Issue 4.15
The big news this week is that the US Supreme Court is going to make some decisions on the same-sex marriage issue, probably by this summer. Passions are high on both sides of this issue so perhaps this is a good time to step back and examine the government’s involvement in marriage in general and how that applies to this divisive issue.
The first issue is whether government should actually be involved at all. Historically, marriage has been an decision between two people or two people and their God or His representatives. Only in the past couple of centuries have governments become involved in this issue. Before that, it was handled by the tribe or the families. The marriage was either arranged by the parents or created by a couple living together in what is called common-law marriages which meant that the people understood that they had decided to be together and had made commitments to each other. Historical precedent came from countries where the religion was also the government such as in England, France, Italy, etc. The reason government is involved now is to socially “engineer” positive outcomes as perceived by that government. Where families are intact and committed, there is less poverty, less crime and more prosperity. That has induced governments to try to support or promote the ideal of family with one man, one woman and their children. There has also often been a religious component of that effort as people try to encourage rightness or righteousness within their country as they perceive it.
Traditional marriage has been attacked from many angles over the last 50-60 years as the media have portrayed infidelity, casual sex without commitment, lack of responsibility and morality as the norm and desirable. At the same time responsibility, morality and commitment have been derided as unexciting, boring and limiting. The declining values in society have led to accommodation and support for those who choose options other than traditional marriage and lifetime commitment. We are now in a situation where we are actually socially engineering the opposite outcome as the government taxes and punishes the traditional choice. My daughter had a hard time deciding to get married because their taxes as a couple would increase and the benefits for her children would disappear. That is why this becomes a big issue.
There is no doubt that marriage has historically been considered between man and woman. That is also true if you are a believer in Christian and many other religious traditions. There is also no doubt that it is wrong to discriminate against those who feel that non-traditional committed relationships are what they want or believe in. This applies to employment, housing, medical care and the perceived commitment they have to each other.
For many of us, the actions of the most strident in the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender) community are not a seeking for equal rights (which are available through contract law and removing discriminatory language in old legislation) but are seeking to either change the definition of marriage as it has stood for thousands of years or are seeking to actually destroy the concept of marriage and any benefits those who make such commitments receive as a result of their positive influence on society.
For many others, this is a civil rights issue, not an unalienable rights one which would involve the words “God-given” to their detriment. If they are successful in convincing the society and the Supreme Court that this rises to the level of civil (or government granted) rights, they will prevail. If not, the SC may decide that it is a State issue (since the Federal Government should not be involved in it at all) and the individual states can decide without interference from the Federal Government. Even better would be if the government would return that relationship to the people and/or their spiritual leaders where it belongs and stop trying to socially engineer us. That however, is extremely unlikely. They like having power over the people and seldom choose to relinquish it once it is in their grasp.
Lynn West is a thinker, a teacher and a patriot. You can reach him through email at forgingthefuture2021@gmail.com or through this newspaper. Liberty is a state of being which must be continually created. These articles can help all of us discover the ways we can contribute to that outcome.