More on Marriage

Excellent post by Timothy Kincaid on the core argument against same-sex marriage as expressed by Dr. Albert Mohler, who, as you may remember, is President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Distilled to its elements, Mohler’s argument is this:

Marriage is a differentiating term. And limiting the use of that term to heterosexuals will justly place limits on the stories, laws, families, and especially the aspirations of gay people. And that is a good thing. If gay couples are restricted from calling their relationships “marriage” they can be set apart and condemned. They should not aspire to be treated like me.

Now, of course, he does not put it in those terms. He’s neither a fool nor intentionally insulting. But behind his insistence on owning the words “marriage” and “husband” and “wife” is a proprietary instinct not based on his own reflections but rather on gay exclusions.

I think Kincaid has got it cold: the whole stance of the anti-gay religious right is that gays should not be treated equally. He sums up exactly what it is that Mohler and the rest of the anti-gay right want to stop:

Young kids coming out today dream of marriage and a fairytale life not unlike that of their classmates. They aspire to honesty, self worth, and advancement based on their merits, unhindered by discrimination or bigotry. And heterosexual kids today have expectations of their gay friends and siblings that mirror those placed on themselves.

Can't have that, now, can we?

Do I need to belabor the fact that Mohler's argument, and the entire campaign against gays by his colleagues, are fundamentally opposed to our basic American ideals and traditions? I didn't think so.

Kincaid's previous posts on Mohler and SSM are here and here.