Are Gay Marriage Opponents “Born This Way”?

One predictive factor in opposition to gay marriage — and even opposition to homosexuals themselves — is genetics. Certain people are more naturally averse to homosexuals and homosexual behavior than others. This means that, if it’s wrong to oppose homosexuality because certain people are “born that way,” then it’s even worse to oppose “homophobia,” since even more people are “born that way,” and the genetic link is stronger.

No, the Supreme Court Didn’t Just Legalize Gay Marriage.

President Barack Obama talks with Justice Sotomayor prior to her Investiture Ceremony at the Supreme Court September 8, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.

One of the biggest news stories this summer has been the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision last month in Obergefell v. Hodges which both declared gay marriage legal, and a constitutional right. Given this, both fans and opponents of the ruling have spoken of it as “legalizing” gay marriage nationwide. But it hasn’t. And it hasn’t, because it can’t, because the Supreme Court doesn’t have the power to do what it claims to have done.

About those Gay Marriage Flow Charts…

There are several flow charts trying to show the ridiculousness of religious opposition to same-sex marriage by making three claims: (1) Leviticus forbids homosexuality, but it also bans a bunch of other stuff, and nobody [a.k.a., no Gentile] actually lives by all those rules; (2) Paul seems to forbid homosexuality, but actually means something like temple prostitution; and (3) Jesus doesn’t mention homosexuality. Here’s why none of those arguments work.

Gay Marriage, Incest, and Polygamy

One of the most often-mocked arguments in the debate over “gay marriage” is the argument that permitting gay marriage leads to permitting incestuous marriages, polygamy, and the like.  The  problem is, the argument is solid, and I’ve yet to hear a coherent answer for it.  For example, Jon Davidson evades the argument, rather than answering it: Jon Davidson Bringing up… Continue reading Gay Marriage, Incest, and Polygamy

What’s the State Interest in Promoting Gay Marriage?

Over at Little Catholic Bubble, I’ve been talking about the most important question in the gay “marriage” debate: namely, “What is marriage?” What I’ve consistently found is that defenders of the traditional definition of marriage have a pretty good idea of what marriage is (or at least, is supposed to be), while advocates of gay… Continue reading What’s the State Interest in Promoting Gay Marriage?

Don’t be Shocked: Marriage Redefined

I still remember when I heard a clear defense for “same sex marriage” for the first time in college. The reasoning went along the lines of: “the only difference between same sex marriage and what is currently allowed is that some people think the sexual behavior of two men or two women is icky.” It… Continue reading Don’t be Shocked: Marriage Redefined

Why “Republican” Doesn’t Mean “Catholic”

Theologically-orthodox Catholics tend to be conservative.  That’s sensible. The GOP, as a party, sees more or less eye to eye with the Catholic Church on the major issues of the day: abortion, gay marriage, etc., and Republican small government views work well with Catholic views of subsidiarity (if you’re not familiar, this is, in a… Continue reading Why “Republican” Doesn’t Mean “Catholic”

A Blessing from the East: Russian Orthodoxy’s Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev

An Eastern Orthodox reader of Mark Shea’s blog asked: Have you ever heard of Met. Hilarion Alfeyev? He’s the No. 2 figure in the Russian Orthodox Church, the church’s chief diplomat. He’s only 44 years old. Super-brilliant guy, and startlingly open to the West. I heard him speak this past weekend in NYC, and let… Continue reading A Blessing from the East: Russian Orthodoxy’s Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev

The Obama DOJ’s Betrayal on the Defense of Marriage Act

Despite claiming during his presidential campaign that he opposed gay marriage, the Obama administration has intentionally undermined any attempt to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and the Justice Department has announced that they will not even defend the law (you can find Attorney General Holder’s letter here). There are a lot of good arguments… Continue reading The Obama DOJ’s Betrayal on the Defense of Marriage Act