TS, I don't want you to think I was singling you out in my post about polygamy. You and several others were discussing this, and when I was ready to post your message was the latest one. Nonetheless, I am glad you found the article I posted worthy of the careful scrutiny you gave it. I also found some of the author's assertions a bit hard to swallow.
As to my general feelings on the subject: I don't know whether you are a parent, but most of us who have raised children went through the "why not" stage in the teen years. "Why can't I dye my hair purple?" "So what if he is ten years older than me?" And countless other "why nots."
A parent might begin by trying to answer those questions with patience and logic, but before long it becomes, "Because I say so!"
That's how I feel about gay marriage, polygamy, pedophilia, and a lot of other special-interest demands. Our country has become splintered, and there are too many special interest groups posing too many "why nots." I'm tired of them.
It would be a different matter if these demands involved "fundamental rights," but they seldom do. Our forefathers, with great wisdom, defined fundamental rights in the Bill of Rights. When any of these are placed at risk, then "why nots" are not only acceptable, they are essential.
But with the type of "why nots" we are talking about that involve privilege, not rights, the burden of proof is on the asker to do the persuading. Moreover, these matters involve fundamental change in our traditions, our heritage, and our culture.
I'm only one citizen, but until I am persuaded, which I am not, my answer to these "why nots" will still be, "Because I say so!" |
