Should government regulate marriage??
 

Discussing this on another thread with some folks believe government should not regulate marriage which means gay marriage bing recognized.

But does not the GOV. regulate alot these things that pertain to lifestyle? Should they be done away with?

here's a portion of what I posted:


So should the government stay out of how many wives a man can have? How dare them have laws against beastality. Who are they to say a 16year old girl can't have sex with a 45 yeard old man. Who are ther to regulate these folks lives??? What nerve!
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Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

Your just being intolerant.........who gives anyone the right to say what really makes a "marriage".....[Major TIC]

A line has to be drawn somewhere.

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

The only reason the issue is being considered is because the government got involved in marriage (for the purpose of charging a getting married tax... otherwise known as a Marriage License)

If the government were not involved in marriage then marriage would still be a religious rite and not a government sponsored condition.

If the government were not involved then government would not have any say in the issue.

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

The big difference is consent. The only one of your examples that involves consenting adults is polygamy. And, I'm ok with the government staying out of that issue as well as long as the participants are of legal age.

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

Sorry - my post above was referring to Truthseeker's OP. Posting on my Blackberry is tedious ;)

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

As far as I'm aware, ANY gay couple can get married in a religious ceremony. The only reason they want the approval of the government is so they can reap financial benefits such as tax breaks.

So gays are not being discriminated against in regard to marriage, anyway. They can print off their own license, and consider themselves married, and I really couldn't care less from a political standpoint. Their whole "cause" is a big lie, though, because it's not about "Relationships"--it's about money. Plain and simple.

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

Yes our government should regulate marriage and in addition take a stand against homosexual marriage.

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

I agree. Which... I can't fault them for the money argument.

Many people I know that are against gay marriage believe it's more about them gaining recognition in the government's eye as an intentional slap in the face to Christian values - and for validation. While that probably is true at times, I think the financial benefits are at the heart of the issue.

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

When did it become a duty of government to legislate morality beyond that which infringes upon the rights of others?

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

The government should stay out of all things dealing with the church and the church needs to stay out of the government. However if we vote our morals and others did too then there would be no need for the government to mess with marriage. It would stay between a man and a women IF we were to vote our morals. Just think if this government and country was ran by muslims.

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

Yes government should. The whole reason why government had laws in the first place was to encourage marriage and having children by giving tax incentives etc etc...it forms the basis of a stable society.

Sadly though we have totally lost the meaning of that notion. We need to fix what is damaged and return to the values of a solid family unit

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

Homosexual behavior is harmful to society in many ways and has a high incidence of leading to pedophilia.

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

Does homosexuality damage the fabric of our society? Or rather does being permissive towards such damage the fabric of ouir society? What about the permissiveness that is invasive in Media or schools? How has that damaged our society if any at all?

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

Maybe or not - you would need to further define permissiveness.

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

Would like to see some supporting evidence for that claim....

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

In the state of Ohio a couple has to get a "marriage license" to get married. The ceremony is to be performed by someone who has been authorized by the state to solemnize marriages and a form has to be filed within so many days after the marriage has taken place so it is properly recorded. I can legally solemnize marriages in the State of Ohio but I have never done any. In order to obtain that status I had to file an application with the State Secretary of State and include a copy of my ordination/license and a fee. I have a document, signed by the Secretary of State, giving me that authorization and limiting that authorization to as long as I remain affiliated with the organization I was in when I applied. That certificate can be framed and I am supposed to show it to anyone who asks to see it. I imagine this requirement varies from state to state.

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

The argument being made is about morality and religious ethics.

I say the government should regulate it for financial reasons. As its been stated they want this recognitions for tax purposes. I believe it should be regulated in order to keep the cost of social programs at a minimum. If you want a good picture of what happens when we allow social programs to be instituted for every one who feels they have social rights then look at California. Can you say "bankrupt".

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

I'm just saying that ANYone can have some kind of religious ceremony and create a lasting commitment or relationship. I piece of paper doesn't do that. And the law doesn't prohibit that.

So the question is, should the government grant legal and monetary benefits to any union other than that of a man and woman. It really has nothing to do with regulating "marriage", in that they are preventing consensual relationships between adults.

The problem is, when you get into legalities, what is the premise for marriage based on? It's a religious institution. So should the government have any say in it? No.

Should the government have a say in criminal activities, such as the abuse of a minor child being forced into a marriage, e.g., sexual relationship? Of course.

Just rambling...I'm not sure I have this one figured out completely. I do know that SOMEtimes in the midst of campaigning for government imposed morality, we can end up biting our own behinds. Some freedoms that allow others certain rights are the same freedoms that pertain to our religious freedoms, and we need to be careful where we tread.

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

Marriage (Adam & Eve style) is how our species reproduces. Studies showing the importance of a stable home life are too numerous to even begin to cite.

If someone wants to "hook up" in an unconventional way in the privacy of their own closest then I am too busy to care. But what we do as a society (our "governments") should be to "promote the general welfare" and a mom & pop type marriage is the essential foundation.

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

I agree.

In fact the government already regulates marriage to an extent.

I am against homosexuals given the "right" to marry. Inevitably, it would force churches to have to recognize, and even perform those marriages.

I am not against the idea of some sort of government recognized civil union status for homosexuals, written and enforced in a way that does not encourage "shackin up" by heterosexuals.

Both are issues of morality that have huge societal implications.

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

So where does promoting stop and enforcement start?

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

I'm for liberty and justice for all. All means all. Either you believe in it or you don't. Freedom is holy even when men and women are not.

I believe that God will bless a "free nation" over a "Christian nation" any day.

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

I don't think that is inevitable. Does a church HAVE to perform all heterosexual wedding requests brought before it now? I thought that was a pastor's discretion.

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

It is, you're exactly right.

This is just another unfounded scare tactic. Pastors can choose to only marry congregation members, requiring anyone desiring to be married to take discipleship classes and even pre-marriage counseling. The pastor can still choose not to perform the wedding if they feel it isn't in the couple's best interest. That's why there's a Justice of the Peace they can turn to if all pastors deny them a wedding. lol

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

The only issue I have with the government getting involved with people's lives is if they can regulate one aspect of marraige such as homosexual marraige, then who's to say that they will not disrupt what we think is normal? Government should not be involved when it comes to relationships whether we like the gay agenda or not. The government already has too much power as it is.

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

:thumbsup

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

Agreed!

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

EXACTLY!!!!! :thumbsup

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

Let me chime in on this row of positive responses you have going.

Amen... great post.

To add a few of my thoughts...

The short sighted view that many people take is... control them... they are bad... or that is bad...

The government that can stop people that you don't want to be married from being married can, some day, force you to marry those you don't want to marry.

Then people will wonder how the government ever got this kind of power... you gave it to them... back when they were singing your tune. It mesmerized you into not thinking it out.

There are 2 sides to every coin. We forget that all too soon.

If we are to fight against marriages such as these... let us fight against them in the church. The world is, well, the world and sinners... you guessed it... sin.

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

Wow! I didn't see that coming. LOL!

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

God has enlightened you

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

I'm a bit surprised myself.... C'mon people, we need some DISSENT! :foottap

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

If GOV grants a mariage license to homosexuals then are they not regulating it?

Marriage licenses are not going anywhere, so do you think GOV should grant them to Homosexuals?

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

We already have the basics in place. Currently (with the exception of recent changes in CA, MA and others) only a man and a woman can even be issued a marriage license. And each of them must be presently unmarried. There are also other laws that vary from state to state - age restrictions, blood tests, etc.

These restrictions keep the "unconventional" types of matrimony from ever even being considered. In this arrangement the government isn't really promoting anything but it is sanctioning the traditional marriage and not sanctioning the "unconventional." People and their partners - men, women, aliens from space and whatnot; are still free to pursue their lifestyles as long as they don't violate any other ordinances.

Essentially, the status quo allowed society to protect traditional marriage - something the vast majority of Americans support - while still allowing for private deviant behavior without criminal prosecution. The only "enforcement" done by the state is in the issuance of the marriage license.

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

Do you believe in liberty and justice for all?

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

"Government" has always regulated the issuance of marriage licenses. The license itself is a government document and you could be prosecuted criminally if you did anything fraudulant with it.

This isn't an example of "government interference" in our lives - but was one of the issues the founders of our nation wrangled with. It was determined to be an issue for the states to regulate to minimize the amount of Federal interference and control. But this was something that "We the People..." chose to regulate and was not imposed on us by some alien or foreign or authoritarian power.

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

Just to interrupt... I do believe. However, asking me and the vast majority of Americans to sanction something we don't approve of strips all of us of both liberty and justice.

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

see what I mean TS...you are all about challenging with questions and then critiquing the answers offered.

It's time for you to state your POV and then be a big-boy if nobody is buying it!:sad

Re: Should government regulate marriage??
 

No it doesn't. lol

I don't agree with women wearing pants... how does it strip me of justice if we allow women to wear pants?

I don't mind having a glass of wine with dinner... most of my Pentecostal buddies believe in total abstinence from alcohol... how does that strip them of justice?

I'm not a "victim" if my neighbor buys a Playboy magazine. lol

Why is it that so many of us are always a "victim" if we allow people to be free? Woe is me... I can't control others. I'm such a victim. Get real. LOL

Bro... the Gospel will flow best in a free society. Here's what I mean. Their marriages aren't going to last. After five years of allowing "gay marriages" you'll most likely discover that the majority of gay marriages were launched as soon as it became legal. Then you'll notice that they tapered off and that most ended in nasty "gay divorces." Society will view them as tenuous at best and all their "promises" of happiness will be revealed for the failure that it is. In the wake of that mess we can point to the Gospel and say, "Look, marriage didn't solve your problem. Equal rights didn't solve your problem. Your answer is Jesus Christ." Let sin run it's course and the truth will be even more obvious. Where sin abounds, grace much more abounds. But right now our extremist politics discredits our message of love and peace with all men. They just think we're ring wing nuts that want to push our religion down everyone's throat via government.