Rod Dreher thinks the fight to stop same-sex marriage is lost. I think he is wrong about that but Rod is annoyed that Glenn Beck—-who has thrown in the towel on marriage, maybe he never had the towel in the first place—-gets things so wrong about marriage and the law and the consequences of homosexual marriage to religious communities.
His idea that churches (and Orthodox synagogues, and mosques) are going to be untouched by SSM is fantasy. Marriage law affects a myriad of other laws, and there is an unavoidable encroachment on religious liberty. This will be sorted out in the courts, but the real and serious and consequential conflicts do not disappear because one declares them non-existent.
And this . . .
This idea that the government should not be involved in marriage is wholly unrealistic; our entire society, including much of our legal framework, is built around the concept of marriage. For example, if the government did not recognize marriage (in whatever form), the constitutional protection spouses have against being compelled to testify in court against their spouses would be meaningless.
You have a decision to make: double or nothing.
For this week only, a generous supporter has offered to fully match all new and increased donations to First Things up to $60,000.
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So what will it be, dear reader: double, or nothing?
Make your year-end gift go twice as far for First Things by giving now.
