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20 BOCNEWS.COMAUGUST 2015 The Supreme Court decision in Obergefell et al. v. Hodges established on June 26 2015 the deci- sion to settle the conflict which claims that same-sex partners are denied their Fourteenth Amendment right to marry or to have their marriages law- fully performed in another State given full recog- nition. The argument holds that the Fourteenth Amendments Due Process and Equal Protection under the law clause extends to certain personal choices central to individual dignity and autonomy including intimate choices defining personal identity and beliefs. In other words an individuals right to choose who they marry is a freedom protected by the constitution. One of the many problems with Western Legal Culture is that it tends to lift the rights and free- doms of the individual over and above the good of the collective. History has always taught us that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In almost every other aspect of our society we discour- age promoting the value of the individual over the value of the team the unit or the system. We always assess how well an individuals talent and person- ality will fit with the good of the whole. Yet in this case it seems weve done the reverse where weve abandoned the good of the system for the sake of the individual. Marriage is a universal institution between man and woman that has existed for thousands of years to promote the stability of procreation child rear- ing and family as the fundamental unit of nation building. Lets be clear I am less concerned about tax privileges estate rights hospital access and other marital benefits which I believe can be achieved without redefining the revered institutions of marriage and family. What is of deep concern here is the transformation of longstanding insti- tutions at the hands of five lawyers who are by human nature limited in their ability to know things. Marriage as the fundamental unit of community exists in nearly every corner of the globe from Bushmen in the Kalahari to Aboriginal tribes in Australia. Marriage and then family forms the foundation for struc- turing the socializing systems for raising children and teaching behavioral norms. Five lawyers do not have the authority to change that. Heterosexuals are unraveling the family unit thoroughly enough without adding a new breed of fatherless and motherless children to the mix of cha- otic family dysfunction. At what point do we resist the emotional impulse of meaningless self-pleasure. Thirty seven million members of the Ashley Madison website aimed at providing hook-ups for married people. Instead of strengthening the institutions of marriage and family were using our money and technology to unravel hallowed socializing agencies. Not all desires that are legally permissible should be socially practiced. But here we are catering to the emotional desires of spoiled Westerners who want what they want no matter what it costs. And there is a cost. Consider this there is a man in Montana who has one wife and another woman who lives with them. The second woman and he had a wedding ceremony but theyve never filed for a marriage license because bigamy is against State law. He says that he now intends to file for a marriage licenses in light of the latest Supreme Court decision. He claims the State cannot deny his right to marry two women if the Equal Protection clause allows for the marriage of same- sex couples. Why wouldnt it apply to polygamists In Michigan age 36 there is a father who wants to marry his 18 year old BIOLOGICAL daughter. This couple is currently making plans to move to New Jersey where incest in legal. Whats to prevent these two consenting adults from marrying if they love each other and marriage is not limited to a traditional union Why wouldnt the Fourteenth Amendment apply to incest couples who are free to make personal choices that they believe in The argument for being homosexual is not com- pelling enough to change the composition of these historical institutions. From a Christian perspective A Universal Institution CURRENT AFFAIRS By Randy Craven LPC CAC III Randy Craven Continued on Page 21 YOUR CHURCH INFO COULD BE HERE Call 303.344.4607 TODAY