Possible Compromise?

As mentioned in a previous post of mine, there are many different perspectives one can take on the issue of whether same-sex marriage is something that should be banned.   Since the front of the debate sits mainly between the progressive movement, backed by the First Amendment of the Constitution, and the fundamental Christians, backed by their faith, the debate is highly polarized and emotionally based (in fact, it is hard to analyze this issue without bringing in an emotional stance to the floor). 

The sides argue this: the progressives say that same-sex marriage should be completely legalized because it is a violation of human rights to deny gay couples the same privileges that married straight couples have in contemporary times.  Those in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage also point to the opposing side’s use of religion to justify their stance as a violation of Constitutional rights, according to the First Amendment.  Finally, progressives cite the success of legalizing gay marriage in other countries around the world (such as South Africa, Argentina, or Norway) as motivators for having America do the same.

The Christian fundamentalists who oppose the legalization of same-sex marriage mainly claim that marriage between the same sex, or homosexuality in general, is a sin against God.  This claim is justified to them with excerpts from the Bible (the site I draw this source from obviously holds bias).  These excerpts are questioned by some though, for some more open-minded Christians believe that these passages are taken out of context (again, this site also holds bias, but it is difficult to discuss religious opinions objectively).  They also argue that tolerating gay marriage destroys the foundations of society by delivering the message that homosexuality is something to promote.

The debate over legalizing gay marriage remains an extremely polarized issue in the general public.  Though the hopes of having a consensus of philosophical acceptance in the near future is not feasible, a possible compromise could be made that would solve the debate politically.  The compromise would be to simply legalize secular gay marriage.  If a marriage is secular, then, to the church’s eye, God does then not recognize it.  So if the religious fundamentalists are not willing to negotiate opening the religious definition of marriage to include same-sex relationships, then maybe forging a law or amendment to the Constitution that would allow secular same-sex marriages to be nationally preformed might be a middle ground.  This way, gay couples could enjoy the rights that straight couples have, such as tax cuts or hospital visitation rights, without disturbing the wishes of the religious right.