Four Stupid Arguments For

TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE

…and one good one!

The current Marriage debate has many people worrying about the institution’s survival. More worrying is what the debate shows about the intelligence of those involved – most of the arguments stink.

1. “Tradition - It’s been this way for thousands of years, so why change it now?”

Slavery was also in vogue for millennia; does that mean it was right? Of course not. So tradition for tradition’s sake isn’t much of an argument.

2. Gay marriage will undermine Traditional Marriage

This argument may well be legitimate, but the next time a divorced politician brings up this point he should be arrested by the Hypocrisy Police. Will same-sex marriage ever undermine the institution as much as no-fault divorce already has?

3. “The courts are forcing gay marriage on us – MP’s are supposed to write our laws, not unelected judges!”

True, judges shouldn’t make law, but that’s not really the issue here. Gay marriage opponents would be just as unhappy if MP’s, rather than judges, redefined the institution. So this objection is nothing more than a “Red Herring” – a side issue brought in to confuse things. Let’s get back to debating the real issue please!

4. “Most Canadians are against changing Marriage.”

Just because most people think a certain way doesn’t mean that way is right. As my mother used to say, “If all the other boys jumped off a bridge, would you too?” Instead of focusing on what’s popular, we should try and figure out what’s right.

…and One good one

There is really only one good argument for Traditional Marriage: God created this institution so He gets to decide what it is, and isn’t.

That argument may not be very appealing to atheists and agnostics. But alternative is probably even more unappealing because the truth is if you reject God’s standard for Marriage you’re left with no standard at all.

ONLY ONE STANDARD

Some find God’s definition of Marriage too intolerant, so they want to replace it with something a little less discriminatory.

Justice Minister Martin Cauchon made that point when he argued for gay marriage saying, “There was a time in Canada, not that long ago, when it was perfectly acceptable that women could not vote.” In other words, since it was wrong to discriminate against women it must therefore be wrong to discriminate against gays on the basis of their sexual orientation.

But where does this new standard – that discrimination is always wrong – take us? Yes, gays will be allowed to marry, but this new standard justifies more than just gay marriage. After all, if two men can marry, why not three?

A ridiculous thought you say?

Well what about the bisexual? We discriminate against her, on the basis of her sexual orientation, when we require her to marry only one gender or the other. How can she live a fulfilled life in such a restricted setting?

And what of homosexual couples who want to have children? These couples, by necessity, require a third individual to propagate. For example, in New York, lesbian Beth Niernberg lives with two gay men who have both fathered a son by her. The three of them co-parent the boys, and the trio has agreed that should Ms. Niernberg find a suitable woman the group will become a quartet.

Suddenly we’ve entered the realm of polygamy and really, it only makes sense. If you reject God’s limits to Marriage then there’s really no reason to have limits at all. After all, if two men can marry, why not three?

Or why not one? In the Netherlands Jennifer Hoes decided to end her wait for the perfect man or woman, and instead married herself. And in France the government took a lesson from our Prime Minster Trudeau and decided, “the state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation.” Therefore they will now grant marital benefits to two heterosexual men who live together. After all, it really isn’t fair to discriminate against them just because they aren’t having sex.

If God’s standard for Marriage is rejected then absolutely anything is possible.

THE WAY IT WAS MEANT TO BE

The only anchor, the only firm foundation for Marriage is found in God’s design for the institution. His institution recognizes that men and women need each other, and that being male and female has real meaning beyond just our body parts. He knows that children need a mother and a father, parents who are committed to one another for life, so He hates divorce and adultery.

Over the last 30 years we’ve seen the damage that happens when we deviate from His standard. Instead of deviating further, isn’t it about time we did something to restore this institution to the way God meant it to be? It isn’t enough to be against gay marriage – it’s time we stood up for godly Marriage.