Friday, July 01, 2005

Homosexual Marriage

I’ve been thinking a bit about homosexual marriage these days. What with Canada and Spain passing laws to allow it and all. I have really been thinking about how I would vote if it came down to a vote in the US.

Though I am a Christian, I am also a proponent of the separation of Church and state. I don’t really want some Muslim, or Buddhist, or Satanist telling me how I should live, or forcing my kids into praying to their gods, and so I figure I should keep my God out of their classrooms and laws.

This gets a little tricky though. Take the subject of homosexuality. My Christian beliefs tell me that the practice of gay sex is wrong. Therefore sanctifying gay marriage would be wrong as well. So, in a sense if it was put to a vote, my conscience would have to vote no.

But then I got to thinking. What if they tried to make a law against extra-marital sex, or heterosexual sex before marriage? Currently it is not illegal to have sex with someone you are not married to, but it is against my Christian beliefs. I think I would not vote for a law trying to ban these practices, even though it is against my moral beliefs.

Take it even farther. What if they tried to make a law against lying, or not attending church? Would I vote for a law against lying? I mean I’m against lying, but how would you prosecute such a thing? And should you even try?

Why then would I vote for a law banning homosexual marriage? What is it about gays getting married that gets us all riled up? God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah mainly because of their homosexual practices, so we can certainly surmise that He isn’t a fan of such a thing. And I’m not going to join the pro gay cause for anything. I’m just not so sure I would vote against a law allowing homosexual to get married.

Would the law cause me any trouble in my own spiritual development? No. Would the law express anything against holding the belief that homosexual sex is wrong? No. Would it keep the Lord’s church from preaching against homosexual sex? No.

The big thing that keeps me from all out deciding to vote for such a law is the sense that I would be voting for something that is against God’s law. But then that brings me back to my earlier questions. If I wouldn’t vote for a law banning pre-marital sex, then why would I vote for a law banning gay marriage? Or, rather vote against a law allowing gay marriage?

I’m honestly not sure how I would vote if it came down to it.

Your guys’ thoughts?

6 comments:

Mat Brewster said...

I know I said I wouldn't be posting anything until after our vacation. But we have managed to get ourselves ready faster than I thought, so there you have it.

mullinz8 said...

There are a couple of follow up points I should make too.
First: I don’t support the death penalty, an American institution and I think an eye for an eye is about as useful as animal sacrifice. Which if killing an innocent person is a sentence for condemnation then I’d like to request more accurate military strikes in the future. Just as much as abortion is Biblically wrong but still allowed America is established in the opportunity to mess your life up as much as you can with out their interference, so long as you pay your taxes on time.
Second: I think the president is a “religious” person but I also think he knows some 87% of Americans claim some form of Judaic belief system. You’d be foolish to not pry into that niche. “Bush signals to evangelical Protestants and conservative Catholics that he is with them, while he avoids taking explicit stands that might alienate other voters or alarm foreign leaders.” Washington Post, Sept 16 04. I have to tell you if he’s Baptist his faith tells him that Catholics are wrong. Just as Catholics say Methodists and Protestants are “wrong”. His carousing and faith mixing is scriptural incorrect.

Diana said...

Hmmm. Tricky Tricky. This is one of those political issues I'm never quite sure about. I probably just wouldn't vote at all. I mean my concious would be nagging me both ways. I used to be pretty anti-gay marriage but Charlie and I worked with a gay guy at Blockbuster. Mind you, he wasn't exactly a good example of gays taking marriage seriously. He married his best friend ( a girl) so that she could get good financial aid. Anywhooba, he made the point once that if he had a life partner who was in ICU, he wouldn't be allowed in because he wasn't family. That made me sad.
But then again, if I wouldn't approve of a law that allowed 54 year old men to marry 10 year olds.
But then again Homosexuality doesn't really hurt anyone.
*sigh*

JS said...

D;
Hate the sin, not the sinner. But don't let your friendship with a "gay friend" make you think less of the sin in their life. I would hope that if I murdered someone, all the guys here would not all of the sudden think that murder isn't so bad, since they have a "Murdering Friend". Or say "Stealing isn't all that bad. I mean, look at Jamison, he steals money all the time from people in the mall."

God forgives people of sin, yet, here on earth, we sometimes have to pay the consequences of sin (if you kill someone, God will forgive you, but you still may go to jail). Your gay friend has chosen his sin, as a consequence, he may not be able to go see his lover in ICU because they arent married. Things could be worse. Like, God may forgive him of his homosexuality, but he still may get an STD form his actions.

JS said...

Last comment on this topic from me, I promise (I hear enough about this in the news, so I am sort of tired of the topic)

Homosexuals have the same rights that straights do in this country: Both can marry someone of the opposite sex. That’s our law. Why is it our law? Well, America was founded on christian principals. The bible defines marriage as being between a man and a WOMAN. If one of us were to go to the polls and vote OK for gay marriage, what are we saying our opinion of the translation of the Bible is? Are we saying that man's law is above God's? That the United States definition of "Marriage" is suddenly different from the real definistion of it? Defined by God himself?

Diana said...

Good point. Unfortunatley I'm easily swayed. He moved to Oregon, though, I don't see him anymore.