Posted by
Edmond Long on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 10:33:09 AM
Is being honest hateful? Certainly, anyone can tell the truth with hateful motives, but is the truth itself hateful? Should we be afraid of telling the truth? Especially, should we be fearful of the truth in public discourse? Indeed, can we be intellectually honest in defending a position we hold and not be truthful?
For instance, in arguing the merits of same-sex marriage, should we avoid stating our position by referring to certain obvious realities about homosexuality. If one were to argue all human beings are born biologically (and, thus, genetically) predisposed to heterosexual behavior, is that argument hateful? One cannot refute the truth of the assertion of the fundamental biological design of men and women. Men and women are designed for heterosexual intercourse. No biological design exists for homosexual behavior.
In the recent Miss USA Pageant, Miss California was asked her view of same-sex marriage. She answered by stating honestly her conviction: marriage is for a man and a woman. Now the judge who asked the question, Perez Hilton, a homosexual, has declared Miss Prejean’s answer to be homophobic. By not endorsing same-sex marriage, Miss California, and anyone else who advocates traditional marriage, is, thus, a homophobe. Why?
Even in the heyday of the Roman Empire, where bi-sexuality was widely practiced among the social and political elite, same-sex marriage was unknown. Sexual relations between two people of the same sex, most often between two men, was understood for what it was: recreational sex. Neither did all Romans endorse such behavior. Juvenal was scathing in his 9th satire in his views on homosexual behavior.
So, why is one considered to be homophobic when he refuses to accept homosexual behavior as the moral equivalent of heterosexuality? Is a person being hateful when he refuses to elevate homosexual behavior to the same category as heterosexuality? Let us reiterate a truth: we are all born genetically predisposed to heterosexual behavior. Even if one accepts the theory of evolution as the explanation for all life forms, he would be hard-pressed to find in evolution a logical explanation as to why a person would be born homosexual.
Marriage is as old as humanity. In the biblical account of creation, humanity was made male and female and given the task of replenishing the earth. Now, in some cultures (including ancient Israel), polygamy has been practiced as a legitimate form of marriage. But, polygamy is a form of heterosexual behavior. Further, in cultures where polygamy has been accepted, most often, only clan, tribal, and national leaders engaged in the practice. Historically and universally, monogamous, heterosexual marriage has been the model for marriage.
In the modern era, courts and legislative bodies have been extending the “right” to marry to homosexuals. Why only homosexuals? Why do we not endorse polygamy or polyandry? Procreation is not an issue in same-sex marriages, so why not allow others, for whom procreation is not the fundamental purpose of their sexual activities, to marry as well? Recently, some have advocated for triad marriages. Why should they not be granted the “right” to marry? Upon what basis will courts and legislative bodies refuse them the right to marry?
Are we not being hateful when we refuse anyone the right to marry because of the nature of their relationship? We might want to argue the unnaturalness of a triadic marriage, but can we so so and not be guilty of being hateful and mean-spirited? The myth of Pandora and her box goes far in explaining our current situation. Once the “marriage box” was opened to homosexuals, we cannot close it to others. Legislators and judges in Vermont, Massachusetts, Iowa, Maine, and Connecticut have created this dilemma.
With no thought given to the basic meaning of marriage, these enlightened social architects have, according to the Book of Job, sown the wind; we are now just beginning to reap the whirlwind. In a culture in which the rights of individuals always supercede the integrity and health of the community, chaos is inevitable.