Political science Political culture - Essay Example

Gay Marriage: Our Mutual Joy: An Analysis For this paper, I will be examining a story published in Newsweek last December 6, 2008, en d Gay Marriage: Our Mutual Joy written by Lisa Miller. This article is a report on the gay marriage issue sparked by its legalization in California. It’s main subject was stated this way:The battle over gay marriage has been waged for more than a decade, but within the last six months – since California legalized gay marriage and then, with a ballot initiative in November, amended its Constitution to prohibit it – the debate has grown into a full-scale war, with religious-rhetoric slinging to match.

(Miller 2008)This is the Newsweek cover story for the December 15, 2008 issue. An examination in regard to how Miller has written the piece would demonstrate how the story could be classified not strictly as a news story owing to the biased reportage – one undertaken to advance the liberal view on the subject. Miller wrote and investigated an outline of the reasons why the religious arguments in opposing gay marriage are unfounded and unreasonable. The author’s involvement in the story underscores how this issue has divided American society, rousing the active political participation of stakeholders from both sides of the political spectrum in political debates and other initiatives so as to influence legislations in this area.

The conservatives are rallying against gay marriage while the liberals are mustering its force to support it. The intensity of the debate is essentially driven by the fact that gay marriage concern two fundamental American values that are protected by the Constitution – family and freedom.Conservatives want to uphold the traditional concept of marriage as a union between a man and a woman. For this sector, allowing gay marriage is tantamount to redefining family and violating its function of procreation.

Needless to say, much of the rationale behind their position is rooted on moral arguments and religious beliefs and doctrines, reasoning that the preservation of the traditional family is important in the stability and health of the society. With this, the liberals, such as the case of Miller’s article, are quick to refer to several passages of the Scripture that encourages inclusion, regardless of age, sex, race, etc. Furthermore, the liberals are emboldened by the recent favorable court rulings that put significant weight on freedom, choice, right and equality rather than the strict and conservative doctrines that may have been founded on religion.

A specific legal foundation of this position is the Fourteenth Amendment’s requirement that states give equal protection of the laws to all citizens.A closer examination of the point being made here, as highlighted by Miller’s story, would reveal an important insight on the values of America’s two political factions. The conservatives would oppose same sex marriage because in doing so, they believe that they are defending the family as well as the values that it entails. The liberals, on the other hand, wanted marriage because of the benefit it brings to people as well as for the symbolism it would affect on several of their most important causes, such as freedom of choice and equality.

In invoking the religion-variable in the gay-marriage debate, for instance, the distinction is glaringly outlined. Liberal America assail conservatives invocation of rigid and old the religious teachings and the morality argument, while using the general thought of the Christian values of inclusion to support the modern American values.ReferenceMiller, Lisa, “Gay Marriage: Our Mutual Joy.” Newsweek 15, Dec. 2008