Shameless Plug

[_CaliforniaKid]

I just posted on my blog a short piece titled, "How Gay Marriage Became Thinkable for a Generation of Young Americans". I intended to submit it as an op-ed somewhere, but it's a bit longer than most newspapers are willing to publish, and I didn't want to cut anything out. So here it is, for your reading pleasure (or displeasure, as the case may be).

[_honorentheos]

CK - thanks for sharing your blog post! Very well done, and insightful.

It's an interesting subject and one I think many people will be talking about for years to come. Particularly until there is federal action. One of my favorite articles on the subject is fairly old now, but prescient and speaks to many of your points. It's from Reason magazine, from 2004 - Objections to these unions You might find it interesting as well.

One aspect of the issue that I thought you get at but don't explicitly state in your blog post is the underlying question of authority. The section on culture and symbols seemed to be saying the same thing so this is redundant, but I still think it matters as an explicit explanation. In many respects, I think the biggest change in American views and the paradigm shift that has made this possible is how much more likely we are to look to scientific explanations of the world supported by empirical evidence than we are for traditional ones. I think this is because science has built up an impressive track record more than anything else. We all benefit from it now and can't get away from that fact. In the 1600's, the puritans looked to the Bible for authority, even executing a man and his animal cohorts for bestiality. Today, that would be unthinkable because most Americans would not take the Bible so far as to accept the punishment described in the old testament being warranted. Why? for all the reasons you list in your blog. But also because we found a more reliable substitute. My opinion, anyway.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

Hello,

Well, it makes sense. If we all pay taxes then the law ought to apply evenly.

V/R
Dr. Cameron

[_MrStakhanovite]

Man, I'd sure give you a plug on Facebook if you hadn't totally rejected me by denying my friend request.

[_CaliforniaKid]

Man, I'd sure give you a plug on Facebook if you hadn't totally rejected me by denying my friend request.

lol. I don't remember that. Did I know who you were?

[_MrStakhanovite]

Man, I'd sure give you a plug on Facebook if you hadn't totally rejected me by denying my friend request.

lol. I don't remember that. Did I know who you were?

In the interest of fairness, I had a semi-obscene picture up, and left you a creepy message about how I know Mormonism is in your bones.

But still.......Damage is done.

[_CaliforniaKid]

One aspect of the issue that I thought you get at but don't explicitly state in your blog post is the underlying question of authority.

True. There seems to be a more self-conscious filtering of biblical teaching on the part of most Christians today. There's a sense that the Bible is important, but that certain portions have to be shelved or reinterpreted because they don't fit with modern American science or morals. That means that people are a little more willing, I think, to analyze the problem of homosexuality from a rational standpoint and then use that as a filter in reading the Bible.

There's also more atheism today than there was a decade ago. That probably has something to do with it, as well.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

[_CaliforniaKid]

lol!