When thinking about the current debate in the United States about so-called same-sex marriage, I can't help thinking of the fictional professor's words. This is because the arguments put forward by the proponents of same-sex "marriage," if carefully analyzed, appear more based on emotion that logic, which makes me wonder how well-schooled in logic "gay marriage" advocates are. I would like to demonstrate this by addressing a counter-argument often made against the opponents of same-sex "marriage."
Some people (like traditionalist Catholics or evangelical Protestants) hold the view that homosexual behavior is condemned by the Bible as immoral and that, therefore, relationships between homosexual couples should not be given legal recognition since they violate biblical teaching. Confronted by this argument, advocates for same-sex "marriage" often respond by noting that in the past opponents of interracial marriage tried to argue that the Bible prohibited interracial marriage. However, nowadays such an argument is generally viewed as having been simply a way to rationalize bigotry. Consequently, those who make a similar argument against "gay marriage," are, it is claimed, are likewise no more than bigots.
There is no denying the emotional power of this line of reasoning. Who, after all, wants to be called a bigot? Nevertheless, this counterargument is actually quite weak logically, for at least two reasons. First of all, the validity of an argument is not logically dependent on the character of the person making the argument. Morally decent people are capable of making fallacious arguments, and even a Hitler can make a logically valid argument. Therefore, the question is not whether those arguing against same-sex "marriage" are motivated by bigotry (or something else). Instead, the question is whether the argument against same-sex "marriage" is logically valid.
Second, we need to ask whether what might be called the biblical argument against same-sex "marriage" is really analagous to the "biblical" argument against interracial marriage.. I would contend that they are only similar on the surface--they both are claimed to be based on Scripture. However, closer analysis would reveal that the two arguments are actually quite different in nature because the "biblical" argument against interracial marriage lacks any real basis in the actual text of the Bible, while the biblical argument against homosexual "marriage" has a basis in actual biblical texts. As a long-time student of the Bible (and, I might add, as a Christian who is in an interracial marriage), I know of no passage in the Bible that would support the notion that interracial marriage is inherently immoral. While in Old Testament times the Jews were generally prohibited from marrying non-Jews, this was not because of some sense that such marriages were inherently immoral, but rather because in such marriages the Jewish partner might be tempted to abandon the God of Abraham for the false god(s) worshipped by his or her spouse. Moreover, there were some prominent biblical figures who married non-Jews and were not condemned for doing so. For example, Moses, we are told, married a Cushite woman, and Boaz, the great-grandfather of King David, married a woman from Moab.
On the other hand, there a number of passages in both the Old and New Testaments that clearly condemn homosexual behavior as immoral. Consequently, it would seem to follow that same-sex "marriage," as it involves homosexual behavior, would also be immoral. Yes, I am aware that there have been a number of arguments 0ver the years purporting to show that those biblical texts appearing to condemn homosexuality don't actually condemn homosexual activity in a "committed" relationship, only homosexual behavior associated with ritual prostitution or involving individuals who are not "naturally" homosexual in orientation. However, I have never found such arguments convincing. For example, the "ritual prostitution" argument doesn't account for the fact that the biblical texts condemning homosexuality contain no actual reference to ritual prostitution!
The real question is whether we accept the authority of the Bible when it comes to issues of sexual morality, not the motives of those who appeal to Scripture in their opposition to homosexuality or the fact that over the years some people have made biblically dubious arguments against things they didn't approve of. Moreover, it seems to me that we shouldn't allow emotions (however important they are in our lives) to overrule logic when debating important matters like same-sex "marriage." I wonder if advocates for homosexual "marriage" would agree. Somehow, I suspect many of them would not because they don't seem to place a particularly high value on logical reasoning, unlikeProfessor Kirke.
Image of Jim Broadbent as Professor Kirke in the movie The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe from wiki.narniaweb.com