If a religion should not impose its rules on non-members, then why do Christians oppose gay civil marriage?

Question

See the answers to my earlier question on religion not imposing its rules on non-members:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AqQP47unLR63xsWEbSY1VOfd7BR.;_ylv=3?qid=20070929171429AA2tViW

Answer 1

Because they *do* want to impose their religion on others.

Answer 2

Notice that every answer on the former question said that imposing religious rules on non-members was wrong.

Whereas in this question, virtually every answer says that government acceptance of homosexual marriage is wrong because it goes against the bible.

Sense the hypocrisy?

To the first poster: The government should not enforce religious rules onto the population, nor preferences in colored houses. :-) I did almost buy a car once that was a neon green, and the government has no right to ban that freedom. Someone's private sexual behavior as a consenting adult, I must add, is not another person's business and does not impact society as a whole. Religions should not seek to enforce their preferences in government. There are over 1 million families with gay parents -- banning gay marriage or civil unions and the tax benefits they confer would place those parents and children at a disadvantage to the rest of us. Allowing gays to marry does not harm heterosexual unions, as they follow their own policies -- and private religion, might I add.

Answer 3

I'm a Christian, and I totally agree with your premise. The problem is that there IS no clear demarcation between religious sacramental marriage and civil "marriage". Outside of maybe the Catholic Church which has always refused to recognize civil marriages for its own purposes, there's too much overlap between the secular and religious institutions. We shouldn't grant special legal status to people for engaging in an essentially religious ceremony. There needs to be a clear separation of Church and State. That's the only way you're going to have a just system. Civil unions for any and all, with all the legal, medical, liability, property, tax, etc priveleges that go along with that. And if you want to have a religious ceremony in a church, you abide by the rules of that religious community. Simple. But it's going to take some serious overhauling of our laws to get there, unfortunately.

Peace to you.

Answer 4

It seems to be in at least part due to an inflated sense of self-entitlement but mostly it comes from fear and just plain old disinformation. In the Abrahamic religions, their all-loving god is to be feared and anyone even tolerating someone breaking the invisible sky god's supposed laws is to be punished. Most Christians act as though they were ones who invented the concept of formalizing marriage which isn't true.

While others seem to feel that society owes them taxes breaks, special protections and privileges because they've contributed to the gene pool which isn't true either. But what all this boils down to is respect. Secular governments are supposed to respect the rights, freedoms and to protect all of it's citizens. The moment that they allow Christians to make the rules and protect only their rights, they've failed.

Answer 5

Your point is well proven. Christians can't give a good reason for rejecting the idea of gay marriage other than "because God says it's wrong", which is, in effect, an imposition of their religious values onto the rest of us.

A christian will never believe that christianity shouldn't be imposed on their fellow citizens. Should that ever happen...their abiility to biblically browbeat their fellow citizen into conversion disappears.

Answer 6

Because they are afraid of it. They are afraid that if something that goes against their dogma so obviously becomes acceptable and sanctioned by the law, that it would mean the lessening of their stranglehold on culture and government of this country.

Their thinking is: "If we let this go then what Christian ideals will go next?" Remember, the right-wing conservative Christians insist that this is a "Christian" nation and are working tirelessly to make it "look" that way. The legalization of gay marriage would work against the Christianizing of the United States. That is why they are so against it.

And the imposition of dogma because it's, "in the Bible" is a reason for the Christian believing it not to engage in gay marriage. Not for that Christian to insist that everyone in the society in which she lives cannot have the right to do so.

If someone does not believe in your vision of the Bible, or believe in its validity at ALL why should they be forced to live by its dictates?

Answer 7

Because the most virulent form of Christianity DOES think it should impose its rules on non-members.

They consider not being allowed to run everybody else's lives to be "persecution."

Answer 8

Because, in reality, religions want to impose themselves on EVERYONE. Individual members often deny this, just as Catholics often deny that THEIR priest is a child molester.

Answer 9

Only the stubborn and foolish oppose civil unions.

Answer 10

It's just as much their freedom to oppose gay marriage as it is for gays freedom to ask for support for it!

Answer 11

I do not oppose gay marriages. Finding a person to love is hard enough without putting restrictions on it. It it from an outdated Old Testament and was not part of Jesus' teachings. Jesus preached love. He did not say only heterosexual love.