Egann said:
I know an ex-deacon who's about as far to the right on this issue as one can reasonably get, and I asked him his opinion, and after several moments of thought he said the following:
"I have no problem with homosexuals having hospital visitation rights, inheritances, tax statuses filing jointly, or any of the other cultural subsidies marriage receives. I just don't think the word marriage should be involved. Marriage is a sacred institution which predates all our modern governments, therefore governments don't have authority over it."
Note the phrase "cultural subsidies." He thought through the situation, acknowledged it was unfair, but also found the phrase "civil right" to be misleading because applying it here is technically inaccurate. Educated religious people can be very precise with their language, and that's not always a bad thing. He also drew a clear line on what's an acceptable compromise and what isn't, Even if you don't agree with the bottom line, you must admit this opinion is more cogent and carefully thought through than 95% of the liberal opinions floating around out there.
Personal opinion: politicians get reelected based on divisiveness. It's in their best interest for problems to exist because then they can demonize the other party and keep a loyal following themselves. The Achilles heel of democracy is that the only people who will voluntarily run for public office are the ones who should stay far away from it, because they're the ones who get drunk on power and want to maintain it. Actually resolving a problem while it is still politically useful is not in their best interest, either personally or as a party. That's the real reason gay rights has been so long-winded an issue.
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"Marriage is a sacred institution which predates all our modern governments, therefore governments don't have authority over it." Ignoring the fact that marriage was crated by governments before Churches incorporated it, If we go by that thinking then so are cars - so the government has no authority over helicopters (1500's Leonardo da Vinci), ships and boats, doctors, herbalist, etc.
Well, the good news it stops all of their attempts to limit abort rights.
Well, ask him about interracial marriages - also forbidden - and see how he explains that one. For him not to see it as a civil rights issue shows there is something missing somewhere in his thinking. I guess his bias is showing.
