Atheists, do you support same-sex marriage?

[Cyberman]

Voted Yes. The only problem I have with same-sex marriage, is not the same-sex part. it's the idea of marriage and being legally-morally tied to someone as if they own me/I own them. Where's the fun in that?

It's not about ownership but about commitment. It shows that you intend to never leave that person, its kinda romantic.

It's also a legal recognition of partnership.

When what happened to my Sam... happened, I found that, because we weren't married, I had no claim to bereavement benefits of any kind. 'Traditional' marriage was recognised, as was same-sex civil partnerships, yet though a couple "living together as though married" - 'common-law' partnership - has legal standing in other areas, such as standard benefit claims and funeral costs, it doesn't in this case. It's not the money I was interested in, far from it - it just would have been nice to have an official record somewhere of our nine years together.

I voted yes, btw. Also, not American.

[Longhorn]

Not American, voted yes

cos, really, why the fuck not?

[Pyrrho]

Your poll isn't going to mean much, because the people here are not necessarily representative of atheists generally.  I recommend that you do an online search for polls that have been done on this subject.

As others have noted, your relative's information is out of date.  More Americans favor same-sex marriage than oppose it:

http://www.pewresearch.org/data-trend/do...-marriage/

However, in the recent past, the opposite was true, so I think some people here are being unjust in their condemnation of your relative.  Your relative's information on this is just out of date, probably not the result of stupidity.


As for atheists, it is a bit difficult to dream up a nonreligious reason to be opposed to same-sex marriage.  Some probably have not reconsidered the issue after throwing off their religious beliefs, but otherwise, I doubt you will have very many atheists against same-sex marriage, unless they are just against all marriage.


As for the religious, very often their "arguments" on this are ridiculous nonsense.  You have probably heard some people say things like:

Same-sex marriage will destroy traditional marriage.

That is nonsense.  I am a man, married to a woman, and whether my male neighbor marries a man, woman, or does not marry, has no impact on my marriage.  My marriage is what it is, regardless of what other people do.  The claim, that same-sex marriage would destroy traditional marriage, would only be true if those in traditional marriages were thinking, 

Damn!  If only I had waited, I could have married someone of the same sex as me!  Now I will have to get a divorce so I can do that.

Since many of us are not thinking that, or anything like it, it is just a ridiculous idea, that letting gay people marry each other is going to destroy anything.

The religious should just stick to their purely religious ideas on it, and say that they will not allow it in their church or among their members.

[Jericho]

I am a straight, American male and I voted yes.

The only reason people ever have to say no is either because of their religion or because they find it repulsive. Both reasons are ill founded and should not even be brought up as an argument. It is my opinion that people should be free to marry whoever they want, as long as it is consensual and fits the age requirements.

[robvalue]

Wow, look at that, 25 - 0!

Go A-Train!

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I not only support same sex marriage, I insist on it.  Being gay doesn't get you a pass - these people should have the same right to be miserable as the rest of us.

Boru

[Razzle]

8

As for atheists, it is a bit difficult to dream up a nonreligious reason to be opposed to same-sex marriage.  Some probably have not reconsidered the issue after throwing off their religious beliefs, but otherwise, I doubt you will have very many atheists against same-sex marriage, unless they are just against all marriage.

My mum is one of those atheists. I'll try to explain why but even she admits she can't give a logical account of her opinion. She's never believed in any specific religion and is curently anti-theist and anti-religion. She's politically a mixed bag, neither particularly right wing nor left wing (by British standards). She think same sex couples should have equal legal rights and contracts but not call it marriage or do it in a church (and as I said, she doesn't like churches and didn't get married in one herself). She is perfectly nice and accepting of gay people she knows doesn't think the're doing anything wrong, she wouldn't care if I brought a same sex partner home, she just can't put her finger on what makes her uncomfortable about the idea of same sex church weddings. I think it's just discomfort with familiar things looking different than usual, which is a well studied psychological phenomenon that some people seem more prone to than others.

[robvalue]

My parents are similar. They are blatantly homophobic, but when pressed for a reason, they just say "I don't know. I just don't trust them."

I would imagine they picked it up from their parents.

[Mudhammam]

@OP

Sure, I absolutely believe that gays have as much of a right to be as miserable as anyone else.

[Pyrrho]

I not only support same sex marriage, I insist on it.  Being gay doesn't get you a pass - these people should have the same right to be miserable as the rest of us.

Boru

@OP

Sure, I absolutely believe that gays have as much of a right to be as miserable as anyone else.

Marriage is one of those things that can be great, or horrible, or somewhere in between, depending on the people involved.  For one of my brothers, getting married was the biggest mistake of his life.  For me, getting married was the best decision of my life.  The main difference is, I chose much better than he did.

For anyone who does not like marriage, I strongly recommend that you never marry.  It does not hurt me any for you to remain single.



Notice the "however" part.  A happy marriage is a good thing, an unhappy one is not.  Funny how it works that way...