Letter to an Atheist First Sergeant
Appeal to Nebraska (And the World)
Photo By: Flickr/Rakesh
“There is no place like Nebraska, dear ol’ Nebraska U!”
- Harry Pecha
As I write this article (March 2, 2015) my home state Nebraska faces a hot-button, social issue that’s been knocking at the door for a long time: gay marriage.
Today in Nebraska, Judge Joseph Bataillon lifted a ban on same-sex marriage. This is his second attempt at lifting this marriage ban and this time he succeeded. As of 8:00 a.m. on March 9, 2015, gay couples may file for a legal marriage in the state of Nebraska.
This news elicited a sensationally positive reaction from several of my friends and peers back home in Nebraska. As I scrolled the newsfeed on Facebook, several friends posted something to the effect of “Finally!” or “Welcome to the 21st Century!” or “This is the best day in our state history!”
Sarah Warbelow from the Human Rights Campaign was quoted saying: “All across America, LGBT people and their families are seeking the respect and dignity under the law that they deserve,” … This discriminatory barrier to marriage for committed and loving gay and lesbian couples does not protect anyone and only harms countless Nebraskan families.”
I beg to differ.
In a post-modern society where moral relativism reigns king, we must make an appeal to common sense, reason, and moral truth. Moral truths apply to everyone in the human race; they are not limited to those who only profess the Christian faith (or any faith for that matter). As a society, we know some things are right and other things are wrong. If objective rights and wrongs did not exist, we would not have much of a problem with tragic events such as the Holocaust or the current conflicts with ISIS in the Middle-East.
Moral truths existed before society. Marriage between a man and woman existed before society. Cardinal Francis George of Chicago reminds us of this fact in his Church newspaper column:
“Sexual relations between a man and a woman are naturally and necessarily different from sexual relations between same-sex partners. This truth is part of the common sense of the human race. It was true before the existence of either Church or State, and it will continue to be true when there is no state of Illinois and no United States of America. A proposal to change this truth about marriage in civil law is less a threat to religion than it is an affront to human reason and the common good of society. It means we are all to pretend to accept something we know is physically impossible. The Legislature might just as well repeal the law of gravity.”
A ban preventing same-sex couples from being legally married is not a “discriminatory barrier” as Miss. Warbelow asserts. The same-sex marriage ban is an appeal to truth for the good of society; it is meant to protect and perpetuate life itself.
As this drama in Nebraska unfolds, please pray for wisdom and love to seep into the hearts of proponents of same-sex marriage and into defenders of traditional marriage, that they may honor each other with respect and dignity.
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About the Author
Bobby Brown currently serves the U.S. Army as an Active Duty Infantry Officer stationed at Ft. Benning, Georgia.
He converted to the Catholic faith his freshmen year of college and continues his spiritual growth by daily prayer and devotion. He currently teaches high school faith formation classes every Sunday at Fort Benning’s Chapel.
