Vermont Legalizes Gay Marriage

**KarlXII** · 04-09-2009, 17:59

Originally Posted by Rhyfelwyr

On earth, some people are enslaved, and others remain free.

Does this mean we should allow them to remain enslaved?

Also, to the "WELL GOD SAYS ITS WRONG!!!!1" folks, what would your reaction be if Muslims started pushing for all our hot Texan chicks to start wearing those head scarfs?

**Rhyfelwyr** · 04-09-2009, 18:17

Originally Posted by KarlXII

Does this mean we should allow them to remain enslaved?

Of course not, I just think Lemur was confusing spiritual equality with temporal equality. Men and women are quite clearly biologically different, by his interpretation of Galations 3:18 you would have to argue they are not.

**Lemur** · 04-09-2009, 18:24

Rhyfelwyr, you're choosing your interpretation of that passage. Fine by me, but don't pretend it's the only reading.

Apologies for this derailment. Here, something on-topic:

There is all sorts of empirical evidence that the public is growing more accepting of the idea of gay marriage. What happened in Vermont yesterday would never have happened five years ago. And it's not hard to see from the age breakdown of poll respondents where this issue is heading. How completely insulated and oblivious do you have to be to think public opinion on this issue is static?

I also love the casual assertion that "marriage is by nature the union of a man and woman," as if marriage is some sort of naturally occurring phenomenon like evaporation or mitosis. Marriage is a social construct. It's whatever we say it is. And it has meant many different things over the course of human history. For instance, polygamous marriage was once very common (still is in some parts of the world). And for many centuries, marriage was primarily a financial arrangement and a way of ensuring inheritance rights. Women were essentially bought and sold. The modern concept of love as a basis for marriage is of relatively recent vintage. And civil marriage is a very different thing than religious marriage (which itself differs from religion to religion and culture to culture). The idea that there is some sort of platonic essence to marriage is just rubbish. Marriage was created by human beings and human beings can choose how they want to define it.