If Same Sex Marriage Were Legal (1)

Same Sex Marriage (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If same sex marriage were legal in the UK, would there be any moral or philosophical reason not to also legalise polygamy?

If no, then that answer at least has the benefit of consistency. It allows for marriage (as with much else in the postmodern age) to be defined in an way that the individual wishes.  Many Libertarians do in fact take this view, and reject the idea that the state should legislate on marriage at all.

If an advocate of same sex marriage were to argue at the same time that polygamy should not be legalised in the UK (it carries a maximum prison sentence of seven years at present) then it would be incumbent upon that person to show why the one should be legal and the other not. It would be interesting to hear whether such a person could make such a case (for legal same sex marriage but illegal polygamy) without resorting to moral judgements about the nature of marriage - a thing that many liberal advocates of same sex marriage are reluctant to do. Indeed, many advocates of same sex marriage are highly critical of those who oppose it on moral grounds. 

If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS.

Driscoll, Marriage and Sex

Mark Driscoll's new book, Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship and Life Together, co-authored with his wife Grace, is rapidly contributing to reviews, comments and articles across the blogosphere. I haven't read the book (funny how many articles begin by saying that) but here are a selection of articles inspired by the book and the themes it addresses.

Methodist Morgan Guyton on Red Letter Christians confesses that he can make no sense of what he calls the "gender heirarchy" outlined in the Driscoll's book.

Rachel Held Evans summarises the book as the good, the bad and the ugly and in the process raises concerns about the assumption that evangelical pastors should be regared as competent to advise on such intimate issues as sex. :

Evangelicals expect too much of their pastors. In addition to demanding they serve as nearly flawless leaders and teachers, many of us demand that our pastors serve as professional counselors and advisors, experts on everything from politics to science to sex to health to money to marriage to relationships. 

Evans' appeal to look at the Biblical context as well as the Biblical content of the key marriage passages is also interesting.

Since David Moore of Fuller Theological Seminary states early on in his article that, "This book is an astoundingly unbelievable work of disrespect for women", there is no surprise that his review is largly critical.

Here in the UK, Christianity Magazine has released part of an interview with Mark Driscoll. The latter has subsequently described the hour-long interview as "adverserial." Driscoll has published a response to the article here.  

Researcher Ed Stetzer meanwhile notes that the topic of sex is being discussed by the world every day and asks the question of Christian leaders, How Should we Talk About Sex?  His five points are that Christians need to: 

• move beyond discomfort on the subject.   


• answer the critical questions people are asking. 


• hype does not help 


• teaching on sex, or at least the same levels of teaching on sex, is not for everyone. 


• talk more, not less, about sex

Lecturer and theologian John Armstrong expresses dispair at what he sees as the growing sensationalism of mega-churches on the subject of sex as he notes that:

Ed and Lisa Young, founders of Texas-based Fellowship Church, will spend 24 hours in bed on the church roof next week and stream themselves live on the Internet to encourage married couples to see firsthand the power of a healthy sex life as prescribed in their new book, Sexperiment.

As Armstrong says,

And some people actually wonder why young evangelical adults, who deeply love Jesus Christ, are now leaving evangelical churches in increasing numbers to go to more ancient churches. 

Is Marriage Equality Comprable to Racial Equality?

One of the arguments advocated in favour of same sex marriage is that the right inherent in such an arrangement is analogous to the right of people to receive equal treatment under the law regardless of their race or ethnicity.

Brian Brown, Executive Director of America's National Organization for Marriage, takes a different view:

"It is about a profound love and respect for an institution that the government did not create; an institution that predates churches, governments ...; an institution that brings together the two great halves of humanity – male and female.....

"I believe that this fight is the beginning of a new civil rights movement, and I don't say that in any shallow way.....

“A lot of African-American leaders … are tired of their struggle being hijacked by those who are attempting to use the civil rights movement to redefine marriage.....

“Marriage is not based upon race.... So trying to compare same-sex marriage to overturning laws against interracial marriage is comparing apples to oranges.”

source

If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS.