An argument for the legalization of same sex marriage by a conservative Christian Im a 24 year old political conservative, and Im also

a Christian. There is an issue thats been on my mind lately. Its an issue that has gained tremendous national attention as well as traction over the recent past. I write this piece in hopes of injecting reason into the debate of homosexual marriage/marriage equality. Im quite sure there will be both negative and positive reaction to this, but Im equally sure that many of you will be surprised at my angle on this matter. To begin, we must define what the debate is actually about, and what it is not. Two general debates can be had over this issue: Is same sex marriage morally just? and Should same sex marriage be legal? I often hear people arguing these two questions in the same debate. In my opinion, this is a mistake. These two issues are mutually exclusive. There are laws that some folks may view as immoral, just as there are illegalities that other folks may view as perfectly moral. For the sake of this article, I will focus only on the second question: Should same sex marriage be legal? Therefore, I ask you to try and approach this article with an open mind and to always be thinking from a legal perspective, regardless of how you view the issue morally. I will first approach this debate from the Christian aspect. Now remember, Im not discussing the morality of same sex marriage. Rather, Im exploring whether or not I, as a Christian, can justify supporting the legality of same sex marriage. Generally speaking, the widely accepted definition of a Christian marriage is the unification of a man and woman under God. Under a Christian marriage, divorce is impermissible except in the case of sexual immorality (Jesus said this, not me. See chapter 19 in the book of Matthew). From this alone, we can already gather that Christian marriage and legal marriage are not always one and the same, as there are plenty of divorces that occur due in no part to sexual immorality. To put it another way, Christian marriages are always legal, but legal marriages are not always Christian (consider a marriage between two atheists). This is because it is not the governments job to oversee and regulate Christian marriages. This job belongs to those individuals who are engaged in a Christian marriage themselves. Now that weve established that there are already multiple kinds of marriage, Id like to move on to the aspects of personal rights and free will. As a political conservative, I generally believe in a reduced role of government and more room for individuals to act according to their own will while taking responsibility for their own actions. I dont want government telling me what I should believe, nor do I want it mandating that I abide by the particular rules of any given religion. For instance, I would find it rather oppressive if my government had laws requiring I abide by the parameters of Islam or Judaism, as I am not a member of either faith. Therefore, why should homosexuals not be allowed to wed due to the beliefs of a religion that they may not even subscribe to? We dont have laws in place that ban marriages between atheists, do we? One of the beautiful things about this country is that Im legally free to worship my God without being oppressed. The freedom that I enjoy is the same freedom that allows others to not worship God or to not believe in Him altogether without oppression. This freedom in and of itself is a Christian principle. I believe that God granted us all free will. He wants us to love and worship Him by our own accord, not because a government or law dictates that we have to. In my opinion, to not legally allow same sex marriage is to infringe upon the innate right of free will

instilled in all of us by God Himself and on which the basis of this country is founded. Contrary to popular belief, I therefore find it quite Christian-like to support the legality of same sex marriage. The bottom line is that you dont have to agree with the morality of same sex marriage in order to see the reasoning behind why it should be legal. Before wrapping up, Id like to address the political side of this issue. Most conservatives are against the legalization of same sex marriage because a large percentage of conservatives are also Christians. Now Ive already discussed why it is justifiable for a Christian to be okay with the legalization of same sex marriage. I now want to address fellow conservatives on a political note. The Republican Party has lost a lot of credibility among young moderates due to the debate on this issue. This makes it very difficult to get the message of conservatism across to these voters. How can they take us seriously on more immediate issues such as the national debt when we seem so unreasonable on an issue that is so easy to comprehend in their eyes? Liberals, I now speak to you. I believe you are on the correct side of this debate. Homosexuals should have the same right to marriage that heterosexuals enjoy. What concerns me, however, is the dialogue between the two sides. Stereotypes have made this debate very toxic. Accusing conservatives and Christians of bigotry is not the way to win the debate. This only inflames the situation, making it much more difficult for your point of view to be seen. The goal should be to win the debate with reason and logic, not with mudslinging and stereotyping. There will always be bigots out there, but to label whole factions of people based on the actions of few is wrong. All the negativity I hear coming from both sides of the debate is what in fact inspired me to write this. Specifically, Im tired of being labeled a bigot because of my political and spiritual beliefs. I could go on with this piece, but Im only looking to provide food for thought. Hopefully some of you will see the reasoning in what Ive had to say, and perhaps even some of you will agree.