Homosexual Marriage

There is a heated debate that rages between conservatives and liberals, Republicans and Democrats--they cannot agree on whether gay marriage should be allowed under the law or not. But, the reason it cannot come to any resolution is both sides believe they are right without a deeper explanation. Now I do not want to fan the flames, but rather attempt to cool them--I'll define the debate as follows, homosexuals believe it is their right to marry other homosexuals at the same level as heterosexuals due to the 14th Amendment's protection of equal rights and on the other side is the belief in the inherent wrongness of homosexuality and that inherent wrongness corrupts the institution set forth generally citing God. The question should be redefined to ask not whether or not homosexuals should get married, but rather what marriage is and if a homosexual couple fits such a picture. Unfortunately, I do not believe marriage was defined to accommodate this purpose to begin with and so the arguments are left to fill a void unfilled. So what is marriage? It is a familial institution, used to endorse socially the viability and stability of a family that rears healthy and well adjusted children who turn to adults only to continue the institution. With this definition in mind we have to consider under what conditions a child can grow to be strong, independent, and happy. They need nurturing and structure, they need love and support, encouragement and accountability, visions and values. One light to look at the institution is how it is crumbling to some degree, divorce rates are high and unwed pregnancies are high as well. People are marrying with no plan for a family and many are raising children with no spouse or someone else's father. Nurturing, a parent needs to provide material and emotional support for their children and sometimes cannot provide the latter after a long, hard days work coming home too exhausted for that kind of support. Love, a child needs to know he is wanted, that someone is out there who cares--some may find love in a overlooking being, but nearly all need a being who lives on this Earth. Encouragement, a child needs to know that whatever her dreams are there will be people to support her and even if she doesn't reach them to make sure she tries. Values, this is where the institution is key, for the values one lays in marriage have a far reaching effect for that child's own prospects into adulthood. So here are some thoughts, you decide do you vote for homosexuals to marry or do you not?