ES Gay Marriage Poll

[Major Harris]

Yes, but I can still see you are bitter about my ECU Pirates destroying your Mountaineers here at home.

yeah, and you further hurt our season by falling off the face of the planet after that.

you can brag if you want to in january.

[Zguy28]

I'm confused about which side of the argument you stand here. Are you saying that marriage is the exclusive domain of religious people?

:munchout:

[Major Harris]

what has my life become :doh:

I am arguing over something I don't really care about on a football message borad on a friday night.

life fail.

I wish I was still in college.

:rotflmao:

hey, i'll be in morgantown in 16 hours.

[Symbol]

I'm at a strange opinion on this. I don't believe gays should be married, but not because they're gay. I just believe the term marriage is a man and a woman, a legal bonding would be fine, but a different name for it. So, yes and no, but I do believe that a couple whether man and woman, man and man, or woman and woman should have the same abilities as anyone else.

[Major Harris]

I'm at a strange opinion on this.

well, your opinion is 25% of the poll responses.

[WVUforREDSKINS]

:rotflmao:

hey, i'll be in morgantown in 16 hours.

Don't. Ever. Leave.

We should handle Cincy tomorrow.

[laurent]

Thats not what I said.

I said it's not a trivial issue.

You tied it into pedophiles and masturbation.

That is ignorant. Read your own words.

My statement was meant to be intentionally blunt and drastic.

At the core I was talking about irrational fear influencing judgment about an issue that when viewed objectively isn't all that complicated.

Raising a kid is tough. Being a child can be tough. Whether you're black, yellow, green, wear glasses, are fat, skinny, overly tall, it doesn't matter. Everything that deviates from the norm can have an impact on a childs life. The parents job is to put that into perspective and guide them along.

You're problem is that you're confusing cause and effect though, and quite frankly, your type of thinking is part of the problem.

Kids growing up with a gay couple as parents aren't going to have tough life because their parents are gay, they'll have a tougher time because of the lack of understanding and tolerance around them.

[AsburySkinsFan]

I'm confused about which side of the argument you stand here. Are you saying that marriage is the exclusive domain of religious people?

Marriage is a religious matter

Civil Union is a State matter

See as a pastor I hate being what amounts to an officer of the state whenever I perform a wedding, and when I marry someone I have to say "by the power vested in me by the state of Kentucky I know pronounce you..." I am not a glorified state representative, I am a clergy member and the only entity whose power I envoke to unite a couple is the power of God vested in me. See the state just wants their paperwork processed for tax and legal reasons etc, so let them process it who cares, you have to go pick it up from them and deliver it back to them, why not just cut out the middle man (i.e. me) and simply register your union at the courthouse? This goes for ALL couples. If someone wants to be married in the eyes of God, then let them find a clergy person, and let us do our business.

[brianm23]

How in the world can you say or even think that such an assertion could be proven with any degree of certainty, I mean you do of course realize that religion has been around since the dawn of humanity correct?

I wasn't implying the concept of marriage was around before religion. Marriage wasn't always tied to religion though.

I see that this is a sore subject your you.

Are gay people even allowed to adopt? I don't know. You know why I don't know, because I really don't give a ****.

I said its my opinion that they probably shouldn't. I think it could confuse the child, not to mention all the ridicule he or she would go through. I think its important for kids to have a mom and a dad. But if they were out adopting (again, are they?) I wouldn't lose sleep.

That doesn't make me a bigot. And most people probably agree with me on gays having kids.

Not a sore subject for me. Hell, I get grossed out with the mere thought of two guys kissing. :puke: That said, I'm not out to stifle their life because I'm not personally down with their sexuality. How would two gay people confuse a child? Do you think you can trick or teach somebody into becoming gay? You can teach a child he is supposed to like the opposite (or same) sex all you want and the time comes for them to mate, they'll chose who they are attracted to. If that is of same sex, than that's who it is. Again, if you have a minor in psychology like you claim, you'd realize you have no choice in who you are attracted to. (that implies sexuality as well)

Last I checked this is a message board and people are entitled to their opinions. You sure give yours enough.

I think we got another Cavalierman in the making here.

Don't know who he is and sure they are entitled, but at least have some logic to your opinion. Me saying gays shouldn't raise children with no reasoning behind it doesn't make for a good argument. Ya dig?

You mean just as ignorant as stating that somehow kids wouldn't be able to cope with the fact that they've been raised by gay couples?

:owned:

what has my life become :doh:

I am arguing over something I don't really care about on a football message borad on a friday night.

life fail.

I wish I was still in college.

It could be worse. I'm taking it easy tonight in prep for tomorrow's activities. It's game day here in G'ville tomorrow and the fact that it's homecoming makes it that much better. Go Pirates!

[chipwhich]

My statement was meant to be intentionally blunt and drastic.

At the core I was talking about irrational fear influencing judgment about an issue that when viewed objectively isn't all that complicated.

I don't have irrational fear. I am not anti gay and could accept a gay child. Thats where you are wrong. You are making implications to prove your point.

I know from raising children that children need male and female role models. If you have kids you would know the same.

I also think children of divorce have different struggles than children from a 2 parent home. Male and female.

If you want to imply no issues would exist from being raised in a same sex home. Well thats just silly.

My guess is you either don't have children of your own.

[chipwhich]

:owned:

Reading comprehension is your friend.

[brianm23]

Kids growing up with a gay couple as parents aren't going to have tough life because their parents are gay, they'll have a tougher time because of the lack of understanding and tolerance around them.

I really want people to read that.

[AsburySkinsFan]

I wasn't implying the concept of marriage was around before religion. Marriage wasn't always tied to religion though.

When was it not? The difference is that marriage hasn't always been tied to the state, because there was a time when the state simply did not cover everyone.

Take Abraham for instance, a bedouin, he was married was it in the eyes of any government? No...it was before God.

[No_Pressure]

The 4th option: take marriage out of the hands over the government and give it to the church, make the government only capable of making couples into civil unions with equality between heterosexual and homosexual couples. Make marriage an event sanctioned and held by a church.

[WVUforREDSKINS]

Not a sore subject for me. Hell, I get grossed out with the mere thought of two guys kissing. :puke: That said, I'm not out to stifle their life because I'm not personally down with their sexuality. How would two gay people confuse a child? Do you think you can trick or teach somebody into becoming gay? You can teach a child he is supposed to like the opposite (or same) sex all you want and the time comes for them to mate, they'll chose who they are attracted to. If that is of same sex, than that's who it is. Again, if you have a minor in psychology like you claim, you'd realize you have no choice in who you are attracted to. (that implies sexuality as well)

I have stated over and over that I don't think it is a choice to be gay. And I don't think anyone has a choice over who (or even what animal or object, as China has shown us in his threads) they want to :hump:

[laurent]

Marriage is a religious matter

Civil Union is a State matter

See as a pastor I hate being what amounts to an officer of the state whenever I perform a wedding, and when I marry someone I have to say "by the power vested in me by the state of Kentucky I know pronounce you..." I am not a glorified state representative, I am a clergy member and the only entity whose power I envoke to unite a couple is the power of God vested in me. See the state just wants their paperwork processed for tax and legal reasons etc, so let them process it who cares, you have to go pick it up from them and deliver it back to them, why not just cut out the middle man (i.e. me) and simply register your union at the courthouse? This goes for ALL couples. If someone wants to be married in the eyes of God, then let them find a clergy person, and let us do our business.

So just so I'm clear on this, you consider marriage a secular issue that shouldn't have any part in our constitution, and that what is defined as civil marriage in it shouldn't be subject to a secular interpretation of what constitutes a marriage?

[Symbol]

well, your opinion is 25% of the poll responses.

To be honest with you, I'm not against it, I just look at it in the sense of church and state. Marriage to me is a religious practice (not meaning to offend anyone). This is why people speak of the "sanctity" of marriage. I believe there should be marriage (done only by the church) and something different, even calling it civil marriage, done by the state. The state could handle man/woman, man/man, or woman/woman, where as the church would handle the traditional marriage between a man and a woman to be recognized by both, but would take the religion out of the state completely.

[brianm23]

I have stated over and over that I don't think it is a choice to be gay. And I don't think anyone has a choice over who (or even what animal or object, as China has shown us in his threads) they want to :hump:

SO how exactly is the child going to be confused and exactly what would he be confused over? Whether or not he should be gay? :laugh:

[DaveMason]

Just a few unorganized thoughts on the matter:

1. I support gay marital rights. I don't believe in legislating morality, as long as other people don't get hurt. From a religious perspective, I understand that homosexuality is a sin--but so is stuff like hetereosexual premarital sex and gluttony. I wouldn't vote for any legislation that would outlaw gluttonous premarital sex.

It doesn't affect me one bit if gays can get married. Gays will still live together and have sex, with or without marriage laws. Kids will still be exposed to the gay lifestyle, whether or not they can legally get married. There is no advantage to outlawing gay marriage, in my opinion.

2. I think it's sad a person can't discuss their "pro marriage" views without being called a hateful bigot. That kind of namecalling isn't going to help change minds, it's just going to divide people further. Just my opinion.

I can see the argument behind opposing same sex marriage. I don't agree with it, but I can see it. Marriage is the union of a man and a woman. That's it. Anything that's not a union between a man and a woman is simply not a marriage. Ok--again, I don't necessarily agree with that, but I can see what they're saying.

Some people take marriage very seriously, and they don't want to see it redefined. I just don't think that makes them as evil as nazis.

3. I support peoples' democratic rights. The people of California voted against same-sex marriage. I don't agree with it, but they voted against it fair and square. I don't think the court should have overturned it.

Now California has voted against it again. That should be it. The people have spoken. Except now I'm sure the courts will overturn it again, and I'm just not sure if that's the right thing to do.

4. People can't choose who/what they are attracted to. Whether or not you think it's a sin, gays are people just like you and me. If you are straight, you can't help that you are attracted to the opposite sex. It just comes naturally to you. Gays are attracted to the same gender, in the same way. I can't believe that anybody can still call it a "choice" in this day and age.

All the same, furries don't choose to be attracted to animals, and hillbilly folk from the mountains of West Virginians don't choose to be attracted to their sisters, and polygamists don't choose to wear stupid clothes be attracted to multiple women(ok, maybe they choose to wear stupid clothes).

Gay rights advocates get extremely pissed off whenever these comparisons are made, but they seem pretty similar in my view. You can't help who you are attracted to. Try to be more understanding.

5. Gays adopting children? I don't know. My gut instinct says no, and that children need both a mom and a dad...but does that make me a bigot?

Is there anybody here who was raised by gay parents? I'm curious how that stuff affects you as a child. I'm willing to change my mind on the issue.

[brandymac27]

To be honest with you, I'm not against it, I just look at it in the sense of church and state. Marriage to me is a religious practice (not meaning to offend anyone). This is why people speak of the "sanctity" of marriage. I believe there should be marriage (done only by the church) and something different, even calling it civil marriage, done by the state. The state could handle man/woman, man/man, or woman/woman, where as the church would handle the traditional marriage between a man and a woman to be recognized by both, but would take the religion out of the state completely.

Ok. let me get this straight. So if a straight couple get's married in a church, then they are officially married. What happens if they(straight couple) don't want a church wedding, but still want the term "married" to apply to them? Can they still go to the Justice of the Peace and get "married" or will they just be "civil unionized"?

I guess my question is, how would this affect straight couples who want to be "married", but not necessarily in a church?

[Mufumonk]

marriage is a LEGAL contract...... how would yall like it if you couldnt sign a contract due to your ethnicity or religious creed or gender?

if a gay couple moves in accross the street from you...... wouldnt you have to explain it to your kids anyway?

what difference does it really make if they were gay?

i know because i grew up with a girl around the corner who lived with her sister her mom and her moms lover of about 25+ years now..........

she grew up well adjusted and hetero..... guess what ..... so did i and all the other kids in the neighborhood.....

we didnt catch the gay.......

And for the record.......I voted #1.

[brandymac27]

It doesn't affect me one bit if gays can get married. Gays will still live together and have sex, with or without marriage laws. Kids will still be exposed to the gay lifestyle, whether or not they can legally get married. There is no advantage to outlawing gay marriage, in my opinion.

This is the point I tried to make pages ago in this thread (or the other gay marriage thread).

[AsburySkinsFan]

The 4th option: take marriage out of the hands over the government and give it to the church, make the government only capable of making couples into civil unions with equality between heterosexual and homosexual couples. Make marriage an event sanctioned and held by a church.

Is there an echo in here?

[AsburySkinsFan]

So just so I'm clear on this, you consider marriage a religious issue that shouldn't have any part in our constitution, and that what is defined as civil union in it shouldn't be subject to a religious interpretation of what constitutes a marriage?

fixed it

[WVUforREDSKINS]

SO how exactly is the child going to be confused and exactly what would he be confused over? Whether or not he should be gay? :laugh:

Where did I say a child would be confused? I think that a kid being raised by gay people would turn out gay aporoximently the same percentage as kids being raised by straight parents. The kids sexual orientation isn't why im agianst it.

Its the stigma and cruelty at a young age by kids and adults. I also think growing up with a society that says one thing and in a gay household would be confusing and tough on a young persons mind. I suppose those are my main reasons. I think that kids should have a mom and dad healthy development. I don't think that makes me a bigot at all.

I'd love to see any statistics on kids who have grown up with gay parents. No one has still answered, are gays are allowed to adopt?