Mariage Equality

Marriage has always been between one man and one woman. Possibly true, but also, possibly not. In the modern western world this is a commonly held belief that this is the “traditional” definition and the “normal”. Studies of human civilization show that there are many facets of marriage. In some cultures it is one man with one woman while other cultures augment this arrangement with more of either, or both. While less common, same-sex marriages have existed in many cultures for thousands of years. Perhaps the idea of same-sex marriage is not such a revolutionary idea as first proposed. Religion, tradition, history, and laws each play a role in explaining why is there such stark contrast of societal acceptance between same-sex marriage and that of opposite-sex marriage in Western Culture.

For the greater half of a century, one of the United States’ largest religious denominations, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – commonly known as the Mormon Church – both endorsed and encouraged a scenario that was not one-man and one-woman. It became a core component of the religion Church leaders dictating men taking multiple wives as a prerequisite for entry into Heaven and the afterlife. However, in its current form there is not a Juedo-Christian Church that publically stands behind any form of marriage not defined as one-man and one-woman.

Marriage is both a legal bond and religious bond. Those in favor of same-sex often see the legality as the primary relationship whereas those in opposition see the religious relationship as the primary. Legal, or civil, marriage defines property rights, inheritance rights, tax liabilities, evidentiary rights as well as various other responsibilities, usually financial in nature. While...

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... both history and legacy – we won’t see changes in law that, when combined, alters societies perception of what a marriage or union is to bring acceptance of both into greater alignment. As the Nebraska state motto – hypocritically – asserts, “Equally before the law”, perhaps equality will happen before laws are changed to force it, and with that, the public and cultural acceptance of same-sex marriage.

Works Cited

Laycock, D., & Berg, T. (2013). Protecting Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty. U of St. Thomas (Minnesota) Legal Studies Research Paper No. 13-15

PollingReport.com. 2014. “Law and Civil Rights.” http://www.pollingreport.com/civil2.htm. Accessed on May 7, 2014.

Warebelow, S. (2013). Equality from State to State 2013. : The Human Rights Campaign.

Laycock, D., & Berg, T. (2013). Protecting Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty. U of St. Thomas