Globally Rational

There are plenty of social issues that are important in politics these days.  Everybody seems to be highly concerned with what everybody else is doing.  With these issues, I like to ask myself “is it really worth the effort to oppose an issue that some people care so dearly about?”  Some examples:

• Gay marriage - I agree that homosexuality defeats the original purpose of marriage, which exists (from an evolutionary perspective) for the purpose of procreation and to ensure that all children grow up with their two original parents.  So, gay marriage doesn’t make scientific sense… but why would I really care?  Allowing it would make many same-sex couples very happy and it wouldn’t really affect me in any practical way.  Just because it defeats the purpose of marriage doesn’t mean that I should prevent them from doing it… sure, I think it’s a pointless idea (if you look at it scientifically), but if they want to do it, why would I stop them?
• Abortion - I can understand that the issue here is whether or not a human life is being destroyed.  However, it seems like that should be a question that can be effectively answered only by an expert scientist in the field rather than by a politician.  Why can’t we just get a consensus from the scientists and then leave the issue alone?
• Immigration - Sure, we need to worry about securing our borders.  But what about the people who come here legally and go through the full quota process?  Why do we have to make life difficult for them?
• Religious polygamy - If polygamy were widespread, then it would be a problem for obvious reasons.  But as long as a group of consenting adults is happy (assuming that no sexual abuse is going on), why do we feel the need to separate innocent children from their caring polygamist mothers?  They’re not really threatening our society; they just have a certain preferred way of life.  Why do we let the government get involved in religious issues?

A lot of it (i.e. gay marriage, abortion, polygamy) comes down to religious issues.  Although the term “separation of Church and State” is thrown around all over the place, it seems like people generally ignore it.  Why was it such a big deal that some people thought Barack Obama might be Muslim?  Why does the government think of marriage as a holy bond between a man and a woman?  Sure, religion has a place in a person’s life; honestly, I wouldn’t even mind it if the US declared itself to be a Christian nation.  But as long as we maintain the concept of “religious freedom,” we cannot make policy decisions that involve religious values.

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