Posted on 08/26/2006 7:37:30 PM PDT by Esther Ruth
Beyond Marriage? Yes, Way Beyond Posted: Wednesday, August 23, 2006 at 3:11 am ET
A group of liberal intellectuals and activists has released a statement calling for the nation to transcend contentious debates over same-sex marriage and sexuality by, in effect, abolishing marriage as a social norm and institution.
For some time now, many of us have been arguing that the debate over same-sex marriage is really a debate over the survival of marriage in the culture. This new statement, published as an advertisement in The New York Times and garnering considerable media attention, proves the point.
On the one hand, this debate reveals a split in the ranks of homosexual activists. Some see the legalization of same-sex marriage as a way to advance the normalization of homosexuality in the culture. Other gay activists see the focus on marriage (even on pairing and monogamy) as a sell-out to heterosexual norms.
Now, the Beyond Marriage group turns this second position into a manifesto. In their words:
Marriage is not the only worthy form of family or relationship, and it should not be legally and economically privileged above all others. While we honor those for whom marriage is the most meaningful personal – for some, also a deeply spiritual – choice, we believe that many other kinds of kinship relationship, households, and families must also be accorded recognition.
How far "beyond marriage" do they want the society to go? The group calls for "legal recognition for a wide range of relationships, households and families – regardless of kinship or conjugal status," "separation of church and state in all matters, including regulation and recognition of relationships, households and families," and, most tellingly, "freedom from state regulation of our sexual lives and gender choices, identities and expression."
(Excerpt) Read more at albertmohler.com ...
From his website..
Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., serves as the ninth president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary-the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world.
Dr. Mohler has been recognized by such influential publications as Time and Christianity Today as a leader among American evangelicals. In fact, Time.com called him the "reigning intellectual of the evangelical movement in the U.S".
In addition to his presidential duties, Dr. Mohler hosts a daily radio program for the Salem Radio Network. He also writes a popular daily commentary on moral, cultural and theological issues. Both can be accessed through Dr. Mohler's website www.albertmohler.com. Called "an articulate voice for conservative Christianity at large" by The Chicago Tribune, Dr. Mohler's mission is to address contemporary issues from a consistent and explicit Christian worldview.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/search?m=all;o=time;s=beyond%20marriage
Three other articles previously posted on Freerepublic about this.
The only reason to look forward to death is because the only thing that could make me happier than being married to my wife is being with the Lord after I die.
Maybe?
1 Timothy 4
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
==>> Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
Remember, everything is equally good....
:)
Me too. (My wife, not yours)
Bump
Was there ever any doubt?
Gee, sounds a lot like Sodom and Gomorrah to me.
I doubt The Man will put up with this.
LOL, I HOPE so.
I think I am falling in love with a goat. Oh, don't worry, I'm perfectly normal, this is a girl goat. I think she's really cute, and she says I'm not ba-a-a-a-a-a-d! I want to marry her, Suzie, but I don't think it's legal. Any advice? s/two horny
Sorry, sweetie, it's not legal, but that's no problem, you can change the law with an advertisement in the New York Times. Just be sure you enlist a bunch of liberal idiots intellectuals to sign the ad. They all have a thing for goats too.
This ignores the fact that marriage has very sound reasons in biology. In nature, males have a prerogative to spread their DNA between different females. Females have two prerogatives: to get the best available male DNA, and to get the assistance of a male in raising her offspring. When there are many available males, this would seldom be the same male.
Marriage provides a reasonable restriction on both parties. In exchange for the female's agreement that her offspring be the children of the male, the male agrees to be monogamous with the female and help raise the children.
But this agreement only works when enforced. If either party can "cheat", and mate with someone else, without punishment, and a punishment that deters cheating, then it is solely based on trust--which is often wanting.
Therefore, with the collapse of enforceable marriage, society has had to civilly re-create these restrictions. Yet so far, it has only done so to the benefit of the children, with child support.
Society also needs to give the male assurance that the child or children he is supporting are his own, giving him the option of leaving both the female and her children if they are proven not to be his, unless he chooses to assume responsibility for them all, anyway.
This being said, society does not need to "abolish marriage." In fact, it elevates marriage to a contract of mutual trust, above its original goal of mutual restrictions.
And for those with whom there is no trust, then the biological purpose of marriage will now be enforced by the state. So instead of eliminating marriage, it clearly delineates religious and mutually monogamous marriage from marriage as a secular contract only.
Why not to give everyone an Ivy League diploma plus freshly printed $1000,000? Shouldn't everybody "be accorded recognition"?
It is important to know that the Gay activists real goal is to remove the ability of insurance companies to make them pay for their high risk life style choices.
Currently Married men as a population have low risk of sudden death, and corresponding low insurance costs, because they are not exposed to the many diseases of single promiscuous men, or homosexual promiscuous men. Average age at demise for homosexual men is 42 if they don't get AIDS and 37 if they do get AIDS.
Once homosexual men can get "married" said legal discrimination will be come illegal. Health insurance will become not-affordable for married men, and women and children left behind by the few married men who do suffer tragic death.
Just think you should know the real issue.
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