Gay Marriage and Some Facts

I am a die-hard optimist. That is why I am writing this post.

A few more facts about me:

• I love human beings. I believe that we are a human family, connected by our common humanity and our common Source, the Creator. God made each of us in His own image, and that means that we are all endowed with an inherent and infinite dignity that no one can take away. We cannot even get rid of it, ourselves. We are God’s creations, infinitely loved and worthy of infinite love. I’ll say it again: every single one of us—regardless of who we are, where we’ve been, or what we think, say, or do—has infinite worth and dignity. We all deserve respect, love, and reverence. God loves us, and He loves everyone else. This is the central tenet of morality.
• As a Christian, I believe in justice and mercy. While injustice especially gets under my skin, I try to follow the leaning of my master, Christ, who taught that mercy ultimately wins out over justice.
• I love diversity. Although it is comforting to be with your own kind, with what is familiar—and a healthy person accepts this fact—there is also something deep within me that loves what is different. We often find things and people beautiful not because they are like us, but because they are different. This song by Train says it well.  Same can be very attractive, but so can Different. Both are wonderful. Neither is better. 
• What is true of beauty is also true of culture. America draws its strength from diversity and always has. It combines the intellect of Greece and Rome with the wisdom of Jerusalem. It combines the prudence of a republic with the fairness of a democracy. It combines the modest silence of decency with freedom of speech. America takes what is highest and best from every culture it comprises, and welcomes all people of good heart into its fold. Our country is built not on the blood of a race, but the ideals of a community. Diversity is one of our core characteristics.
• I believe that there is wisdom in the past. While it is true that our predecessors sometimes endorsed and lived serious errors—the ones that come to mind are slavery, racism, sexism, and class distinctions, but the list could go on for quite some time—they also had much to commend them. There is great wisdom to be found in the words and deeds of those that came before us on this planet, and they should not be disenfranchised simply because they are dead, as G.K. Chesterton once pointed out.
•  I like to have fun. If you’ve ever spent any length of time with me in an informal setting, you know this. There are few things more wonderful and therapeutic than a good belly laugh, the kind of hilarity that penetrates to your soul and won’t let you stop laughing. Life is good.
•  I support strong gun control. I think that background checks and licenses should be required for purchasing guns from any vendor, and that anyone who opposes such legislation is being quite unreasonable. I further believe that private citizens should only be allowed to own handguns and basic rifles. Nothing fancy, nothing absurd. If shooting deer is your thing, you don't need a Tommy gun to do it. 
• Finally, I think smoking is harmful and self-destructive. It should be completely illegal. 

In short, I (like anyone else) am an individual; I did not emerge from a cookie cutter.

Now that all of that's out of the way, can we have a rational conversation about gay marriage? I am strongly opposed to it. Will you listen to me, now that you know more about me? Or will you shut me out as a bigot, or try to mock me into submission? Can we have a rational conversation about this?

I hope so. Like I said, I’m an optimist.