Iceland passes gay marriage law in unanimous vote

[Thor]

Originally Posted by nemanja2306

I'm Orthodox, don't why, but I feel I need to share that information. To answer your question I don't know. Why do bad things happen to good people? I don't know how it is for other people, but marriage to me is a religious institution. I truly believe that. And when I do get married, I'll do whatever it takes to keep my vows ( ie. not cheat, beat my wife...etc.). To me, it's more than paperwork.

Thank you for the honest reply, I'm very curious to why people hold certain viewpoints and its often intimidating here to say such things, so hats off for that.

For the parade thing, I think they do more harm than they do good, because they can actually harm their gay rights movement. People can get a wrong picture about gay people which I know is what they're not going for.

Well I don't totally disagree, I mean if you've actually gone to a parade you'll see 95% of it totally fine to watch for any family member, and a small percentage are doing the shock value.

I understand why they do these parades, it must be frustrating for them to live like they do. I know here in Iceland the parades are very popular and has a very big family element to it where the vast majority of the people are the friends/families of people who are gay to show their support.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by nemanja2306

I'm Orthodox, don't why, but I feel I need to share that information. To answer your question I don't know. Why do bad things happen to good people? I don't know how it is for other people, but marriage to me is a religious institution. I truly believe that. And when I do get married, I'll do whatever it takes to keep my vows ( ie. not cheat, beat my wife...etc.). To me, it's more than paperwork.

For the parade thing, I think they do more harm than they do good, because they can actually harm their gay rights movement. People can get a wrong picture about gay people which I know is what they're not going for.

You can't just make up definitions, though. That's like if I say green to me is red, and expect you just to go along with it. Marriages are legal contracts - they have nothing to do with religion. I happen to know first hand as both my wife and I are atheists. Believe me, there is no religious component whatsoever in our marriage.

Do you think my marriage is less meaningful than somebody else's marriage where the wedding took place in front of a priest?

[CaptainCrunch]

I don't believe that the gay marriage fight should or will ever extend to forcing churches to perform gay weddings. I doubt that it should even be about forcing churches to recognize Gay Marriages.

Its all about the right to civil Unions, and if a religion is willing to open its churches to the ceremony then good on them. If they don't well good on them.

[valo403]

[QUOTE=nemanja2306;2553127]I'm Orthodox, don't why, but I feel I need to share that information. To answer your question I don't know. Why do bad things happen to good people? I don't know how it is for other people, but marriage to me is a religious institution. I truly believe that. And when I do get married, I'll do whatever it takes to keep my vows ( ie. not cheat, beat my wife...etc.). To me, it's more than paperwork.

For the parade thing, I think they do more harm than they do good, because they can actually harm their gay rights movement. People can get a wrong picture about gay people which I know is what they're not going for.[/QUOTE]

You're not alone in that, I know people in the gay community who think that some of the behavior at pride parades portrays them in a bad light. It's like the stampede parade though, it doesn't mean all Calgarians play in crappy marching bands or are horses.

[Thor]

I've yet to see a bill or law trying to force churches to do gay marriage ceremonies, and I know that in Iceland the law states the same that churches are not obligated to be doing this.

[MelBridgeman]

Honestly it's just a freaking word....Same-sex couples have had the ability to get a marriage license in Alberta for 5 years now...and the Alberta Marriage Act as included same-sex definition for 10 years.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Thor

I've yet to see a bill or law trying to force churches to do gay marriage ceremonies, and I know that in Iceland the law states the same that churches are not obligated to be doing this.

thats the point that I was getting at. I think that the biggest fear in the anti-marriage group was that it was going to force churches into doing the ceremonies or risk their tax free status.

[Thor]

Which is an unfounded fear I think often started by the anti-gay marriage movement, included with the fear that the children will be indoctrinated in school by the gay 'agenda.'

[Gozer]

Originally Posted by nemanja2306

That's because, and I REALLY don't mean to offend gay people, heterosexuality is considered normal. Is it not? And there is a difference between kissing my girlfriend on the street and going out waving flags, singing, taking your shirts off, touching and yelling: "I'M GAY AND I'M PROUD!"

I'm with you, homos should never touch or wave flags in public, espcially not in organized and publisized manners. Their rights should expand only in proportion to their shame.

No offense or anything to gays though.

[puckluck]

My religion (like many others) says gay marriage is wrong, but personally I couldn't care less whether two people who are in love get married.
Gay marriage is something the government should not get involved with unless they are making it legal, but to say the government should not get involved with marriage at all is foolish.

As long as there is religion there will always be questions of the morals of gay marriage, and religion isn't going away anytime soon.

Does this make me a A-hole?

Edit: Hopefully I edited could care less before the couldn't care less police arrived.

[Thor]

Originally Posted by puckluck

My religion (like many others) says gay marriage is wrong, but personally I couldn't care less whether two people who are in love get married.
Gay marriage is something the government should not get involved with unless they are making it legal, but to say the government should not get involved with marriage at all is foolish.

As long as there is religion there will always be questions of the morals of gay marriage, and religion isn't going away anytime soon.

Does this make me a A-hole?

Edit: Hopefully I edited could care less before the couldn't care less police arrived.

Your religion says a lot of silly things are wrong though, do you agree with all the silly things along with this one you choose to agree with?

[Moose]

Originally Posted by nemanja2306

Of course I've never been mariginalized because I'm straight but that's because that's how I believe God intended it in the first place. In the Bible, it's Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.

This argument really bothers me. First of all, Canada allows freedom of religion in which all citizens are not bound to live by teachings of one particular religion. Religious grounds should not be used to limit the rights of other people. Does a homosexual couple getting 'married' (or a civil union) affect the marriage of straight people in any way?

Second of all, there are many, many ..... interesting things said in the bible. Many could be seen as being refuted by modern science, and even theologians have accepted that some biblical 'teachings' are not to be taken literally. But this story in the bible has Adam and Eve, so BAM!, man and woman in marriage is a rule everyone to live by.

If we applied that kind of biblical argument to every aspect of life and science I would hate to think what kind of ignorant state we'd be in now.

[Russic]

I try hard to not generalize in my life, but I've never heard an argument from somebody who is anti-gay marriage that didn't end with me thinking that they are just an a**hole. Perhaps there exists somebody who doesn't believe in gay marriage that has a great point and I just haven't met them yet.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

The problem I have with just about every argument against gay marriage, whether it be founded in religous beliefs, or just the old fallback of, "well that's just the way it's always been", is that they always start with "I don't have anything against gays, but...".

I think a good rule of thumb, is that whenever a statement starts with "I don't have anything against (group X), but...." whatever follows "But" is likely a statment that wouldn't be said by someone who had nothing against "Group X".

[puckluck]

Originally Posted by Thor

Your religion says a lot of silly things are wrong though, do you agree with all the silly things along with this one you choose to agree with?

Whether or not Suzy and sally get married makes no difference to me as a religious person. I can only worry about myself.

There are somethings I think were misinterpreted as religious teachings instead of the cultural teachings they actually were by the prophets.

[Thor]

Ultimately it goes to this simple point,

"Religion is a choice, being Gay isn't."

[Thor]

Originally Posted by puckluck

Whether or not Suzy and sally get married makes no difference to me as a religious person. I can only worry about myself.

There are somethings I think were misinterpreted as religious teachings instead of the cultural teachings they actually were by the prophets.

Would you consider the religious book whichever you adhere to be divine in origin or written by men and therefore flawed.

I don't believe you can just say its both in the same book, its an either or proposition.

Theologans for example in Christianity routinely agree that the old/new testaments are not divine, they are written by men and often a number of different writers. They contradict routinely, say outrageous things that most people today religious or not would find deeply offensive.

What I'm trying to say is why trust a book from 2000yrs ago or whatever your book is, when its written by flawed humans in a time where slavery was not only normal but had the blessing of the bible in terms of telling people how to handle their slaves.

The amount of nonsense in the bible, Koran and other holy books is incredible; I read them and wonder how its possible people believe this bunk but I find the vast majority of my friends who do haven't read them or just know what they know from hearing things at church which their pastor/priest/imam have decided to talk about with them.

Either way, if you give power to one thing from a religious text concerning this issue you should give all of the text the same seriousness, including all the stuff you yourself would laugh at or cringe at, which is often the case.

[Azure]

I'm startled by how many people care so deeply about gay marriage.

If y'all would care less, gay people would have been able to get married years ago.

[SebC]

Interesting that you still have to indentify as male or female... they didn't give hermaphrodites the right to get married.

[icecube]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

When I state the whole keep it in the bedroom thing. I'm talking about the fact that I don't think there's a need for some of the imagry at the parades. I actually think they do some harm to the gay rights movement when they parade around naked in dog collars, or in ass less chaps or some of the other appearances.

While you state that you talk about straight people parading their sexuality nonstop, I'm curious what you mean about that, because I don't see it in the same way?

What have you got against a good pair of assless chaps? Don't knock em until you've tried em