[Vision2020] Gay Marriage, again

[Ted Moffett]

Douglas and All:

There are many religious points of view that could be referenced to 
establish laws regarding marriage.  If one of these points of view is 
rejected, as you suggest, to allow gay marriage, there are others that could 
be substituted that still do not allow multiple husbands or wives married to 
one women or man.  Or any sort of combination more than two people.

But from the point of view of allowing the most freedom to its citizens to 
chose the kind of family and/or community they want, I am not sure in the 
final analysis why the state should ban multiple husbands or wives.  If a 
woman loves two men, who both love her dearly, and they decide that a family 
based on this triad would work, we can come up numerous reasons why this 
should or should not be allowed, both secular and religious reasons both pro 
and con, from many points of view.

Why should the state disallow legal marriage between, for example, three 
people?  We know such arrangements in fact exist, they are just not legally 
recognized.

This question I will not attempt to answer.

Ted

>From: Douglas <dougwils@moscow.com>
>To: vision2020@moscow.com
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Gay Marriage, again
>Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2003 10:25:49 -0700
>
>
>Visionaries,
>
>My question and concern is this. If we stop imposing a particular religious 
>view through the mechanism of civil law (which is, we agree, what our 
>current laws amount to), and we do this for the sake of allowing homosexual 
>marriage, what logical reason do we have for stopping there? We suddenly 
>cannot arbitrarily reimpose the religious view we just rejected (for the 
>sake of limiting marriages to two persons). Your interest may be limited to 
>the allowance of homosexual marriages, but those responsible for the law 
>over the entire society have to keep in the front of their minds that there 
>are other requests/demands that will be made almost immediately. And the 
>polygamists will be near the head of the line of those making them.
>
>Cordially,
>
>Douglas Wilson
>
>
>
>At 04:32 PM 8/5/2003 -0700, you wrote:
>>Doug writes:
>>
>>>Melynda, your last paragraph surprised me. Given what you acknowledge as 
>>>common practice throughout history, how could we exclude a man's two 
>>>wives (for example) from ICU unless we are willing to impose a particular 
>>>religious view of marriage through the mechanism of civil law?
>>
>>I'm not sure I understand the question.
>>
>>Our current marriage laws are indeed a consequence of, as you say, 
>>imposing a particular religious view of marriage through the mechanism of 
>>civil law.
>>It's true that the number as well as the sex of the potential partners is 
>>regulated, and their degree of consanguinity and their age. Once upon a 
>>time their races were also policed, and in some places, their intelligence 
>>and "fitness to reproduce" as defined by the state.
>>
>>My point was simply that questions of policy regarding polygamous 
>>marriages are quite separate from questions of policy regarding same-sex 
>>marriage.
>>Neither one implies the other, and although there may well be people on 
>>Vision 2020 who have well-defined ideas about public policy on polygamy, I 
>>am not one of them.  I can only speak to the issues of same-sex marriage 
>>with any degree of expertise.
>>
>>Limitedly,
>>
>>Melynda Huskey
>>
>>Go, said the bird, for the leaves were full of children,
>>Hidden excitedly, containing laughter.
>>Go, go, go, said the bird: human kind
>>Cannot bear very much reality.
>>Burnt Norton, T.S. Eliot
>>
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