My Self Analysis

As this project is now coming to an end, I would like to make my last post a critical analysis of my growth as a thinker throughout this unit. Besides looking at my development as a thinker, I also would like to recap some of the major sides to this complicated issue of gay marriage and look into how my opinion may or may not have changed throughout the many weeks of my in depth research.

One thing that I certainly come to realize over the many posts I have constructed is that there are certainly two sides to this complicated binary issue. It has not been as clear cut or as black and white as I once thought it was. Coming into this project I basically saw gay marriage as morally "right" or "wrong." I never foresaw the countless other arguements that could both support and reject the right to same-sex marriage. The constitutionality of denying any American the right to marry, no matter their sexual preference, is one of the questions that I have investigated. (To see articles regarding the constitution and gay marriage click here and here). My personal opinion on this is that the ceremony of marriage is more religious based and not a government-guranteed right and therefore it is constitutional for Congress to establish marriage between strictly a man and a woman. The Bible has also become a big factor in the gay marriage question. While most Americans have traditionally used the Bible to condemn homosexuality and gay marriage, there is also a belief that the Bible does not actually label homosexuality a "sin." (Click on these two link to see how the Bible does not condemn homosexuality--here and here).In observing this, it is so amazing to me how one book of scripture can be interrpreted so differently by different people. While I do believe that the Bible contains references that speak against homosexuality, the main basis for my belief rests in my belief in latter-day revelation. As I discussed in my previous blog post, I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My belief in a prophet that leads our church and recieves revelation from God is my basis for why I am against gay marriage. "The Family: A Proclamation to the World," which I also mentioned in my last post, lays out the churches stance on the issue of marriage. It states that marriage is between a man and a woman and that families are ordained of God. I truly believe that the prophet of my church, President Gordon B. Hinckley, is called of God and that he reveives the words of God through revelation.

Although my opinion has not changed very much throughout this project, I have learned more on why some Americans are for the right to gay marriage. I have become much more knowledgable on both sides of the issue and I have come to understand more why people say that the right to marriage should be given to all Americans. I have learned not only to be open to differing opinions and beliefs but I also how to back up my beliefs and opinions with credible support. While consructing this blog I have learned to differintiate between what is credible evidence and what is not. I believe that because of this project I am a much stronger writer and much better at researching and analyzing any issue in question. I hope that this blog has been both interesting and imformative to all my readers and I appreciate the constant feedback that I have received. I encourage all those reading to look more into the issue of gay marriage for themselves and decide what feels right. It is certainly a huge issue in America right now and it will surley be a debateable topic for years to come. Every American should have their own supportable opinion if they don't already have one!

“The Family: A Proclamation to the World”

My religion has ultimately been the deciding factor as to why I am against the right to gay marriage. I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; most people may recognize us as the Mormons. In our church we believe in latter-day prophets and revelation. We believe that we have a prophet on the earth today that receives revelation from God for our church. In 1995, the prophet of our church, Gordon B. Hinckely, issued “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” Among many other things, it proclaims that marriage is strictly between a man and a woman and that it is ordained of God. Because of my sincere faith that the prophets that lead and guide our church are inspired by God, I have a deep and unwavering belief that marriage is between only one man and one woman and that same-sex marriage cannot be condoned.

Class Links

I have linked a few of my classmates blogs that are worth taking a look at. Over the course of this project, I have found these blogs not only quite informative but also very interesting. In their effort to explain their various opinion while avoiding any bias, my classmates have done a wonderful job of providing both sides of their binary issues.

The first blog I will link you to is http://gaymarriageinamericashoulditbeallowed.blogspot.com. As the name of the link suggests, it also deals with the issue of gay marriage. The author of this blog is for the right to gay marriage as opposed to me. While I have tried to explore both sides of this issue, I have tended to focus on the arguements that are against gay marriage. Check out this blog for a deeper look into the arguements in favor of gay marriage such as it's constitutionality. Not only is this blog extremely informative with numerous links to credible sources, but it is also fun and exciting. It is filled with several humerous cartoons regarding gay marriage that help to lighten the mood of this controversial matter.

Another excellent blog can be found at http://whatyouknowaboutmaryjane.blogspot.com/. This blog dives right into the issue of the legalization of marijuana. It contains countless facts regarding the benefits of marijuana that I myself knew little to nothing about. I believe that very few Americans know much about this issue and everyone would benefit greatly in being more informed by reading into this credible blog. With the proven fact that this "drug" is much less harmful than many substances, including alcohol, that are legal today, it makes it very difficult to argue against this simple "leaf" that many even use as a form of medical treatment.

The last blog I would recommend can be found at http://benefitsofscr.blogspot.com/2007/10/analysis-of-controversy.html. This blog provides an in depth investigation into the highly contended issue of stem cell research. The author of this blog is in favor of stem cell research and in support of his opinion he lays out the countless medical benefits that can come from this scientific work such as the possible discovery of cures to many diseases that at the moment do not have any. While there are many benefits, the author also does well in explaining the uncertainty of some aspects of this issue such as cloning. Considering this issues growing popularity, I would definetly check out this blog to learn more.

Implications of the Gay Marriage Issue

The question that I'm sure many have asked along this deep journey into the topic of gay marriage is, "So what would be the big problem if we just left things the way they are?" Well, for one, there is no national concensus on the legal issues regarding gay marriage. While I highly doubt that all American's will someday agree on whether gay marriage is right or wrong, there still needs to be a standard for all Americans to follow. That is something that at this moment we do not have. While some states have passed laws that permit the marriage of two homosexual partners, most do not allow this practice within their borders. Recently, this has caused major problems among differing states. Though one state may recognize a homosexual marriage as exceptable and allow them all the same rights and priviliges as another married couple, another state may not which raises the question of which state's law overrules? Surely the only way for some solution to come about is through the national government setting a standard that will overrule all lesser state laws. Though several amendments have failed to be passed in recent years, Congress has remained steadfast in trying to pass an amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Until this or another amendment is passed defining marriage in a specific manner, there will be no solution to the issue at hand. Either way, someone will be upset by the decision of the national government but atleast a decision will have been made and the current confusion and unrest settled.

A Few Good Links

I gathered a few good links related to the topic of gay marriage and grouped them together depending on the aspect of the issue they explore. Hopefully these will be helpful for anyone interested in looking deeper into the topic of gay marriage.

These sites explore the views of those that are for the right of gay marriage:
http://www.soulforce.org/article/homosexuality-bible?gclid=CLjmgdGq7o4CFSasGgodCSh0EQ
http://web.morons.org/feature/marriage.jsp
http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/Love%20Counts.pdf
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2vT3Plp6b4U

These sites explore the views of those that are against the right of gay marriage:
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Family/wm577.cfm
http://www.allianceformarriage.org/site/c.jjJZIgMWLwG/b.2002891/k.BDF9/Home.htm
http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=23359
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Family/MarriageDebate/ConsequencesMD.cfm
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Family/MarriageDebate/WhatCanBeDone.cfm

These are a few sites exporing the differing political views on the issue of gay marriage:
http://www.selectsmart.com/president/2008/comparethem.html
http://www.thetaskforce.org/downloads/reports/reports/final_candidates_positions.pdf
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/07/14/mccain.marriage/
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0beS3UjEfjU
http://www.docuticker.com/?p=9135
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2vT3Plp6b4U
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14037-2004Jul25.html

These are just a few random links that cover all sides of the issue:
http://web.morons.org/feature/marriage.jsp
http://ttssm.blogspot.com/
http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=23359
http://blogs.salon.com/0001137/stories/2003/08/14/gayMarriageendTheBan.html
http://www.loveisloveislove.com/
http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/mtarchive/002470.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Marriage_Amendment

Hope these links were a help in gaining a better understanding on the topic of gay marriage.

An Ever-Increasing Population

There has been an unprecidented growth in the gay, lesbian, and bisexual community within recent years. Between the 2000 and 2005 census the population of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals increased by 30% to 8.8 million Americans. There are now gay and lesbian men and women living in every county in the United States. With such large numbers of homosexuals still increasing in America, it seems that more and more support is gained everyday for gay rights including gay marriage. It seems only a matter of time before the majority of Americans who are against gay marriage will soon become the minority. We all, as citizens of this nation, need to stand up for what we believe and fight for our beliefs.

My Theory Post

Why can't the national government come to a consensus on a policy for gay marriage? For one, there is a large undecided debate over whether the national government even has the right to control the institution of marriage. There are many who believe that the government doesn’t have the right to interfere with the institution of marriage because it is a religious ceremony and not a government given right. Within the government itself, Congress cannot seem to come to any kind of conclusion on what decisions should be made to establish the true definition of marriage. Though many constitutional amendments have been put forth, both the House and Senate are still divided on the issue and not one has yet passed.