Traditional Marriage summary

This is borrowed with permission.  This is the best summary I've read about this issue and I agree with all the points made.  Of special concern is #8.  There are some serious unpleasant consequences very likely if we continue down this road of legalizing same sex marriages.  I am not against same sex civil unions, they should have all the same legal rights as a traditional married couple.  
Author's info at bottom.  


In response to a blurb floating around ff.net regarding gay marriage, here are some thoughts on traditional marriage...


1) Pristine wilderness, organic food, unpolluted drinking water, sustainable energy, and traditional marriage are good things that Americans ought to encourage and support.


2) Gay marriage is not about rights, it's about acceptance. Civil unions provide all the same legal rights as marriage, with the only difference between the two being the name. Legalizing gay marriage is an attempt to force people to accept homosexuality.


3) The same legal arguments that support gay marriage also support polygamy, polyandry, incest, and other relationships that society does not accept as valid.


4) Traditional marriage has been around a long time and hasn't significantly changed; it has even survived the burdens sometimes placed on it by misogynistic and racist cultures.


5) Brittany Spears' 55-hour marriage of convience is evidence that traditional marriage is already taken too lightly in American society and needs more protection, not less.


6) As an institution, gay marriage CANNOT produce children. Traditional marriage can. Children are our future.


7) There is a vast body of scientific evidence which states children learn behaviors and gender roles - both good and bad - from their parents.


8) Freedom of religious belief (including the belief that marriage is a sacred institution) is Constitutionally guaranteed. Governments outlawing as hate-speech against protected classes the belief that traditional marriage is ordained of God is a violation of First Amendment rights.


9) The best predictor of poverty in children isn't race or the educational level of their parents - it's single parenthood. Strong traditional marriages, with both a mother and a father in the home, is the best weapon we have against child poverty in America. Children are healthiest when they have positive role models for both genders. This happens best in traditional marriages, and for the health and wellbeing of children, traditional marriage ought to be encouraged and bolstered.


10) Traditional marriage is not just another aspect of American society, it is the bedrock of all societies. Technology, clothing styles, economies, religions, and governments all come and go, but the institutions of traditional marriages and families are foundational and enduring. Weakening the foundation destabilizes the entire structure.


11) It's wrong to throw rocks at people, shout ugly names at them, vandalize their houses with graffiti, or take away their employment without cause. This is true whether you are being cruel because they're gay or because they supported Proposition 8. Persecution by either side in the name of tolerance is an oxymoron.


If you agree with these statements, re-post them in your profile.

http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1318747/Eowyn77