(William Bennett & Andrew Sullivan)If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their heads. – Leviticus 20:13.
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: . . . . . .
homosexual offenders. . . . . will not inherit the kingdom of God.
– 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. -Leviticus 18:22. Marriage has always been a long time contract between two people. Recently, same-sex marriages have been made legal in some states. The incorporation of children complicates the society in a belief that this form of marriage is immoral and produces hardship not only for the couple but for the child as well.
What role do these parents play Who is the mom and who is the dad or should there even be a mom and dad. Some argue that marriage is by definition between a man and a woman. But for centuries, marriage was by definition a contract in which the wife was her husband’s legal property and since then, this has been change. For centuries, marriage was by definition between two people of the same race. And we changed that. Many believe that marriage is only about raising children, but we let childless heterosexual couples be married.
Why should gay couples be treated differently? Others fear that there is no logical difference between allowing same-sex marriages and sanctioning polygamy. But the issue of whether to sanction multiple spouses (gay or straight) is completely separate from whether, in the existing institution between two unrelated adults, the government should discriminate between its citizens. According to the Bible same-sex marriages would be immoral and sinful. Being gay and loving another person is certainly not illegal, but uniting that couple in marriage is not only rejected by most of society but also by Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
I find same-sex marriages unacceptable, but I know that not all people believe in the Bible and we do have freedom of religion in the United States. Even though I do not approve of same-sex marriages, according to our laws there is really no reason why the marriages should not take place other than my own beliefs through what I would taught through the Bible. However, if these marriages are to take place, there should be limitations on these type of marriages. Marriages of the same-sex should not involve children. There is no natural way that two people of the same-sex could possibly have children of their own and should not be given custody of a child or the ability to adopted a child. But all things being equal, I do believe that child is being deprived of crucial, necessary two-sexing essentials in parenting.
That it takes a man and a woman to produce that third person is the most basic proof that a child needs both parents. Children who have parents of the same-sex would be harassed by other children and considered an outcast. An innocent child put in a situation that would be emotionally stressful for most of their youth-there is no need. Being gay should never result in being harassed, hated or hurt.
But sadly, being gay also should never mean being able to marry or adopt. Everything in life has a price. Being childless is a high price. But a child’s basic needs must always supersede the desires of an adult. Children must always come before oneself. Each of the writers has their own opinion about the topic of same-sex marriages.
William Bennett brings his Christian values to his side of the argument and uses more ethos and logos than pathos in order to get listeners to pay attention and believe in what he believes. Bennett refers to the Bible and other documented evidence to get his point across. Also, Bennett seems to be very traditional when he said, Consider: the legal union of same-sex couples would shatter the conventional definition of marriage (Bennett 63). Bennett uses the word conventional to mean traditional.
Bennett uses the Bible so that Christians can believe him more and fear what he has to say. For the Christian groups that are reading this, they agree because he seems to have evidence on the subject. Bennett brings the Bible into his argument: Marriage is an honorable estate, instituted of God and built on moral, religious, sexual and human realities, (Bennett 613). Sullivan believes that marriage is a process in which a person wants to commit to another person in front of their family and country for the rest of their lives. It is also the most simple, the most natural and the most human instinct in the world. Sullivan uses pathos more than logos and ethos, which is in contrast of Bennett.
He talks about gays and lesbians being part of the same society that we live in and they should be given the right to marriage and steers people toward their emotions. Sullivan continues to talk about the differences we have overcome within the last hundreds of years to include racial, gender roles and believes that we can look beyond same-sex marriages. Based on both articles, I believe in Sullivan only because I am an emotional person and his argument came from the heart. Morally, I know it is not correct to love a person of the same-sex, but if thats the way that people feel then who are we to deprive them of that love. However, I do not think that getting married as a way to express their unconditional love and commitment to each other is the answer. What matters is that you love each other but you do not need to solidify your marriage with a piece of paper.
Sullivan wrote a book called Love Undetectable and wrote an editorial about homosexual marriages called Let Gays Marry which was featured in Newsweek. William Bennett is the editor of The Book of Virtues. Bennett is also one of the creators of Empower America which is an organization that gives access to individuals to be heard on any media technology. William Bennett has served as Secretary of Education and Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities under President Ronald Reagan and as a Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President George H. W.
Bush. His editorial entitled Leave Marriage Alone was also published in Newsweek. BIBLIOGRAPHYHoly Bible ( “Gay marriages should be allowed, state judge rules,” The Wall Street Journal, Dec. 4, 1996Bennett, William
