If you would like to be able to defend marriage in the public square whether it be at the water cooler, at your parish Bible study, or among your gay friends, a recent article “What is Marriage?” written by these folks:
Sherif Girgis
Princeton University Department of PhilosophyRobert George
Princeton University – Department of PoliticsRyan T. Anderson
University of Notre Dame Department of Political Science
published in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy is a must read. The argument they make, although quite academic, is also very accessible to those of us who don’t have advanced degrees in philosophy or public policy. The article does not address the morality of homosexuality or religious reasons why same-sex marriage is not possible (it should go w/out saying that Catholics must oppose the homosexual agenda). Instead it uses only rational arguments to corner marriage revisionists into explicitly defining marriage. The article is excellent and I can’t foresee anyone being able to make a solid case against it (for sure – no one has yet). What makes me really excited about this article is that if you present these arguments as they are, then the charges of bigotry that will be slung against you are more obviously fallacious. From the article:
Revisionists, moreover, have said what they think marriage is not (for example, inherently opposite sex), but have only rarely (and vaguely) explained what they think marriage is. Consequently, because it is easier to criticize a received view than to construct a complete alternative, revisionist arguments have had an appealing simplicity. But these arguments are also vulnerable to powerful criticisms that revisionists do not have the resources to answer. This Article, by contrast, makes a positive case, based on three widely held principles, for what makes a marriage.
They nailed it there. The only argument that marriage revisionists have is the same argument that Cleansing Fire haters have at it all resorts to name calling – “You are a hateful bigot”. It amazes me how hypocritical such name callers are. If anyone else has had the joy of seeing the fckh8 youtube video then you certainly know what I mean. For those who haven’t seen it, I don’t suggest watching the original – watch this instead.
The Harvard Journal article is 43 pages. Although it’s not a difficult read, if you’d like a shorter read, this NRO article uses much of the same logic (so it’s kind of like a shorter version).
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/245649/case-marriage-editors?page=1
If you finish reading and are curious if there are responses from marriage revisionists out there, check out these two where the authors of the article respond to a couple of attempts to poke holes at the original article (the first, though flawed, is polite. the second – not so much).
http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2010/12/2263
http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2010/12/2277
Tags: Homosexual Agenda, Homosexuality
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