Wuv.... Twue Wuv...

"Mawage. Mawage is what bwings us togevah today...."

Okay so maybe no one else finds a Princess Bride quote appropriate. But... marriage is what has brought me to this blog today. I'm going to try to make this one short and sweet.

Republicans: "We believe that... marriage, the union of one man and one woman must be upheld as the national standard."

Democrats:  "We support the full inclusion of all families, including same-sex couples, in the life of our nation, and support equal responsibility, benefits, and protections."

There's no question where the political parties stand on gay marriage.  There is some question as to where Christians stand. I know a lot of Christians who support gay rights. And I know even more who don't. This one... I don't really even have to think about because I already know what I think (and you probably do too).

Here's why I support gay marriage:

• Christian marriage is supposed to be about one person loving the other. God is love. Wherever there is love, there is God. Heterosexuals don't have the monopoly on love. (Clearly, love is not a pre-requisite for being married... There are a lot of people who hate each other and still stay married to each other. But presuming that it's about love.... gay people can and do love each other.)
• Legal marriage is about rights. If marriage were about religious beliefs, then the government should have nothing to do with it. But the state of being married grants someone a number of legal rights. According to the Human Rights Campaign, there are 1,138 rights that are denied to gay couples. Unless you are willing to deny those rights to everyone, they should be granted to every couple who wants to enter into the contract of marriage.
• Gay people are people. I probably wouldn't have thought twice about saying "no" to gay marriage a few years ago... because I really didn't know any gay people. So it didn't matter to me. I think everyone who holds a certain stance should get to know someone who it affects. Then tell me those couples don't have a "real" family, or can't raise their kids properly, etc. 

I really don't know what the problem is. Discrimination is anti-American.

Note: This is the fifth in a series of posts about my thoughts on social, political and moral issues of the day. Read others: #1 - "The Quest for Clarity" | #2 - "Choice? Life" | #3 - Money Money Money | #4 - Exceptionalism or Superiority?