Activity #9

Should the opportunity for all individuals to be married exist? We allow same-race marriage, bi-racial marriage, same-religion marriage, bi-religious marriage, but we do not allow same sex-marriage. Should this change? Is this the right choice?
Sometimes I happen to be a bit on the fence about this topic, but for this discussion I will state that same-sex marriage should not be allowed. I can start quoting the Bible for you, but instead I will just summarize. Marriage is a legal union between a male and a woman. We find that in the Bible, we find it in nature, with animals and plants, and I think I can even go as far to say that magnets agree- the opposite charges attract each other and then belong.
I've heard the argument that gay and lesbian couples should have the same opportunity to be as miserable in their relationship as any heterosexual couple. I find that statement amusing and I can see the point they are making. But I still have to stand firm on what I was raised to believe and what I know to be truth from my religious background. God did not create man to be homosexual. When Satan was kicked out of heaven he became evil and then started tempting people and that is where things started happening. There are also other stories in the Bible about where God had to destroy cities because of homosexuality and other things.
I don't necessarily believe the things that some other people say who are opposed to same-sex marriage. It almost seems as though they are trying to come up with more excuses than are needed. I don't know the laws regarding hospital visitation and predecessor rights, but I thought that the person that was being hospitalized was allowed to allow the visitors they wished or the one writing the will was allowed to leave their possessions to the persons of their choice. And the acquisition of social security benefits is a joke. Even heterosexual couples can't collect social security anymore because there's barely any to be collected. The social security system has gone downhill since it's establishment. And like the article said, social security is for a family and the children within the family. In both articles they kept speaking in terms of same-sex couples not having children and the statistics for the ones who do have children in the household were under 50%.
As far as health benefits are concerned its hard enough for any American to try to get health benefits. And recently I've learned that heterosexual couples who aren't married and are living together are also either trying to or have already been able to use each other's benefits. This I believe is completely wrong in all aspects of the word. They are not in a "committed" relationship and things can go sour so easily.
Now I'm going to play devil's advocate and state why some sort of union or marriage between gay men or lesbians could be a good thing. They, like everyone else, can make good parents. One of my best friend's mom was once married to her father and then they divorced and now she is committed to her partner. They are two of the sweetest women I have met and I love them dearly and she and her partner love their children from each of their previous marriages and would do anything any other parent would do for them. I also have a best friend who is a bisexual (her status is somewhat confusing), but she still says that she will marry a man one day. I'm saying this because I want every person, no matter what group or groups they identify with, to be happy. But I can't go against my beliefs. So in my mind I almost feel as though I'm a hypocrite on the subject.
What I don't understand about the side that said same-sex marriage should be legalized is that all the argument seemed to be between same-sex couples without children and heterosexual couples with children. Am I the only one that finds this odd? These are two different groups of people in more ways than one. I think if they were to analyze these kinds of situations they should have done a survey or analysis on homosexual relationships with kids verses heterosexual relationships with kids and then homosexual relationships without kids verses heterosexual relationships without kids. I would have followed the discussion better had I not been sidetracked from this.