Originally Posted by peter12
I think that moving forward there are a lot of interesting applications of liberal theory to the current reality.
As a "political theorist," I would argue that the souls or psyche's of human beings are reflected in the regimes they live in. That is, I follow Aristotle or even Plato by saying that the city is the soul writ large. So, that is my level of analysis, and it applies to liberal societies insofar as the philosophers who essentially wrote our souls into our regimes had a very specific idea about what they were doing to the human soul that would make it particularly amenable to liberalism.
So, in regards to what you are talking about, I believe that you feel that the power of the religious lobby (no doubt, true) has somehow created a faction that significantly differs from what could be considered the "Good," or the "Just" way of doing things. The reality of liberalism is that there is no objective standard beyond safety, stability, or order, right? We don't have the divine right of monarchical authority, and we have abandoned the classical rationalism, which attempted to logically explain political orders.
So, there is really no convincing means to disrupt or legislate against these religious groups. We have to simply live and let live. Conversely, this standard applies to them as well, which is why the gay marriage has been so convoluted, particularly in the American context. The state, simply, should not be involved, and the logical next-step is to remove all federal, and state legislation on the governance of marriage.
If you look at say John Locke's discussion of the family in the 2nd Treatise, you will find no reference to morality, other than the simple fact that parents must treat their children like any other investment. From the liberal perspective, marriage is a financial, not a moral contract, and thus, it should (note the normative language) be freely accessed by all consenting individuals.
Political realities are always different, but they can be accessed by an inquiring mind somewhat beyond the realm of partisan opinion.
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