On hot topic issues these days, civilized discussion seems to be lacking. These issues that seem to demand a certain amount of sensitivity, lack it. One example being gay marriage. 

Recently, however, sensitivity was successfully achieved by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students.

Several things stood out about Brother John Ignatius’s lecture other than the civility, which I don’t think can be overemphasized. Mr. Ignatius made several points concerning the validity of gay marriage, all rooted in rational thought.

First, he suggested that there was no “legal precedent” for homosexual marriage anywhere in history. Second, the state must have a vested interest in the upbringing of children, procreation being integral to the institution of heterosexual marriage.  Third, scripture is explicit in its stance on gay marriage, citing the cities Sodom and Gomorra, which were destroyed due to immoral sexual behavior.

I will be the first to admit that I know little of the last point. The first two, though, I find intriguing.  The “natural way” of marriage, according to Mr. Ignatius, has historically been between a man and a woman.  However, history has shown us that it has been far from perfect. 

Marriage does not always work out the way fairy tales portray it.  Abuse, both emotional and physical, is only one problem that marriage does not magically cure. 

His second point is closely related to the first.  He suggested that the state should encourage heterosexual marriage, as they produce better children. However, this stance implies a dangerous expansion of the state itself. 

Beyond tax breaks for married couples and kids, which already exists, the government should not have a role in this arena.  Dictating what people can and cannot do in the privacy of their own home is no place for a government bureaucrat. Rationality aside, the central contention here is love.

I don’t think that Mr. Ignatius was trying to argue against the individuals right to love anyone they choose.  He even said that loving God was a choice.  But love is, as many of us are aware, not rational and not necessarily a conscious choice.  Love is much harder to explain rationally. 

This is what makes it unique. 

We know it when we feel it.  It makes us human.  And if love makes us human, what could be more natural than love itself?  What could be more natural than expressing that love?