The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks,
The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and
spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."
Jim Finnegan said he never thought he "would have to stand before a
crowd defending marriage," as a union between a man and a woman.
But he did so Wednesday evening, speaking in front of about 75 who
attended the forum in support of "traditional" marriage.
The Evangelical Presbyterian Church was the location of an anti-gay
marriage tour stop and Carbondale was its tenth stop in a 14-city trip.
The tour was collaborative effort of many organizations, including the
Illinois Family Institute and Vote life America, to express their
beliefs concerning same-sex marriage.
"It's been this way since the beginning," said Kathy Valente, president
of the Concerned Women for America, an organization that aims to make
biblical principles part of public policy. "Any country you go to, with
any mainstream religion, marriage is recognized as being between one man
and one woman and that was never opposed until recently."
Just as Louisiana and Missouri legislators have passed laws against
same-sex marriage, Valente believes Illinois should do the same. Valente
also opposes civil unions, which she called a "counterfeit" form of
marriage.
"You don't look to the government and say 'what's the problem with
counterfeit money?'" Valente said. "You know that it hurts the economy,
and in the same way civil unions devalue our society's perception of
marriage."
She said the tour provided information on the controversial issue, which
she insists affects more than just those who engage in the union.
"It's not going to hurt my marriage, it's not going to hurt your
parent's marriage," Valente said. "But it will hurt future generation's
perception of what marriage is."
Not everyone agrees that allowing homosexual couples to wed would harm
the state of marriage.
Director of Shryock Auditorium Rob Cerchio said he does not understand
how allowing homosexuals to marry would have any effect on society. He
said he believes there is another reason why people are disapproving of
same sex marriage.
"All the people who say that gay marriage hurts other people are
grasping at straws so they don't have admit their hatred for gay
people," Cerchio said. "No matter what the religious right says about
loving the sinner and hating the sin, their actions prove otherwise."
Despite this opinion, many of the speakers at the rally insisted their
problem to be with the behavior of gays, not homosexuals themselves.
Burke Shade, a representative the Cornerstone Reformed Church, did not
view expressing these beliefs to be an act of hatred, but instead, an
"act of kindness."
Just as people disagree on the issue of same-sex marriage, Randy Carney
said, there is some disagreement over how these differences should be
handled.
Carney, who is a member of Unity Free Will Baptist Church in West
Frankfort, said the definition of marriage is not the only thing
changing. He believes the definition is also changing, making it more
difficult for individuals to find a common ground on the issue.
According to Carney, modern society is less approving of a person's
decision to disagree with same-sex marriage.
The belief that same-sex marriage was being forced upon society through
proposed legislation, prompted some politicians, such as Erin Zweigart
to attend.
Zweigart, a candidate for the 12th District Congressional race, said
same-sex marriage should be denied, just as pedophilia and marriage
between family members is denied.
She said that eliminating what she referred to as "overactive
judiciaries" would allow the system to work in a way that accommodates
the beliefs of Illinois residents.
Zweigart said "traditional" marriage is important because it is the most
productive for society.
For others, such as Tom Hobson, who is a member of the First United
Presbyterian Church in Pinckneyville, same-sex marriage is simply "as
essential as H20."
Despite their various reasons, Cerchio said he had never heard a
legitimate argument against same-sex marriage.
"The definition for marriage is not the same as it was 500 years ago,"
Cerchio said. "And yes it's going to change it, but so what?
"I don't understand how giving someone a right that someone else doesn't
have is going to hurt someone who does."
Daily Egyptian 
