The escalating controversy over same-sex unions is causing many Americans to re-examine the definition of marriage. What are the religious and moral values of the institution of marriage? Do homosexual unions have something in common with the union of a man and a woman? Judy Valente explores the nation’s evolving attitudes towards traditional marriage, shaped by the ongoing debate over gay marriage.
Bonnie Miller-McLemore, a professor of pastoral theology at Vanderbilt University notes that, “Mutual aid, deep commitment, shared responsibility — those are precisely the goals same sex couples are seeking.” But Elizabeth Marquardt, an affiliate fellow with the Institute for American Values, says, “The funny thing about legalizing same-sex marriage is that changing marriage law to accommodate this very small minority could, in a very powerful way, change the institution itself and the behavior of most of the people who participate in it … Marriage has always been understood as a public commitment that benefits the public well-being. And what we have now, increasingly, is an understanding of marriage as a private, couple-centric relationship … a public token of your love for each other and little else.”
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