First of all, I want to thank those of you who gave me some good suggestions and feedback in my letter to the editor/newspaper.
As part of the context, I live in a conservative area so I had to be "careful" in discussing the issue of marriage equality. And this is the first time I have wriiten to the newspaper with a letter, and I am pleased that it was chosen to be published.
What do you think ?
I have just a few thoughts about marriage equality or same sex marriage.
I believe that, as a principle, it is not wise to establish a civil
law based on proclaimed “divine
revelation” or the doctrine of a church, because it begs the question
- on which religious doctrine
or interpretation do you base such a law ? We have seen from the
Taliban how dangerous it is to
base secular law on religious doctrine.
Instead, we the people of the United States, have The Constitution.
Our Constitution states
that every citizen enjoys equal rights and protections. Therefore,
discrimination in civil
marriage based on a person’s race or gender is wrong.
Churches have a constitutional right to determine the nature of
marriage in their congregations. However, churches do not have the
right to determine the nature of marriage in civil society.
Like the question of interracial marriage years ago, the issue of same
sex marriage is a civil rights issue. The issue for me is not whether
I agree or disagree with same sex marriages. The issue for me is equal
protection and rights for all citizens guaranteed by our Constitution.
It is like free speech: I may or may not agree with what you say, but
I will defend your right to
say it, as guaranteed by the Constitution.