Conservatives Should not Attempt to Legislate Morality and
let People Marry who they want to Marry
Why I have changed my mind on a very controversial issue
by Lee Edward Enochs
President,
The Princeton Conservative Club
Yes, I have changed my mind. I have changed my mind about gay marriage in America. I no longer believe that it is the function and role of the State to determine who we should marry. As a conservative with Libertarian political views, I have come full circle on this issue. I believe this is a civil rights issue and today I am taking a stand as a conservative for a specific defense of gay marriage.
Today, I am not entering into a discussion or defense of the ethical justification of homosexuality. I am specifically attempting to argue, as a Libertarian, that it is not the job of the civil government to attempt to legislate morality. As a proponent of a small and very limited government model, I do not believe the State should enter into the realm of attempting to determine the ethical legitimacy of anyone's marital union irrespective of the gender of the persons attempting to marry.
I am a staunch advocate of a "minimal state" approach to political philosophy and believe, specifically, that the State's only legitimate function is the protection of individuals from breach of contract, assault and fraud. I believe the only legitimate government institutions are the military, police and judicial system to adjudicate the laws of the land. I also believe in a very small amount of governmental infrastructure and believe that things life the emergency and rescue departments (paramedics and fire departments, for example), prison system, judicial system and legislatures are the only legitimate government functions.
My staunch Libertarian conservatism has caused me to change my mind on the gay marriage issue. I used to believe that the State had the right to interfere in our personal lives and determine who we should love or be in bed with. Over the last few years, I have experienced a radical shift in my thought on this matter.
When I was a teenager, I used to be a major proponent of Jerry Falwell and the "Moral Majority." So much so, that despite my impoverished economic state as a high school student, I used to send Falwell's Liberty University a $20.00 check in support of Liberty University's academic mission. Later, I earned an undergraduate degree at one of the most conservative Southern Baptist schools in America. There at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, I saw the worst form of fundamentalism and recoiled from that form of alleged Christian ministry.
While I am still an avowed Evangelical Christian, I no longer agree with the late Jerry Falwell's ideological reference point. Over the years, through my personal study of economics and political philosophy, I have come to believe in the least amount of government interference in our personal lives.
I am not at all comfortable with groups like the now defunct, "Moral Majority" having such a close relationship with the branches of political power in the United States. I do not believe in a puritanical moral police state wherein a small group of fundamentalist Baptist preachers and other like-minded fundamentalist pastors determine what is morally prudent or not.
I do not believe the US Constitution allows for such a relationship between fundamentalist Christianity and the secular state and believe that the US government should have no role in who we should marry.
Don't get me wrong, I believe in Jesus Christ and the full, plenary inspiration, infallibility and authority of the Bible and am a very dedicated Evangelical Christian. I just do not believe that fundamentalist morality should influence the secular state who in turn legislates morality in the lives of a free citizenry.
I live by the model that the best government is the least amount of government and that I do not believe the State should interfere in my personal and economic life.
So, my minimal state, Libertarian views of political philosophy have helped me change my mind about gay marriage. I do not want "Big Brother," or any form of an authoritarian police state interfering in my personal life. I do not believe the US Constitution allows for a theocracy or theonomic state wherein a small group of religious fundamentalist dictate to the State what is ethical prudent or justifiable or not.
I know my view on gay marriage may offend some of you out there and I want to hear from you. If you have concerns, support or comments on my Libertarian view in defense of gay marriage, I would like to hear from you. Please use the "comments" section provided below this blog post to express your opinions.
Sincerely, with Kind Regards,
Lee Edward "Ed" Enochs
The Princeton Conservative Club
Princeton, New Jersey
A Conservative Defense of Gay Marriage
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