LIBERALISM IN THE GOD-POWER POLITIC IN AMERICA CASE STUDY OF GAY MARRIAGE LEGALIZATION IN AMERICA IN 2015

  • Authors: Anastasia Anindita
  • From: American Studies, Universitas Indonesia

Abstract:

Religion has been the important part in Americans daily life for more than centuries. So importance this religion, it has spread its wings to political life in America, despite the government itself have declared that American political life was secularized or free from the institution of religions. As a result of these paradoxes, various allegations against human rights have been emerging in America for the last 30 years; one of those is concerning Defense of Marriage Act or DOMA and consequently violation against liberalism itself. It was the legalization of gay marriage by the US Supreme Court in 2015 that changes the face of America. It was influenced by religion, now it is flourishing with liberalism. In continuation of these transitions, this paper seeks for the reason on liberalism that could thrive in the God-Power politic in America, resulting in gay marriage legalization. Methods of collecting data are literature, documents, and articles from the media related to the transition of values in American democracy and politic, God-Power to liberalism and the decision in which leading US to legalize gay marriage. These data are analysed using the theory of liberalism in gay marriage by Fedlum (1996), religion versus secularism in politic stated by Wald (2003), and justice and equality in lesbian and gay marriage stated by Mohr (2005), to see the transition of values behind the decision to legalize gay marriage. From this research, it was found that gay marriage was legalized as the form of equal dignity in the eyes of the law.

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