For so long I have defined marriage as the ultimate union between man and woman. It is the pinnacle celebration of love and commitment; a joyous event that unites the diverse lifestyles of two individuals for a lifetime.
Or at least it’s supposed to last a lifetime. And it is supposed to between man and woman.
However, homosexuality in today’s society is growing faster than a case of foot fungus. In fact, studies indicate that one out of every five teenagers in the U.S. will come out of the closet.
Though no one can explain this recent uproar of “gay power”, one issue still remains homogeneous. Should the privilege of marriage be extended to homosexuals in America?
Many states across the nation, state that it violates the core values of religion. But what happened to the concept of separating church and state? Wasn’t the country founded to escape the persecution of being forced into religion? Since when has the U.S. acted upon the beliefs of the church?
If state officials take action against gay marriage, then they must also disallow everything within their state that falls under the category of religious immorality. That includes pornography, capital punishment, abortion, gambling, working on Sundays and anything that fits the profile.
They must also reinstate anything religious that may have been eradicated, such as prayer in schools. Since most, including myself, would view these proposals as being ludicrous, the state government’s allegations should be viewed the same way.
It is appalling that of all the issues that could have been abolished due to their religious immorality (i.e. slavery), state regulators feel it is just to use religion against gay marriage.
Gay marriage is no more secular than many of the daily habits in this country. If U.S. officials can allow “The Whisper Song” to air across radio waves and hamburger ads featuring Paris Hilton half naked on a car, then we have no right to stop homosexuals from marrying each other.
When this country operates totally and completely under the ideals of religion is when we can make an argument against gay marriage. Until then, we must tolerate it.
Morgan L. McDaniel is a sophomore architecture student from Detroit. He can be reached at morgan1.mcdaniel@famu.edu.