Gay marriage: The sacred and the mundane

For this morning’s coverage of New York’s same-sex marriage debate, I interviewed Sister Jennifer Votraw. (See the news page.)

Sister Votraw has been a steady, thoughtful voice for the Diocese of Ogdensburg for years. She articulates well the Church’s view that gay marriage represents a violation of “natural law.”

Natural law is a concept that dates back at least as far as Thomas Aquinas.

It’s the notion that certain basic societal ideals — and religious doctrines — can be discerned from the structure of the natural world.

Think of it as God’s fingerprint.

In this case, it takes the union man and a woman to procreate; therefore it must stand to reason that “marriage” must be a sacrament limited to couples who can bear children.

The problem with this argument isn’t that it’s illogical, or wrong. (Who am I to quibble with Aquinas?)

The problem is that for more and more Americans, especially young people, homosexuality just feels, well, normal. (Dare I say, natural?) The topic is even kind of boring.

Folks like Sister Votraw find themselves using a sacred argument to denounce a thing that a lot of people see as mundane.

This is nothing new for Church leaders, who’ve struggled for years with “cafeteria Catholics” and with an American culture that has drifted toward modernism and secularism.

So what do you think? The Roman Catholic Church will play a big role in New York’s political wrangling with same-sex marriage.

Is that a good thing? What do you think of “natural law?” How does your faith shape your thinking about this issue?

(As always, be civil and thoughtful. We’re into territory that mingles our most intimate convictions about love and God — so think twice before you hit Enter.)

Tags: glbt