Our morals are based upon our own personal beliefs and the environment and experiences which we have grown up with. Our morality can come into question with the little things, like “Is it okay for me to take the last cookie from the cookie jar after my mom said not to, and blame my little sister?” (not that I’ve actually done that……). But then there are the big questions like, “Is it moral to genetically modify human beings with the desirable traits that we believe will extend our lifespan?” or “Is it moral for doctors to allow their own personal influences and beliefs to affect the way that they treat their patients?” Every day, we are faced with different moral dilemmas, with the intensity of the dilemma varying anywhere between mild to intense.

The issue of gay marriage has brought into light people’s true moral and ethical compasses. There are those who have stuck to their views, and there are those who have found themselves changing theirs based upon light that has shed on the issue. But nevertheless, the growing controversy of gay marriage has gained more attention from the media and political figures, with almost expressing their views on the subject.

An article from the New York Times stated that while 56% of Americans are married in the United States, only 26% have stuck to the traditional family concept which typically consists of two parents and one or two children (maybe even more). The gay and lesbian population has found itself growing at a constant rate, with more homosexuals coming out of the closet due to the increasing acceptance of “gay culture” in society. Of course we still have our so called traditionalists who oppose anything that is not “natural” or written in the Bible or the Constitution, but one can argue that society has been much more accepting of gays in recent light when compared to the past, especially in the media through television. But while many have started to accept gays, many are resistant to gay marriage. Now, do ALL gay couples want to get married? Probably not, but would they like the right to? Sure, but many have called in religion to determine whether or not a gay marriage is “right” or whether it is seen as a real marriage. At Santa Clara University, Fred Parrella, associate professor of religious studies at Santa Clara University, and Gerald Coleman, S.S., President of St. Patrick’s Seminary, created a panel to address topics and issues related to gay marriage from a religious standpoint and their views changed the way I viewed religion and its perspective on gay marriage.

Fred Parella explains that he hopes that in the future, the church will be able to accept gay marriage and relieve itself of the homophobic connotation that many have associated with it. He compared the tentative definition of marriage (1) to that compared to the Catholic church’s definition (2):

Marriage (n.)- 1. Marriage is an unconditional, life-long commitment between two persons who promise to share all of life and love, home and hearth, body and soul; marriage necessarily involves both the fullest of communication, the deepest of understanding, and the strongest of personal loyalty and trust between two people. 2. A commitment between a man and a woman that is modeled on the commitment of Christ and his Church, on a commitment of unconditional love.

Both definition imply the sanctity of marriage, in that it is a personal bond between two people, a bond that is not replicated with anyone else in their life, but one that they each share with each other alone. Now, they do differ in their view of who the marriage should be between, but they emphasize the bond between the couple. The morality of this issue, is dependent on the personal beliefs and views of every individual and cannot be determined within a few minutes.