Why do Christians always bring up the bible when trying to fight gay marriage rights in the U.S. (see details)

Question

Ok, here's the thing. Yes, Christians seem to have a religion against being gay/gay marriage for the most part -- that's the commonly held belief. BUT I don't understand why the Christian bible needs to enter this debate on a political and legal scale. Because legal marriage in the U.S. is free from any kind of religious requirements. You don't have to involve religion in marriage. You CAN if you choose to, but the only thing that counts is the legality of it. Atheists can marry, right? Buddhists can marry. Even Christians can get married without a priest/minister if they so choose, by a justice of the peace.So, marriage is NOT a Christian institution (legally).

Therefore, religion should have zero influence on whether or not gay marriage should be legal.

So, when debating gay marriage, why do people (including politicians) need to bring up religion when the point is moot - religion cannot affect ANYONE's right to marry in the U.S.?

Um, wrong. Atheists have zero religion. As in, NONE.

A lot of people are missing the point here. RELIGION CANNOT AFFECT the legality of marriage in the U.S. If that was the case, you'd have to ban Atheists, Jews, Buddhists and anyone of any other religion from marrying.

Answer 1

Christians bring up the bible when dealing with gay marriage because it enables them to hide behind it when they call it a sin.

It enables them to hate gay people and homosexuality without being openly discriminatory, in short it enables them to blame someone or something else for their own bigotry and hatred.

You are 100% correct though, marriage is not a christian, or even a religious institution, and for christians to cast marriage in a religious light just so they can deny it to homosexuals based on their own homophobia and bigotry is grotesque, shameful and evil.

Marriage is an institution of the state if anything, and the fact that people are using their religion to deny people a state institution, in America where we prode ourselves on a seperation of religion and state, is a further tragedy.

In our countruy, in the 21st century, there is no good reason to deny people basic rights and liberties. There is no reason to deny gay p[eople the ability to marry, no matter what your religion, creed or race you simply cannot come up with a good legal or ethical reason to deny it.

But still bigots and hate filled christians will cower behind their bible and deman amendments to our constitutioon that would deny civil, moral and ethical human beings the rights guranteed to other people in the same country.

it really is disgusting and it makes me ashamed to live in this country sometimes.

Answer 2

Actually, marriage for all cultures always had a religious foundation. On the contrary, it is quite an aberration for any culture to have a secular sphere, where religious influences are downplayed, if not altogether denounced. It wasn't until the mid-20 century did Western culture, and the USA in particular, actually begin to experience the secularization of society, and, thereby, the marital institution. Slowly, marriage began losing its very meaning and beauty, with first secularization being curiously accepted in principle, via a spurious revisionism of American history regarding the issue of the separation of church and state by our Supreme Court in 1948. With that one act, the cultural ramifications were eventually wide-spread, thereby slowly making the marital institution meaningless and irrelevant, as well as taking away its divine beauty and wonder. Eventually, we got "no fault" divorce passed in 1969, then cohabitation in 1979, and now gay marriage in 2005. You might laugh about it now, just as secularists who propagated the sexual revoultion did about the prospects of gay marriage in the 60's and 70's, but sadly polygamy is just around the corner, and then our culture will then become so debasely secularized as to eventually accept intergenerational marriage (ephebohile first, an adult with a teenager; then pedophile, adult with a child)!

The marriage institution, according to the Genesis account, is meant for all people in all ages, not just Jews and Christians, and our physical gender specific anatomy itself, which is from the Creator, wonderfully reflects this truth. It is why Bible-believing pastors still today will marry anyone (no matter whether Jew, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, agnostic or atheist!) just as long as they were never married previously, and are adults of the opposite sex. So let's give credit where credit's due, and get back to its original meaning and purpose!

Answer 3

The POINT is that the homosexual agenda is to destroy religious freedom! And if the Supreme Court finds for homosexual "marriage" across the land next month, it will totally destroy religious freedom. If you don't think so, consider the couple who owns a flower shop in Seattle. They declined doing flowers for a homosexual couple's ceremony because it conflicted with their deep faith in God. They offered the couple a list of other florists who WOULD do the work, but instead, the couple chose to sue the florist for "discrimination"! If they win the suit, it will destroy the religious freedom of the shop owner! Same thing happened in Texas when a homosexual couple wanted a photographer to photograph their ceremony and the photographer declined because of religious conflict. The photographer (once again!) offered a list of other photographers who would be happy to do the work, but the couple chose to sue instead. They won, but there is a court trial set and the photographer will be well represented by a law firm that cares about Constitutional rights. THAT is what is wrong with what is going on with the homosexual "marriage" struggle in America. And, FYI, 2 males can't possibly make a marriage because it takes male & female. They can call it whatever they like, but it is NOT marriage!

Answer 4

Seriously, I agree with your point. To me it's a mute point already. I think religion and religious groups need to realize that we are long out of the dark ages.

The United States has a document that dictates separation of church and state. Unfortunately for many religious types, they can not abide by this freedom our forfathers gave us. This is why we have no national religion.

So considering gays are only pushing for the right to marry under a justice of the peace, the Constitution has already ruled out and say big religion has in the arguement.

Besides, I'm not gay, but who they heck are they hurting anyway?

Heck, wasn't it the Bible that even said, "to each his own"?

Answer 5

Well I guess no matter how you slice it, this is a democracy and if more people are against it for whatever their reasons they can make a law that defines marriage between a man and a women. I had someone argue with me about it and said what if God had put Adam and Steve in the Garden instead of Adam and Eve and I said then the human race would have died with the first two people. Unless God threw a genetic scientist in the garden with them. If more people are against it for whatever the reason then that is how it is, this is America and that is how it works.

Answer 6

I see your point and you're right, concerning the POLITICAL aspect of it anyway. But this is our country too and we have just as much right to vote as any other U.S. citizen. We aren't called to be political - we're called to follow Christ in every area of our lives. We live in a democracy. Whenever the same-sex marriage issue has been put on a ballot for the people to vote on, the majority of the people (in most states) have voted against it. When that happens, the people have spoken and the Supreme Court should not be able to overturn that decision. Now...that also means there are either a LOT more Christians out there voting than we thought, or there are others who have a problem with same-sex marriages too. But what some Christians don't seem to want to acknowledge is that there are also a lot of gay Christians out there. ALL of us are sinners, so NOBODY has the right to judge how anybody else lives their lives.

I personally respect the right of ANY individual to live their own lives as they please - as long as it doesn't interfere with the freedoms / rights of others. (You want to wear a thong bikini - fine. That's your right. But keep it in the privacy of your own back yard or on an 'adults only' beach! Exposing children to that sort of thing is the same as exposing them to soft porn.)

Freedom is what America is all about. The same-sex marriage debate (among others) is a morality issue for those of us who are Christians. God's word says it's an abomination. Most Christians I know (myself included) will not politically support something that we believe in our hearts is wrong. For the record, I have gay friends and I love them dearly - two are like sons to me. I have watched them grow up and been there for them when they needed me, and not treated them any differently than I treat anyone else. I have very low tolerance for discrimination - a person's sexual preference, skin color, financial status (or lack of it), weight, age, etc does NOT define who they are in their hearts. I get a case of righteous anger when somebody who claims to be a Christian tells anybody that they're going to Hell because they're gay, or they're living with someone, or they had an abortion, or when a non-believer accuses a Christian of being homophobic because they don't support same-sex marriage, etc etc. Only GOD has the authority to judge ANY person, because only He knows their hearts!

Answer 7

You are right, you don't have to mix religion with marriage. Of course you are wrong on one point. The institution of marriage was handed down by God in the book of Genesis. So it is, or better yet, was a God given or religious practice to begin with.

Man, over the years, has pulled religion out of just about everything, schools, court rooms, and even marriage.

Of course, gay marriage and homosexuality is a whole new subject. Do we as Christians not have the right to an opinion on the subject? In just about every religion, homosexuality is a sin. And please don't label me a homophobe. I am not afraid of homosexuality, I just consider it disgusting and unnatural. Even setting all religion aside, the practice has never been accepted in the entire history of mankind. Why are we even considering it now??

It is fine if you believe homosexuality is ok. That is your opinion and your right. I just ask that the gays/lesbians stop shoving their agenda down our throats. What you do in the privacy or your home is your business. What you do in public is everyone's business. If you want to be open about it then expect opposition and learn to live with it.

I will not judge you, that is reserved for someone higher, and He doesn't tolerate it either.

Answer 8

Don't get me wrong, I'm for gay marriage, but I thought the whole basis of marriage was around religion, is it not?

It's just something I had a question about...maybe I should spend some points and ask it..

I just always thought it was a religious thing, you get married in a church, or a place of worship, hell even in Vegas they have the drive thru chapels. It was always a reason I wasn't looking forward to getting married, but what you said negates all previous beliefs I had. That's fun.

Answer 9

You're right. No questions about that, religion does not affect anyone's right to marry.

I just wanna tag something on and change it a little. Religion (as in gay marriage) does not affect anyone's right to marry in the world's eyes. But in God's eyes? It affects the whole lot.

Answer 10

Because in the U.S. I think the law system follows this religion. I'm not sure about it. Look US history. But it's also a free country. This is because gay marriage is not acceptable, and it's against the God's living words (The Bible). You see, Christians believe the Bible is The Truth. Without the Truth how could we stand our Faith and Truth?? It's not fighting! Don't get it wrong. We use to Word of God to stand firm our Faith and Truth. You are right, everyone has a freedom. But God knows and everyone can't judge who is right or wrong. At the end, the final judgement will come. For He is the Way, the Truth and the Light of the world. The law is made by men not God. It is whether men to follow or not...