In his essay titled Gay “Marriage”: Societal Suicide, Charles Colson discusses fervently his opposition of same-sex marriage. The essay’s main point is constructed around Colson’s belief that if same-sex marriage were to be legalized, it would decouple marriage and procreation and thus destroy the “traditional building block of human society.” He states that same-sex marriage would lead to “an explosive increase in family collapse, out-of-wedlock births - and crime.” Colson presents us with a diverse set of evidence including statistics, studies, and his firsthand experience as a prison minister. Colson’s primary aim is to persuade his audience that allowing same-sex marriage will be traumatic for society. He does this by first establishing …show more content…
His argument at this point is based on the teaching of three specific religions. Not only is Colson referring to religion, which is already an area that is entirely open for interpretation, but he is also arguing that a legal change should not be made on the grounds that these three religions state otherwise. In a democratic country where church and state have been separated, this argument becomes invalid. The teachings of the church hold no power in the government. Although this choice of persuasive technique may have helped Colson to convince his Muslim, Jewish, and Christian readers, it has overall done more harm than good in developing his argument. Overall, Charles Colson’s essay Gay “Marriage”: Societal Suicide causes the reader to give more thought to the controversial topic that is same-sex marriage. Despite the fact that the essay is ridden with fallacies, Colson’s utilization of statistics, studies, and his personal experiences as a prison minister, all partially contribute to his overall goal; the essay causes the reader to stop and think about their opinion on same-sex marriage as well as consider Colson’s