Gay Marriage

Again, I thank Gensai for issuing this challenge.I will tackle his points one by one.Contention 1: People need to become open-minded about gay marriage."Political leaders and the media provide a bounty of messages to support a position, and it is profoundly easy to consume only opinions one already agrees with."This is true on all sides of the issue. Gay marriage supporters are just as guilty of this as those who oppose."Now there are laws in some states, that allow the union of two men."Which states are those? I live in California, which has tried to illegally marry gays, but this has always been put a stop to and the marriages nullified. In fact, this speaks against homosexuals that rather and change laws the legal and moral way, they will resort to illegal actions to support their cause. In fact, the Defense of Marriage Act legally defines marriage as one woman to one man. So federally, same-sex marriages are not recognized. [1] No state is required to recognize a same-sex marriage as valid. The link you provided did not specifically link to the article in question. However, it's irrelevant. Just because someone changed their mind on a stance does not make that stance valid. I could also find people who went from supporting same-sex marriage to opposing it.Contention 2: There is no difference between same-sex marriage and heterosexual marriageI think the research the Instigator provided is largely irrelevant to this issue. Incest and pedophilia are also illegal in this country, yet rock and roll superstar Jerry Lee Lewis married his underage cousin, and they remained married for thirteen years and produced two children. [2] If people engaged in incestuous relationships or pedophilia can have positive views of their relationships, does this mean those should be allowed, as well?Contention 3: Gays raising a child is no different that heterosexuals.The Instigator has not listed any sources for his numbers so I have no way of knowing where he got them from. I would ask that he please, in the future, list his sources so that I don't have to go looking for them.Also, he has not indicated how any of the children being raised by gay parents have turned out, so I have nothing here to respond to. This seems to be a non-issue. Bad parents can raise a child, too.Contention 4: The gay community is a stable community.The Instigator here has left out one crucial detail: In 1973, the APA voted to remove homosexuality from its list of pathological conditions as such (or in itself). "However, it appears that in contrast to the results of the vote, the majority of the APA membership continued to view homosexuality as a pathology. A survey four years after the vote found that 69% of psychiatrists regarded homosexuality as a "pathological adaptation." A much more recent survey suggests that the majority of psychiatrists around the world continue to view same-sex behavior as signaling mental illness." [3]Contention 5: The Bible and homosexuality.I have reviewed the Instigator's profile, and it turns out he is not a Christian. As such, he cannot be fully trusted to accurately represent the Bible and its view on homosexuality.My opponent's argument is a non-sequitur. For every Christian denomination he finds that supports homosexuality, I can find ten that don't. Also, the Catholic church far predates any of the churches he mentioned, and has never condoned or supported homosexuality. [4]Let's see what the Bible actually says on homosexuality. The Bible calls it an abomination, one even deserving of being put to death (Lev. 18:22, Lev. 20:13). Romans 1 indicates that homosexual relations are leaving the "natural use" of the opposite sex, and the sinners were given over to their shameful lusts. Also, the original plan for the family was for one man and one woman to be joined together as one flesh (Genesis 2:24).I have cast doubt on the alleged proofs that the Instigator has shown, in one case he didn't even make an argument, and I have also shown how my opponent has not properly interpreted the Scriptures. Instead, he has just shown a few churches who have accepted it over the course of the last thousand years or so. As such, I have shown how that evidence is unreliable and is, in fact, faulty. I look forward to the Instigator's response.[1] http://en.wikipedia.org...;[2] http://oldies.about.com...;[3] http://narth.com...;[4] http://www.catholic.com...;