While I think your writings seem thoughtful, I can't help but get stuck with your many comments on how threatening change is. Change is not always bad, and change is always required to move a society forward. Lack of change brings stagnation.
The legalization of same-sex marriage wouldn't take any any benefits or recognition of traditional marriages. It would expand it to others.
Gene Cowan | Email | Homepage | 11.30.04 - 8:04 pm |

Continued: I appreciate your realization that many people of faith who are opposed to gay rights have reduced the issue to slogans. I think the first step in this was the objectification of gay people by referring to them only by an adjective. Take any sentence and replace the adjective and you'll see how this reduces a person to a single trait and makes it easier to dismiss them: "Phelps enumerates a list of rights gays seek" suddenly sounds harsher when you substitute "Phelps enumerates a list of rights blacks seek". Just a personal preference, but I appreciate it when people say "gay people" because it reminds us that they are human beings like everyone else.
Gene Cowan | Email | Homepage | 11.30.04 - 8:05 pm |

Ah, but which change?

Society is in no danger of stagnating. Let's not deify change. The invention of computers was a change. So was the invention of atomic weaponry.

Which direction is forward?

Also--I hope you're not suggesting I have objectified anyone by referring to them by a mere adjective. The article by Phelps set the example. Remember the quote? "We gays just want a few rights."

I don't intend that as a mere retort. People are people, regardless of the adjectives we take to ourselves, or that get stuck on us by others. But I hope you weren't intending to use my language against me, when I was just following a convention.
Tom Gilson | Email | Homepage | 12.02.04 - 4:54 pm |