Same Sex Unions

I take issue with the basic premise on which George Bush’s call for a same sex marriage amendment is based. The president states,” a few judges and local authorities are presuming to change the most fundamental institution of civilization.”

I thought the president was a student of history, but maybe he needs to a review. Throughout civilization, there have been differences in viewing this “fundamental institution”. The Bible permitted plural marriage and other cultures and religions also recognize marriage between a man and more than one woman. Marriage was not originally a governmental institution at all, but a religious blessing of a sexual union. Certainly the state and religious leaders have not always agreed on what constitutes this “fundamental institution”. Unions legal according to government have not always been recognized by churches. Plural marriages sanctified by Mormon churches were not given legality by the state. Legal marriage was once denied based on race even when blessed by religious authority. The definition of marriage is not a static one, but a culturally dependent one that has varied with changing religious views and our understanding of human rights.

I think that both those who are demanding “gay marriage” and those who ask for an amendment limiting marriage to a union between a man and a woman are missing the major issue. Marriage should be left to religious institutions.
In his State of the Union address, President Bush stated, “Our nation must defend the sanctity of marriage. The outcome of this debate is important -- and so is the way we conduct it. The same moral tradition that defines marriage also teaches that each individual has dignity and value in God's sight.”

Does granting a marriage license “sanctify” a marriage? I thought “sanctity” had something to do with a religious blessing. What business does a government claiming to promote religious freedom have in sanctifying anything or refusing to recognize marriages sanctified by religious organizations?

Which moral tradition is it that is defining marriage? The Mormon tradition? Early Hebrew? Unitarian Universalist? Pagan? Moslem? - Christian? Which Christian tradition? After all, a disagreement about the sanctity of marriage caused the split between the Catholic Church and the Anglicans.

The solution to this issue is for the state to grant a license for domestic partnerships without regard to the definition of marriage. Let religious institutions perform marriages and be concerned with their sanctity. All unions licensed by the state should be civil unions and as such, all members of our society should be accorded their equal and constitutionally guaranteed civil rights.