On Gay…
http://spaces.msn.com/members/floraflorayu/Blog/cns!1pXYjD0eImeice8g-YkU_PvA!354.entry
Flora just talked about her opinion on the gay issue. I find it interesting that she is so fascinated by this issue, apparently.
Anyway, I am an outsider to the problem. I am not interested in gay stuff, nor do I know any real gay persons. (Hmmm… come to think of it…?) And without any deep religious beliefs, I don’t have a big problem with gays, I guess.
However, I do understand why "gay" is considered so offensive to some people. I read a really long article by the New York Times a few months back, in which a long narrative of anti-gay beliefs and gay beliefs is given.
To make a long story short, the fundamental problem, at least in the US it seems, is the clash between gay and religion. To some strict people with serious faith in Catholicism (or some other form of religion), gay behavior acts against their very own roots of belief. They find it offensive.
And here’s the dilemma, at least in my opinion. People have religious freedom, which means we should respect their religious beliefs. On the other hand, in terms of civil rights, we should also respect people’s choice of sexual preference. Yet these two are contradicting. We cannot easily satisfy both.
Religion is a serious matter. If people believe that God defined marriage as between man and woman, then it is not easy to tell these people that gay people can get married. That’s like telling them God is wrong. Of course this is a hasty generalization of the gay problem in its clash with religion.
The real matter lies in the definition of marriage. What is marriage all about? If one believes marriage is about procreation, then definitely one would oppose gay marriage. Yet everyone views marriage differently. And even though we’re in the 21st century, we should never easily neglect the deep social roots where marriage itself originated.
Gay marriage is a serious issue. Perhaps, jokingly, it may be easier to implement in China, since serious religious belief is nearly nonexistent. (Not quite, of course, but I guess it’s prudent to say the majority are not serious followers of any religion.) However, from a worldwide perspective, I think it’s going to take a long time and a long war. Remember, the anti-gay are not just defending their turf, they are attacking too.
Not that I’m in favor of gay marriage…
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