Wright Thinking about Same-Sex Marriage

I do not hate gays and lesbians. I understand that many of them feel that they had no choice in their sexual preferences. I understand that life can be very difficult for someone who is attracted to the same sex. I consider gays and lesbians to be fellow human beings sharing in this life-journey. I feel the same way about gays and lesbians as I do about people who wrestle with drug/alcohol addictions - they were born with some gene that made them more susceptible to certain struggles in life.
However, I do not feel that sexual preference deserves special civil rights. If we start down that road, what is to hold me back from suing for special rights just because I prefer a certain sexual position? I think everyone would agree that would be ridiculous. I do not ask to control the personal intimate choices that people make in the bedroom, but I also do not think those choices merit special civil rights. I will never understand how this personal choice became such a huge POLITICAL issue! But it has, so here we are.
This leads me into the concept of TOLERANCE. If we are to understand the current definition of tolerance, it would be "live and let live, except those who don't support homosexuals - they are bigots and shouldn't have civil rights." To me, tolerance means treating EVERYONE with kindness, not unconditional acceptance. I get to disagree with choices other people make, that's my right. But I don't get to abuse them. And I am not.
Now I am getting to the heart of this issue. You do not find homosexuality in nature. All living beings that desire to reproduce, mate with someone of the opposite sex. The puzzle pieces fit together they way God intended. All living beings live in families. When animals get separated from their family grouping (pride, pack, nest, etc.) then there is a much greater chance of them being picked off by a predator. Animals learn survival skills from parents, siblings, or other relatives. It has been this way for eons of time. It works the same way, but with much greater effectiveness, in human beings. In modern times, there have been countless scientific studies performed that support the claim that children progress in a much healthier way when parents of both sexes are present in their life. In the psychological world, it is well known that if a girl has no strong male figure in her life, she faces a much greater chance of being promiscuous and chancing life-destroying sexually transmitted diseases. Children have a much greater chance of being healthy, happy, and successful when parented by an involved mother and father.
Same-sex marriages take that opportunity away from children. In this modern world, life is hard enough for children who must accept the actions of their parents without any say in it.
As well, the legalization of same-sex marriage has consequences attached. This is not just about giving gays/lesbians the right to have a lovely ceremony and a reception afterward. They can do that now, if they want to. This is about dehumanizing a sacred and historically successful institution. "Party A, do you take Party B to be your lawfully wedded partner..." That's ridiculous. But it has happened in CA already. How can that be good for anyone?
If same-sex marriage is legalized, what will happen to churches, businesses, or individuals who, because of basic moral beliefs, do not want to cater to the homosexual population? Will they be sued into going against their beliefs? Who is being "tolerant" then? Catholic Charities in Boston, Mass. had to close their doors because they were threatened with a lawsuit for not arranging adoptions for same-sex couples. What a shame to have lost an organization that provided so much joy for so many families!
And while we are talking about Massachusetts...the legalization of same-sex marriage in that state has changed family-friendly communities into places of where you can't even visit the beach for fear of having to watch public gay sex.
The law ties the hands of the police - who have tried to arrest the individuals for indecent exposure. Families have had to leave that community completely, to escape the promiscuity that has invaded their beaches.
This is a ripple effect. There are many. Will educators be mandated by law to teach homosexual sex education in the schools? Will churches whose beliefs are opposed to the new law be allowed to preach those teachings?

I respectfully ask you to think about these things as you are considering the issue of same-sex marriage in the United States today.