Marriage

Over the past few years, I've grown increasingly Libertarian. I like to think we're all mature enough to do what we want, as long as we don't hurt other people. It's a good thought, at least.

I could really care less if someone decides to stay home, smoke some weed, eat some Cheetos and pass out on his couch. It's not my concern what another person decides to do in the privacy of his own home.

Of course, when they endanger others, that's a different story. If someone is driving while high, then that's understandably society's concern.

I feel the same way about homosexuality- I'm not a fan of it, but I really don't care if people choose that lifestyle. That's their business. If people want to stick their hoo-ha in a doughnut, so be it. This is America. I get that.

However, I have a semantics problem with gay "marriage." Not a philosophical one, mind you. I don't care if someone wants to live with a cucumber the rest of their life, much less a homosexual person. You can draw up papers and have witnesses and a big party- voila! you're attached to whatever the hell you want to be attached to. Congratulations.

My source of this displeasure stems from two sources:

1) The government never should have been given the power to marry people.

In our society, marriage has a definite religious connotation. Being largely a Judeo-Christian based nation (references to God in founding documents, on currency, etc.) marriage is traditionally viewed as a Christian institution. This stems from Paul's analogy to marriage as a sacrament, analogizing the institution to the marriage of Christ to His church.

Thus, Christianity (ideally) raised marriage beyond its paganistic and economically propelled roots. It became more than just a social contract- it was, as Augustine hypothesized, a melting together of two souls.

I like to think this is true. I like to think that my soul has been combined with my wife's, and that I'm no longer the same person I was when we were married. Instead, we are one new person together, inhabiting two physical shells.

(This is also why divorce is disfavored- or at least, used to be. Divorce was seen as a tearing of the soul, as opposed to a choice of convenience. A lot of people used to stay together simply because there are few things worse than a torn soul, even if it meant they were unhappy.)

If you follow this vein, the separation of church and state should have precluded the state from the ability to join people in matrimony. They could have authorized "civil unions" or whatever the hell you want to call it, but not marriages. Such was not in their jurisdiction. The preacher prays at the funeral, but the state simply prints out a death certificate. They aren't qualified too- and don't even attempt- to eulogize at the funeral. It's not their place.

The state should only register that the two have agreed to live together, instead of the formalistic state event that now transpires. More along the lines of a common-law marriage, which is basically a civil union.

2) Call it what you want, just not "marriage."

Give them the same rights, the same abilities, the same opportunities, but don't call what they have "marriage." Because it's not one. I get the fact that two people of the same sex may choose to live together and in much the same way that people of the opposite sex do- but that doesn't make it the same thing. By using that term, they're piggybacking on the tradition of what marriage is.

Marriage is more than just a joining of two people- just as the sacrament, to Christians, is more than a bread wafer. You don't see Olive Garden advertising, "Soup, salad, and body of Christ" do you? Of course not. Even though they're arguably the same thing. But it's the faith and connotation of the bread that makes it different- something Olive Garden can't supply.

Gay marriage insults the connotation of marriage.

They should either come up with their own word or go with something like "civil unions." Then they can form their own traditions. If they did that, I'd be all for it.

Just don't call it marriage.