True Adamance wrote:I think you are going out of your way to obfuscate my questions in hopes of a persuasive argument. You don't need to convince anyone....I think we are in universal agreement this is a positive movement. I'm merely asking where we might identify the origins of a contemporary wedding ceremony, from which cultures, and from which culture dominated by which religions.
Nah I just got a bit ranty there...I do that.
However that is a complex question, the obvious answer is as a western civilization our cultural idea of marriage originates in judeo-christian tradition. This presents a few facts that need to be taken into account.
1) the bible says nothing about gay marriage, in fact the only reference to homosexuality being a sin (I am aware of) is Leviticus 20:13, which presents multiple issues as Leviticus also has rules against eating shellfish and wearing mixed fabric, so can we really use this as a basis of moral judgement from a cultural standpoint while remaining intellectually honest? I would say no, further I have read interpretations that that passage from Leviticus is referring to the fact that women are to be treated as chattle according to the bible, so to lay with another man in that way is reducing him to an object etc. This also raises cultural questions that are for the most part ignored, but this is my more tangental point.
2) the more important fact is that Christianity has been splintered since before America was founded, and has many sects with many different beliefs and approaches to this issue, some have no problem with it some do not, so the question is which judeo-christian tradition informs our idea of marriage,and the answer is...all of them? None of them? Really the fact that our country was founded on the idea of freedom of and from religeon(most of the founding Fathers were not christian) means that ultimately the religious prescriptions of individual religeons within a cermony which traces its roots to them can be ignored as we please because again cultures, and views, and interpretations change and evolve.
3)more over our more recent shift towards multiculturalism means culturally no one culture(in this case judeo-christian hyperconservatives) have a right to impose their beliefs on others, especially if that is tangled with the law.
Does that make sense? God I'm terrible at expressing ideas sometimes...
Ok in case it doesn't let me put it this way: largely the concept of marriage in the west is influenced, and defined by judeo-christian tradition. However the culture of America and the ideals put forth has its influence as well and if we are to be honest to those ideals(equality etc.) then the ceremony (and law)can and should be updated and applied to and by whoever. Is that better?