Pivot of Civilization or Rivet of Life? Conflicting Worldviews and Same-Sex Marriage

Proponents of same-sex marriage contend that the inclusion of homosexuals in the definition will have little negative impact upon the heterosexual conventions of marriage and family. Some say the impact will be liberating. Others believe the consequential erosion of theistic values in the affairs of state will only make society better. This book argues that these conjectures are misleading and will in the end be proven false and damaging, should same-sex marriage be adopted. In reality, both personal and national level decisions on same-sex marriage are a test of belief and conviction.

This book takes the issue of homosexuality out of its "rights-based" context and looks at same-sex relations from a broader perspective- within the philosophical framework of what feminist Diana Alstad calls the "planetary battle" or the "morality wars" over "who has the right to decide what's right?" The thesis of this book is that acceptance of same-sex marriage will symbolize state preference for the beliefs of secularism, humanism, and free sex ethos, over traditional theistic-based, Judeo-Christian values.

Worse, the legislated merger of same-sex and opposite sex societal spaces under one definition of marriage will signify that the homosexual lifestyle is the same culturally, morally, and ecologically as the heterosexual way of life. In fact they are an anathema to each other.

This book equips and leads the reader to face his or her philosophy of life, before deciding on issues like same-sex marriage. The reader discovering a very complex, multi-faceted, and interlocking set of issues will face the question, "From where do we draw our moral wisdom?" Secularist (Pivot of Civilization) and Christian (Rivet of Life) worldviews are developed and their relative merits in facing key issues of the day are studied. The institutions of marriage and family will be cast in far-reaching perspective.

The book will detail the potentially harmful ramifications of such a huge move away from theism and also show the societal benefits of an exclusive and distinctive definition of same-sex union, in keeping with recognition of a separate and unique homosexual minority lifestyle.