Many people are not aware that, not only do I write for the Viewpoint section, I am also the editor.
When I sat down with my writers this semester, I had a few issues I knew would be hot topics and deserved to be written about such as separation of church and state, the progress of the war in Iraq and gay marriage.
I was surprised to find that while I was assigning topics, although the others went quickly, no one wanted to touch gay marriage.
A few writers gave some good arguments as to why they would not even consider writing about the issue, and I agreed. I shouldn’t have to force an opinion out of anyone.
While all of the writers had already formed an opinion about gay marriage anyway, they cited as their arguments things like being ridiculed for their stance and the backlash it would bring to the paper. But, as I thought more and more about this issue I realized it neede to be addressed in this paper.
Gay marriage could completely change our culture.
While it may be on a different level of importance than the aforementioned topics, it could shake the very foundations of religion and our society.
I am not gay. I am a heterosexual female who loves the opposite sex, but I have many friends who are homosexual.
My ex-roommate was a gay male and we lived happily together.
In circles of friends nowadays, it is hard not to find at least one homosexual among the group.
Homosexuality is becoming more accepted in our culture. TV, radio, religion and politics have now had to answer to a minority of people who have come out of the closet to demand equal rights.
One of the rights they are demanding is the legal right to marry and be provided with the same legal protections as a couple in a heterosexual marriage.
Waves of anger, acceptance and backlash have raced across the country because of this hot topic.
It is a topic we hear from the pews, from the politicians in places like Texas where the battle over sodomy laws began and in our inner circles of friends.
Why shouldn’t we let homosexuals marry? Why shouldn’t we let homosexuals be Christians or Jews or Catholics? Why shouldn’t we allow homosexuals the same marital privileges that heterosexuals enjoy?
If this comes to pass, what will happen to our society and our culture? How will this influence other nations?
These are all relevant questions that arise when we speak of homosexual marriage.
I intend to conquer and at least provide some insight to this topic.
While I am aware not all who read these next few installments will be pleased with what I have to say, I am sure they cannot refute the facts and ideas I lay out before the population of ETSU.
I intend to look at religious stances on homosexuality and what can be derived from them in the first installment. For the second installment, I plan to research how society views, and has viewed, homosexuals and what it means to the future. The last installment will deal with family and how gay marriage will affect it.
I think I have a few great articles coming. But with this topic, I must say I promise to the student body that my opinion will be formed through solid research and interviews. I promise to exhaust all reference materials made available to me.
Last but not least, I am writing this article because I think this topic is too important to go unnoticed or unmentioned.
It is a topic that challenges religion, society and the family. It is a topic that if not carefully considered and weighed with the most intricate details could become a bad decision and a stake in the heart of America.
You may expect the first of three articles focusing on how religion views homosexuality and why they are against homosexual marriage in Monday’s edition.

Author