Should Polygamy be illegal?

[Alcon]

I don't see how gay marriage is any closer to polygamy than heterosexual marriage.

[Alcon]

A goal of marriage of procreation, something interracial marriage could achieve.  Marriage is between a man and woman, something interracial marriage cannot achieve.  Interracial marriage achieves the same tenets as intraracial marriage so your analogy does work as gay marriage does not achieves these tenets.  Liberal argument #4 "Your living in the past", is one of the least convincing ones in my opinion.

Why can't the goal to marriage be raising children, something a gay marriage could achieve?  We have enough people in this country as it is.

And why is marriage for procreation?  Explain.  Give a logical reason for this.  Why can't it just be for two people who love each other, like it is now?

[Alcon]

I think a lot of the gay marriage debate is trying to mingle in all different emotions and feelings people have the issue, it isn't a clear cut issue that can decided using numbers and fancy equations.

Yeah...welcome to reality, where things are not so clear-cut morally.

It is an issue that someone usually feels one way or the other because a set of beliefs they have.  The "slippery slope" argument I had before was certainly valid, but my biggest objection to gay marriage is a personal belief that God intends for marriage to be between a man and a woman.  You can say "God shouldn't shape beliefs", but my belief is shaped on that and it is reprehensible for someone to tell me I shouldn't be able to believe that and fight that as much as my heart desires.  There is no reason I cannot object to something for the simple reason I find it morally reprehensible, if you would like to discuss civil unions I have much more mixed feelings on that.  However, the institution of marriage should no way be extended to gay people.

That's fine.  Your religious beliefs dictate your position here.  Whatever.  We don't share the same religious beliefs.  But don't try to rationalize it away with things you don't actually believe to and can't support (like you did in this topic).

[Alcon]

If we allow gay marriages then to not allow polygamous ones would be hypocritical to say the least. The traditional definition of marriage is 1 Man + 1 Woman, not "two people that love each other"; to argue otherwise is childish. Gay marriage is social engineering, plain and simple. This is where most supporters of gay marriage run into problems, because they claim it's an issue of equal rights, but it's an attempt to change societal attitudes towards behaviors they accept and believe others should accept. If you support gay marriage and not polygamous ones then youre just as bad as the people who oppose gay marriage, because in the end you're just forcing your beliefs on others. Ideally government would have no place in marriage, because no matter how you slice it, you're having the government telling people what's worthy of recognition and what isn't, something I don't believe they have the moral authority to do.

Did I argue that?  And while I agree with you that supporting gay marriage may be "just as bad" on that level, I don't complain that people are forcing their views on others.  That would be hypocritical.

I agree on that level.  However, it's not like that is the only level at which the issue can be analyzed.  I can support gay marriage for reasons unrelated to which is the less forceful belief.  Of course...

(I'm assuming this was directed to me, because I was the one who mentioned "two people who love each other."  If I'm wrong, sorry.)

[Alcon]

No it wasn't directed toward you. I had read your posts but didn't recall that you had used that phrase, sorry about the misunderstanding.

Ah, no problem.  Sorry for being presumptive - I actually realized I was probably wrong about who it was directed to, but I was too lazy to edit it. 

(Sorry again.)

[Alcon]

Your right let's put it to the people and see what happens, except when gay marriage activists realized they kept getting shot down, even in dark blue Oregon

Dark blue Oregon, where, out of 100 voters, 51 will have voted for Kerry.  "Dark blue."  Right.

Your religion considers it a sin.  Stop playing moralist.  No one is being hurt by what they do except them, even in your religious views.  You may disagree with my morals, but that doesn't really mean what I believe in is less "moral" than you; just different.  It shouldn't be a point of attack.