A few comments/reflections for the mix:
The institution of marriage in Western European and North American society has decisively, substantially, and irrevocably changed in the last fifty years--and well before the words "same sex marriage" were in anybody's imagination. Who did it? Heterosexuals. So--to me, at least--the "They are changing how it's always been!" bit is disingenuous. The arguments against same-sex marriage are largely predicated on appeals to marital patterns that heterosexuals themselves now (even religious conservatives) can't/won't live.
Take American conservative Protestant churches, for example. Take from them all congregational board members, Sunday School teachers, and other lay leaders who are divorced and re-married--those living in blended families--and we're probably talking major institutional shut-downs.
How many heterosexuals does anyone know who these days will stay in a personally unsatisfying marriage because of family or societal pressure? A few, to be sure--but a colossally lower percentage than, say, in 1958. What would a family member, these days, be more likely to hear in response to even gentle suggestions to a close relative (who wanted out of a marriage) to stay married? Probably something like, "That's none of your d**n business!"
So the issue now, for society and churches, in the midst of these already changed realities, how do we in best health, justice, and faith find our way forward? Admittedly, this will not be an easy, pain-free, or flawless process. Nor does it mean junking the classic values of chastity and fidelity.
But "how it used to be"*** has already been taken off the table--and not by same-sex couples.
Regards to all.
Adam Linton
*** And for the record, I think that there was a good deal more diversity and evolution in "how it used to be" than many care to admit.
