[.Alex.]

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There are plenty of atheists who are against abortions or gay marriage

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Really? Especially the latter? I've never heard anyone give a reason against gay marriage that wasn't somehow related to religion.

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there are arguments relating to what the objective of the state is in allowing legal marriages (with benefits) at all..

for instance, if it is to promote an environment where two people are more likely to decide to have a child..the state may consider that to be worthwhile for the good of the state..

since homosexuals wouldn't be having children..granting them the right to legally marry would not serve the state's expressed purpose.

then we can get into details about the fact that a man and woman would then be allowed to marry even if one or both are sterile..while a two men can't..and that's not fair..or the fact that homosexual couples may be more inclined to adopt under legal marriage...and that may serve the state..

my point is only that there are indeed secular arguments to be made against gay marriage specifically...it just depends on what your thoughts on what the objectives of the state should be.

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I wasn't trying to claim that there isn't a possible secular stance against gay marriage. I'm just disputing that a lot of people feel that way, mostly because of how easily you just dismantled your own argument. When you take the "sanctity of marriage," a fundamentally religious idea, out of consideration, it doesn't seem like there's much to stand on.