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| Don't forget separation of church, state |
To the Editor:
After reading the article by Justin Boulmay, which opposes gay marriages,
I had one question left on my mind: What happened to separation
of church and state?
I respect that Christians think marriage was divinely intended for
men and women, but as I am not a Christian, I do not see how Christian
religious politics have any right to be influencing my personal
life.
I am a lesbian and hope, especially for the sake of my children,
that I will one day be able to marry my partner. My marriage will
in no way degrade the “sacred” Christian institution
of marriage because, a. I would never get married in a church, b.
marriage in our country has become increasingly less religious and
more a sign of the love and commitment between two people, and c.
my marriage is nobody’s business but mine.
Love is not degrading. The legal union of two people in love is
not necessarily religious. The president of the U.S. is trying to
wright discrimination directly into the constitution, and I dont
care what the Bible says, government must respect that there are
millions of non-Christians and pro-gay Christians in this country.
If an individual priest is against gay marriage, then he has the
right to personally refuse to do the ceremony. But the government
should never be allowed to interpret the constitution for any groups
religious interests.
Shannon Capezzali
Sophomore
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| Gay marriage should be up to couple |
To the Editor:
I am a Republican and a strong supporter of gay marriage, not despite
of being a conservative, but because of it.
As a conservative, I believe that the government should stay out
of personal matters and should protect rights instead of enforcing
morality. A ban on gay marriage violates all of the things I believe
in most deeply.
There are a number of components to marriage. Religious and spiritual
aspects, cultural values, morality, love and romance, and legal
contractual obligations.
The fact of the matter is that the only aspect of marriage that
the government has authority over is the legal aspect of marriage.
Government has no right to regulate values, religion, romance, or
anything of the sort. Perhaps the couple love each other, perhaps
not. Perhaps God approves of and sanctifies the marriage, perhaps
not. Perhaps the marriage is deeply moral, perhaps not. What ever
the case may be, the government can't pass a law based on what they
believe is right or wrong.
As far as the government is concerned, it is merely a legal contract
regulating financial obligations. Any moral, religious, cultural,
or romantic quality that nature entails is beyond the jurisdiction
of the government.
If people of the opposite sex can have such a contract, so can people
of the same sex.
A gay marriage is different for cultural and religious reasons,
but the idea that the government has authority to regulate a such
personal value is offensive to me, as it should be to anybody.
Corey Yost,
Cy001@boone.net
Graduate
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