gay marriage

Again, I will mainly be focusing on the US in this debate, and will try to determine gay marriage's constitutionality. I. Presenting My Arguments I. i. Gay Marriage Is Beneficial to the Economy Gay marriage increases spending and tax revenue: "What gets a boost? In addition to reception site, jewelers, vacation destinations, photographers, restaurants, apparel and accessories sellers, florists, musicians, limo services, stationery stores, and clergy, think about these economic impacts: tax revenue on all of the above marriage licence fees According to the Williams Institute, state and local revenues from taxes and licenses alone would equal $63 million in California during the first three years. And that doesn't begin to touch the government savings of caring for children who could be legally adopted by gay couples. "[1] I. ii. Gay Marriage Prohibition is Unconstitutional "The banning of same-sex marriage is a violation of civil liberties, because it mirrors that of the civil rights movement in the 60's, religion should not determine law, and it is unconstitutional. "[2] "One needs to look no further than the 14th Amendment to determine that DOMA violates the U. S. Constitution. The Equal Protection Clause of this amendment prohibits the enforcement of any law that denies citizens of the U. S. any rights or immunities that all U. S. citizens are entitled to. By not allowing certain individuals to marry, DOMA denies them the hundreds of federal rights and responsibilities that are included with the status of legal marriage, including joint tax filing, inheritance of property, making spousal medical decisions and joint adoption. "[3] DOMA is unconstitutional because it denies rights. II. Attacking My Opponent's Arguments II. i. The Bible Jamie Raskin basically summed it up with this quote "Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swear to uphold the Constitution. You did not place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the bible. " Just because something is in the Bible does not mean it should be illegal. If that were the case, tattoos would be prohibited (Leviticus 19:28), pork would be prohibited (Leviticus 11:7-8), and work on the Seventh Day (Christian Sunday, Jewish Saturday) would be prohibited (Exodus 20:8-10). See how silly all this sounds? "Traditional Church teaching falsely misuses the Bible to judge the homosexual lifestyle. True Biblical theology begins not with Church tradition and dogma but with the biblical texts themselves. Biblical theology seeks to understand how the biblical authors expressed themselves in the Koine Greek of the time (not expanded by later modern greek meanings), in terms of their culture. Only with this understanding is it legitimate to define biblical sexual ethics of the NT and find implications for today. "[5] So we've established that the true doctorine of the church is not dogma and tradition, but rather a study of the Bible. As for Genesis 19: "There are few biblical verses that address homosexuality at all, and most of those are not directed at homosexuality per se. Opponents of same-sex marriage routinely cite seven verses in the Christian Bible as condemning homosexuality and calling it a sin. But when taken in context, these lessons speak not against homosexuality itself, but rather against rape, child molestation, bestiality, and other practices that hurt others and compromise a person's relationship with God. So as shown, just because something is forbidden in the Bible does not mean that it should be prohibited through law. The Bible is not the supreme authority on law [State Law, not Church Law] In addition to this, the Bible never mentions homosexuality, and Genesis 19 is a testament to this. "[6] So as shown, Genesis 19 does not condemn homosexuality. II. ii Does Homosexuality Encourage Homosexuality? "Research has shown that in contrast to common beliefs, children of lesbian, gay, or transgender parents: Are not more likely to be gay than children with heterosexual parents. Are not more likely to be sexually abused. Do not show differences in whether they think of themselves as male or female (gender identity). Do not show differences in their male and female behaviors (gender role behavior). "[7] So, this common belief that gay parents tend to breed and encourage gay children is misguided and without scientific evidence. Sources: [1]:. http://www.businesspundit.com... [2]:. http://www.divinecaroline.com... [3]:. http://www.dailygamecock.com... [4]:. http://www.bible.com...; For bible verses [5]:. http://www.lionking.org... [6]:. http://notaboutreligion.com... [7]:. http://www.aacap.org...