Same-Sex Marriage On 26 June 2015 the United States Supreme Court voted 5-4 to strike down statewide bans on homosexual marriage that existed in 14 of the 50 states. This was the culmination of a decades long controversy for the American public. With gay marriage supporters hailing the decision, and many gay couples promptly flocking to obtain marriage licenses, the reaction was swift. No less on the other end of the political spectrum; the backlash from Christian conservatives was immediate and severe. Current and former Republican governors (Greg Abbott and Mike Huckabee respectively) joined the protest, claiming that the judicial branch had overreached and was treading on constitutional ground specifically reserved to the individual states and their citizens (BBC News, 2015). The Supreme Court’s ruling was the latest development in the evolution of American societal values regarding the subject of homosexual marriage. Beginning with Vermont’s legalization of civil unions (a precursor to the marriage debate) in 2001, followed by Massachusetts’ legalization of same-sex marriage in 2004, and then continuing through January 2012 to June 2015 (a seminal period where the number of states with legal same-sex marriage more than tripled)--American society has undergone a dramatic shift in its view of homosexual marriage (Kim, 2015). There are many values reflected in this seemingly sudden change in the way America views marriage. Marriage, once viewed as one of the fundamental building blocks of Western society--a cultural norm maintained in the interest of child-rearing, and based on mutually beneficial (and biologically necessary) partnerships--has recently been reduced to a matter of personal romantic and sexual preference. BOYD ALLEN, SAME-SEX MARRIAGE 3 The roots of this shift run deep, and have been building for decades. By de-emphasizing the centrality of the family, the Industrial Revolution eroded one of of the bulwarks that helped support traditional marriage (Knox & Schacht, 2015). The advent of modern contraceptives served to divorce the sexual act from its natural biological consequences (procreation). And with the 1960’s came the sexual revolution that further exalted sexual pleasure over the more mundane aspects of coupling (like economic stability, child-rearing, etc.). One of the practical consequences of this liberation of the American libido were an increase in divorce rates throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s (Swanson, 2015). And while there have been other seasons in American history that have tended towards the glorification of self over familial concerns (i.e. the Roaring Twenties), the last 50 years represent a significant change in the way that America has understood marriage and family. During the expansion of Western society, the emphasis on the exploration and colonization of new territory placed significance on procreation, and preservation of the family line.
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To put it crudely: the harshness of colonial life required a large, healthy, (and somewhat expendable) workforce. The institution of marriage, and the emphasis on large families, was the vehicle by which this was achieved. For obvious biological reasons, opposite gender pairings were a necessary component of this way of life. Historic Christianity has also played a significant role in the emphasis of the traditional “one man and one woman” marriage paradigm. Notably, the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches have also stood against two of the more potent forces eroding the sanctity of marriage (i.e. contraception and more lax divorce requirements).
To put it crudely: the harshness of colonial life required a large, healthy, (and somewhat expendable) workforce. The institution of marriage, and the emphasis on large families, was the vehicle by which this was achieved. For obvious biological reasons, opposite gender pairings were a necessary component of this way of life. Historic Christianity has also played a significant role in the emphasis of the traditional “one man and one woman” marriage paradigm. Notably, the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches have also stood against two of the more potent forces eroding the sanctity of marriage (i.e. contraception and more lax divorce requirements).