Blog: 77 Non-Religious Reasons to Support Man/Woman Marriage

When I was growing up, I never thought we'd actually be having a vigorous debate, much less a vote, over what marriage is and isn't.

But here we are, going into Tuesday's election, with our very own ballot measure: Question 6 upholds the new law that marriage is any two people; a vote against protects current law that marriage is one man, one woman. The outcome of whether or not marriage will be redefined is anybody's guess.

The debate this year has been anything but civil following a coercive series of events that began in the legislature, spearheaded by our own governor.  Just two highlights (and I'll skip the fact that the governor's wife, a sitting judge, called same sex marriage opponents "cowards.") Did you hear about the 14-year old Maryland resident who was the victim of a harassing website and death threats after she asked the General Assembly not to redefine marriage? 'Nuf said.

Then this fall, a Gallaudet University administrator lost her job for signing a petition that allows Maryland citizens to decide the definition of marriage (and after a month she still hasn't been reinstated.) This was their Chief Officer of Diversity, too - what an oxymoron!

The obvious conclusion: the civil and religious rights of all Marylanders are at risk if they disagree with this law. So the option is to be bullied into silence or disagree at your own peril.  Yes, I know, there are lukewarm protections for pastors but not for individuals or business owners that may not want to participate in same sex weddings. That's not the America I grew up in, nor did Patch readers. So I share these 77 common sense reasons to protect natural marriage for your consideration because the issue is far more complicated than most realize. We can support our gay and lesbian friends without redefining marriage. Maryland has a very liberal domestic partnership law which provides a host of medical and other insurance benefits. More facts here...

Here are a few points for starters, and if you're interested, you can follow the link below:

The issue is not about equality, but about redefining marriage away from its historical and inherent meaning.

The essential public purpose of marriage is to attach mothers and fathers to their children and to one another.

We can see the importance of this purpose by taking the perspective of the child: What is owed to the child? Unlike adults, the child does not need autonomy or independence.

The child is entitled to a relationship with and care from both of the people who brought him into being. Therefore, the child has a legitimate interest in the stability of his parents’ union. 

Click Here to read all 77 reasons.