I think that homosexuals should be able to be together and receive the same benefits as heterosexuals do, however, marriage is a religious thing. If a pastor/ religious person wants to marry a homosexual couple, by all means go ahead, but I don't think that religions which forbid homosexuals should be forced to marry them. (like some Christians, Jews and Muslims). Civil unions for the win.

P.S. I love the gay community

Marriage is not a "religious thing". It's a legal union by the government. The ceremony is a religious thing, but not the union of marriage.

The conservatives have tricked you.

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Well,for me marriage is religious thing.Since, my religion has its own rules on marriage so marriage is religious.Even if you want a divorce, there is steps and the rules to follow.

I'm against gay/lesbian relationship and marriage.But I can't force them accept my view or belief.

marriage was originally a religious thing. The concept was created by the church/churches wtvr. now it's just a legal documentation. it doesn't require religion to be involved whatsoever. See Vegas.

i for one think marriage is stupid. See funds for divorce. You can spend your life with the one youy love without having the government slap chains on you.

...

So I've read all of this lengthy thread and the same topic keeps popping up: That by legalizing gay marriage religious organizations have to abide by the same law and accept this union no matter what... >.< Why can't people get it through their heads' that that's not what we are fighting for. Well as for myself (gay man) I am only fighting for the legal rights as everyone else receives when they get married by the law (government). I don't want to force religions to change their beliefs and marry people they don't want... (Actually religion isn't even part of the equation to begin with ) As for the word marriage itself, no one owns the word so now matter who came up with the concept the fact remains it's just a word with no more meaning than any other >.> I can go on but don't want to make it lengthy :3

No, it wasn't originally a religious thing. That's how you've been tricked.

The concept of marriage pre-dates recorded history, it pre-dates christianity, and many, many civilizations not affiliated with christianity or judaism had marriage traditions, tied to the government. If you think about what you know of ancient history, you're probably even aware of this. But still, the Greeks married, the Romans married, the Egyptians married.

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Marriage is and always has been a social contract between to parties, thats how both govt. and religion got sucked into it. Lets them marry, its their decision and a right. Honestly the government shouldn't be bringing religious affiliation into the debate, there's supposed to be a separation of church and state. That said, if they do make it legal, for the same reason the religious groups cannot be told they have to marry or acknowledge the union of the pair.

@ the above convo

I was reading some of the earlier posts, and holy Robin, Batman! There are some crazy people there! Denying the existence of pederasty in ancient Greece!

I didn't vote.
My country / government will never accept or legalize homosexual marriages / relationships of any manner or description, ever! Here, it is nothing short of illegal to be a homosexual / bisexual / trans-sexual.

As for the debate on whether marriage is religious or not...don't people realize that it depends on what religion you belong to? I understand that most of you here are Christian or Catholic (and I really don't know anything about any other religion except mine ^^); but my religion (I'm a Theravada Buddhist - bet no-one know what that is!), claims no involvement whatsoever in marriage. Therefore, the general acceptance among us is that whatever is acknowledged legally by the country we live in, goes.
However, before anyone thinks otherwise, I must confirm that I am in no way homophobic (though my whole family and everyone else I know is). My religion (and yes, I am fairly religious) clearly states that you should never condemn someone for who they are. As far as I know, you cannot choose your sexuality (the only thing you can choose is whether to express it or not) - and therein as a Buddhist I will not make fun of it nor will I profess to be worthy of judging whether it is correct or wrong.

Regarding the issue of adoption - I don't really know first-hand since it will never happen where I live; but I don't think it's very healthy for the child involved. It is, of course, not an issue of whether they in turn will become homosexual (because they won't - not unless they were like that from the beginning, anyway), nor is it a question of whether two women or two men are not worthy of, or suited to, the privilege of caring for and loving a child.
Like many people before me have stated, the problem is with teasing / bullying and the mental torment the kid has to go through - and this will become all the more unendurable when he / she is a teenager, and particularly sensitive to the criticism of peers; especially regarding their sexual orientation.

Something like that happened not so very long ago in our neighbourhood; a boy killed himself, apparently because he was repeatedly accused and slandered for being gay for two continuous years. The reason? His (divorced and single forever after) father was rumoured (note that: not confirmed, just rumoured) to be gay. In his suicide note, they said he'd explained everything; basically about the mental harassment and how he could no longer take it; all the more because it was an entirely unfounded accusation.

So - while I'm not denying its legal and moral importance, it's not actually the legal acceptance that matters...I think the social one is much more important. But I really doubt that'll happen anytime soon. After all, has anyone noticed how the most 'terrible' way to insult a man is to call him 'gay', and then laugh derisively?

Last edited by calstine at 1:57 pm, Aug 29 2010

You made quite a few good points, but I think that your region has influenced you to overrate the social stigma associated with homosexuals in other countries.

The example of the boy killing himself because of a rumour his father was gay is not the norm where I live at least. My math teacher in high school was gay, his adopted son went to my school a few grades below me; he made friends just fine. The teasing obviously surfaces occassionally, but most people have something that someone can tease them about.

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i don't care if people marry the same sex i mean its not like anybody is forcing you to marry the same sex

Marriage is a legal affair, not religious anymore. I, an Atheist, as well as people of any other religion are pushed to marry because the government deems it so. What is stopping me or anyone else from never marrying? nothing, nothing at all.

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No, I've seen much more terrible insults. Like a girl calling a man's penis small, and then laughing derisively.



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should be legal, the gays should be just as miserable as the rest of us. they have no right to be happy while the rest of us are not.

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who people love and decide to marry is their own damn business.

This thing that some people ban some from marrying is hard to understand for me, what is it they are so afraid of?

I have a uncle that is gay and married to his partner, i don't condemn it, i just don't understand how people can find men attractive i don't even get why not all female are lesbians.

But that is my personal taste, and force others to like the same as me is tyranny.

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