Where are the “sex before marriage supporters” and why don’t they seem to be as critical of the church as those who support same sex marriage?
What am I missing?
Because it’s not a legal issue. The church is not trying to support or put legislation in place to make sex before marriage illegal.
If they do, then I bet the “sex before marriage” supporters will become VERY vocal.
^That. Churches are free to issue whatever moral doctrines they please for their members. When it comes to supporting or opposing legal rights for people who are not even members of the church in question is when people get annoyed.
But they are vocal. If you listen carefully, you can hear them shouting “Oh God!” in the background.
What they said. Not as many would care if the churches limited themselves to saying abortion or gay coupling are grave sins that get you excommunicated or disfellowshipped or whatever applies to that congregation, but left everyone else alone in the civil sphere. Let the churches start demanding the reenforcement of fornication/sodomy laws against consenting adults, or a regression of divorce laws, and you’d get strong pusback.
I agree it’s the legal element, at least primarily. There could be a bit of a second reason, too. It is quite typical for people to consider premarital sex around that time of life (whether they have it or wait). The gay marriage issue is different because it’s setting aside a few percent of all of us and saying they can NEVER have what the rest of us get. Similarly, not being able to vote when you’re 15 years old is not so hard to accept because you will get to vote eventually and everybody is at some time in the same situation, whereas not being able to vote because you are of some particular race would be much more repugnant.
It’s the fact that their prejudice affects everyone, not merely members of their faith. It’s as if Orthodox Jews wanted to pass a law preventing everyone in the country from eating pork.
Another agreement. Any church can oppose it all they want. Any church can refuse to marry gay people. Any church can expel married gay people. Just don’t push your dogma on those who think your religion is a crock.
Is it simply pragmatic reasons that has the religious right not trying to actually ban premarital sex? That’s been an issue longer, and affects more people than gay marriage. Why hasn’t there been more of an effort on the part of religious people to make premaritial sex illegal?
Because incarcerating 97% of the population is somewhat impractical.
Somewhat different than the legal aspect (which of course is a big one) there’s the fact that most religious people have nonmarital sex anyway and everyone knows it. The church is nominally opposed to it, but many churches don’t really seem to care that much. Homosexuality is just considered the really bad one because that’s the one that most people (including the rule-enforcers) have an easy time following.
I should start a religion where everything I don’t feel like doing anyway is demonized, and I’ll be the most moral person around by that criteria.
Making abortion illegal is certainly related in ways to making premarital sex illegal, and has enforceability advantages.
I find them both offensive, actually. It really pisses me off that to get federal money my kids’ school has to teach that premarital sex is wrong. Fuck you, school - I don’t think it’s wrong, I did it, and I’m going to tell my kid both those things.
However, as everyone else said, if churches want to tell their followers stupid shit about what’s right and wrong, I’m not going to get too up in arms. Try to get the government to impose those rules, and I’ll come at you like a spider monkey.
They tried to enforce it legally in the past in some cases, but it generally got struck down.
It also helps that the dislike of premarital sex has rational reasons for it, especially amongst a group of people who also don’t believe in abortion. And, even without that, having sex with multiple partners is at least slightly more dangerous than sticking with the same partner, even if you have protection, as protection is not 100% effective.
And, the prohibition against premarital sex seems to be getting softer and softer. Used to, proof of that would get you banned from any sort of ministry. Now it’s just a youthful mistake.
I wouldn’t even go that far. A sizable group doesn’t consider it a mistake or even a bad thing. Just a choice that some people make.