a thoroughly researched basis. Though I don't find researched discrimination to be any better.

Unfortunately marriage is incredibly political and very much tied up in law. To deny fellow countrymen the rights that come along with marriage and the benefits that heterosexual couples enjoy seems childish and in my opinion inexcusable. It shows that by and large America (and many other nations) see homosexuals as undeserving of basic human rights that the rest of us can enjoy. And to place them on a sub-human level is nearly repeating the civil injustice that African-Americans underwent and had to fight through. People can't choose their sexual orientation any more than they can choose the color of their skin.

Ask Moogle. He once told me the pain he went through trying to make himself straight. He failed to do so and not only hurt himself but also someone he cared very deeply for (Sorry if that info was privileged John but I think my heart is in the right place). All of this over something that barely even effects the lives of the heterosexual majority. If anything gay marriage would at the very least help slightly stimulate a failing economy and on the upswing, your country could enjoy the fact that it can be a tolerant, forward-thinking nation instead of a country who like some Islamic nations use ancient scripture to retard the advancement of civil rights for their citizens.

The other thing that peeves me is the willingness to re-interpret other rules (the most common example is no meat on Friday). There are a slew of rules that not only do not apply to our current society but seem downright ludicrous by today's standards. So what do we do? We discount them. Brush them neatly under the rug because living by rules set for a society thousands of years ago does not quite make sense in our modern world. Yet still, some religious leaders cling steadily to the rules that allow them to get away with their prejudices, allow them to play the part of Lord and condemn their fellow men for acts that are not only private but do not concern them in any way.


So yes, I think this video is a fair retort to a religious tidal wave of intolerance that has no interest in arguing the merits of gay marriage in a fair and logical way. If the religious right can take the Bible out of context, why not those who argue on the opposing side?



And a note to you Angrist:

I challenge you to look through the Bible and look at each rule we still uphold as opposed to the countless ones that we do not. As a human being with the passion and compassion that I know you possess, think hard about whether or not you would have a problem with gay people had someone else not told you you should.

I am thoroughly ashamed for all of you which would look down on homosexuals as something less, or as immoral people. This sort of rhetoric would not be acceptable were it pertaining to someone with a different skin color. And God willing it will soon be equally ludicrous to persecute homosexuals in the same way.

A homosexual relationship is victimless and there is no excuse for prejudice wrapped in the protective coating of Bible verses. If I hear one more cry that the allowance of gay marriage will spark the death rattle of the white Christian majority I may simply lose my mind.