[Faith-talk] article4

Mon Nov 10 09:19:07 UTC 2008

Well, you just summed it up for me.  You want to believe what you want to believe, what God says doesn't matter in the end.  Am I right?

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   There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. 
 1 Samuel 2:2
~~~

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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Beth" <thebluesisloose at gmail.com>
To: "Faith-talk,for the discussion of faith and religion" <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, November 10, 2008 12:45 AM
Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] article4

> Hah.  This is the only article worth reading to me.  Both sides in the
> case are right, but I believe I have a right to take the side I'm on
> because I don't like to see people get hurt and see them be
> discriminated against and placed below the normals, the sighted folks,
> the able-bodied, and the normal-thinkers.
> Beth
> 
> On 11/9/08, Corey Cook <ccook01 at knology.net> wrote:
>> What's Really at Stake in the Gay Marriage Debate? Part 4
>> Albert Mohler
>> President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
>>
>> October 27, 2008
>>
>> Writing more than twenty years ago, Thomas Sowell described the basic
>> worldview clash we observe today as a struggle between "constrained" and
>> "unconstrained" visions of humanity.  The fundamental distinction between
>> these two visions is moral, but the thrust of each is ideological.  The
>> constrained vision may be considered basically conservative, while the
>> unconstrained vision is basically liberal, in modern terms.
>>
>> There is great wisdom in Sowell's analysis, and in his book, The Conflict of
>> Visions. But the greatest achievement of this book is Sowell's insistence
>> that political struggles have ideological origins.
>>
>> This is certainly true with reference to the political struggle over
>> same-sex marriage.  In California, the controversy is over "Proposition 8"
>> on the November ballot -- a measure that would amend the state's
>> constitution to establish marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
>> Voters in Arizona and Florida will face measures that would disallow
>> same-sex marriages.
>>
>> Nationwide, we face efforts to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (a repeal
>> championed by Sen. Barack Obama) and to achieve same-sex marriage through
>> the courts.  State by state, the issue is constantly reshaped and reframed.
>>
>> At the same time, there is a sense that the public is shifting its
>> perception of the issue.  When the issue is framed as simple fairness,
>> Americans increasingly seem to tire of arguing that sexual behavior or
>> orientation (at least in terms of homosexuality) should matter when it comes
>> to the basic rights associated with marriage.  This trend is especially
>> noticeable among the young.  Younger Americans, by and large, see
>> homosexuality as part of the recognizable landscape and within the normal
>> range of human behaviors.
>>
>> All this represents a massive shift in perception over a relatively short
>> period of time.  The activists promoting the normalization of homosexuality
>> have been tremendously successful in their efforts.  The mainstream media,
>> the educational elites, and various culture shapers have pushed this cause.
>> Today, on the average college or university campus, homosexuality is not
>> considered to be a major moral issue.  Any discrimination against
>> homosexuals, on the other hand, is considered a moral issue of urgency and
>> outrage.  In much of the culture, it is considered increasingly immoral to
>> assert that homosexuality is immoral.
>>
>> There is no real ground for compromise between these two visions and
>> perspectives.  Both sides frame their argument in moral terms.  Advocates of
>> the constrained vision argue that humanity is heterosexual by default and
>> design and that homosexuality is thus an aberration to be sanctioned and
>> discouraged.  Advocates of the unconstrained vision argue that homosexuality
>> is just one among several acceptable options for humanity.
>>
>> This framework for analysis helps to explain why the two opposing sides in
>> this controversy see the issue in such starkly different terms.
>>
>> Those opposed to same-sex marriage see marriage as an essentially
>> heterosexual institution that is fundamental to human happiness and the
>> well-being of civilization.  Those who support same-sex marriage see
>> limiting marriage to heterosexuals as a way of exercising patriarchal
>> oppression against sexual minorities.  Marriage is seen, therefore, as an
>> obstacle to human happiness and autonomy that must be either destroyed or
>> radically revised.  The quest for this radical revision is seen as an act of
>> human liberation.  To the conservative, this is a mortal blow directed at
>> the very heart of the culture.
>>
>> Moral conservatives see homosexual behaviors as matters of grave moral
>> concern.  Moral liberals and libertarians see homosexuality as no more
>> morally significant than the color of one's eyes.  It's just part of what
>> makes some people who they are.
>>
>> Adding credence to Sowell's argument, a person's position on same-sex
>> marriage is a very good predictor of positions held on other issues as well.
>>  Careful observers know that this is no coincidence.  A cadre of liberal
>> Hollywood celebrities supports same-sex marriage as what they call a civil
>> rights issue and recently held fundraisers that produced millions of dollars
>> to defeat Proposition 8.  Meanwhile, opposition to same-sex marriage is most
>> discernable among conservative Christians and other conservative groups like
>> the Mormons.
>>
>> The middle ground is fast disappearing, even as arguments based in a
>> framework of natural law seem to carry no public force.  This leaves
>> conservative Christians -- evangelicals in the main -- as the bulwark of
>> opposition to same-sex marriage.  For evangelicals, the question is always a
>> question of what the Bible teaches, and the Bible straightforwardly presents
>> homosexual behaviors as immoral and sinful -- and in stark terms.
>>
>> Believers committed to biblical authority will find no way to avoid this
>> controversy, and no ground for accepting the "fairness" argument.  If the
>> Bible is the revealed Word of God, then we know that homosexuality is a sin
>> of great spiritual consequence.  Those who reject the authority of the Bible
>> will, in the end, likely come to accept some argument for the normalization
>> of homosexuality and homosexual relationships.
>>
>> Despite their massive and contentious collision over this great question,
>> the two opposing sides in this controversy are agreed on one major point --
>> the importance of the issue.  Both sides believe that the victory of their
>> position on this issue is a precondition for true human happiness and human
>> thriving.  And, truth be known, both sides see the other camp as a threat to
>> human happiness and well-being.
>>
>> To a significant degree, these opposing camps define almost all of reality
>> in starkly different terms.  Both sides bring energy and passion to the
>> public square.  Both sides see the controversy as a battle for the future of
>> civilization.
>>
>> On that point, at least, both sides are right.
>>
>>
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>>
>> Find this article at: http://www.crosswalk.com/news/commentary/11583981/
>>
>> Corey Cook
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> 
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