Real Anthropologists Disagree With Christianist Definition of Family

Not that any of us in the LGBT community should be surprised, but the disingenuous windbags at Focus on the Family ("FOF") and the National Organization for Marriage ("NOM") have been running their mouths again marking statements to the effect that anthropologists agree on FOF's traditional definition of family: a man, a woman, and their immediate children. The problem is that these statements are not true. Not that the truth has ever gotten in the way such organizations saying what furthers their anti-gay agenda. Particularly their claims that the family has existed per the FOF and NOM definition for the last 5,000 years and in all cultures. As I have noted many times before, few groups lie more than the self-styled pro-family Christian organizations. Box Turtle Bulletin (http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/) fortunately has statements from real anthropologists that state the REAL truth. I can only ask yet again, why are supposed Christians such deliberate liars? Here are some highlights from Box Turtle Bulletin:

A recent article from Focus on the Family’s CitizenLink suggests that “anthropologists agree on traditional definition of marriage.” This statement is true only if they reference what anthropologists consider traditional, not the Focus on the Family opinion that marriage is solely between one man and one woman.

The article also states “There are two definitions of marriage in today’s culture – one of them has been around for centuries; the other is brand new.” Once again, this statement is true. However, Focus on the Family is confused as to which definition has been around for centuries and which is new. Anthropologists, historians and sociologists all recognize the “one man with one woman” definition of marriage to be very recent and not representative of how marriage is or has been expressed throughout the world.

Anthropologists often define marriage as a social, political, or economic contract between two individuals and their families – this does not imply monogamy, as a man with five wives has five separate marriage contracts. In fact, approximately 75 percent of the world’s cultures view polygamy as the preferred form of marriage. Furthermore, anthropologists document that cultures on every continent, excluding Antarctica, have accepted and recognized same-sex marriages.

In 2004 the American Anthropological Association, the largest association of anthropologists in the United States, issued an official statement opposing the proposed federal marriage amendment, indicating:

The results of more than a century of anthropological research on households, kinship relationships, and families, across cultures and through time, provide no support whatsoever for the view that either civilization or viable social orders depend upon marriage as an exclusively heterosexual institution. Rather, anthropological research supports the conclusion that a vast array of family types, including families built upon same-sex partnerships, can contribute to stable and humane societies.

The Executive Board of the American Anthropological Association strongly opposes a constitutional amendment limiting marriage to heterosexual couples. Suggesting anthropologists support Focus on the Family’s “traditional definition of marriage” is patently, unequivocally wrong.