Fellow Christians, a Gay Marriage question?

Question

I know, I know, so many of these. But I am curious what my fellow brethren believe. I am born again yet I do not see why we should stop the state from allowing gay marriage. I dont necessarily agree with it; however I cannot see why we arent allowing it to be legislated. Marriage in our eyes is a beautiful coupling created by God for the purposes of a man and woman to live together and a representative of Christ and the Church. The state just issues marriage licenses and certificates and could care less who marries you as long as they are ordained or a public official. If the state isnt going to favor one religion over another and a state certificate is not ordained by God why does it matter if others get a state license and certificate? They dont have to be married in Christian churches. I know this may sound a bit conviluted as I threw it together, however I hope it makes enough sense to answer. Thanks and Gods peace :)

Tuberoot, I too am tired of seeing homosexuality as the posterchild to sin in the eyes of Christians. We all sin and fall short, this is just a divisive tool that is polarizing us all.

Answer 1

It doesn't matter to me, I think that my Christian brethren are off track. They should preach the Gospel message and if they get upset about Gay marriage then they also need to get upset over marriages performed that are not Christian marriages, all of them including those which mention another God, like Muslim marriages, how come they don't protest and make legislation against those? ANSWER: Because they can't.

I see the protesting against Gay marriage the easy way out. They find someone who they can pick on, and then stifle them. The Christian community had better knock it off, and just preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who died for the sinners. Sinner like me and everyone else.

They are only driving a wedge called 'morality' between them and some people who might otherwise be saved.

Matthew 11:23
"And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day."
- Jesus said that.

EDIT: The only wedge we should be driving is the one of the Gospel. I agree with you completely. Morality is not a viable issue, none of us are moral, if God's opinion matters. It does to me!

Answer 2

I think you and I have come to much the same conclusion. I've felt for some time that the State should never have gotten into the marriage business in the first place. The problem is that marriage has both a secular and a religious side. The church has no business telling the state what to do about secular unions, and the state has no business telling the church what to do about religious unions.

Ideally, I'd like to see the state recognize civil unions, and make them available to anyone. Well, any two human beings, anyway. Gay, straight, whatever. All of the rights and privileges we associate with marriage as recognized by the state would go with it.

At the same time, churches conduct marriages in the eyes of God. If the church disapproves of gay marriage, the church doesn't have to conduct one. If the church is fine with gay marriages, then the church can do it. The state has no say in either.

The two would be separate. You could have one without the other, or both, or neither.

It'll never happen, of course. There's been too much rhetoric thrown around. But it would be nice.

Answer 3

I'm a Christian as well and I agree, we are all sinners. In fact, anyone who would claim they aren't a sinner is going against the Bible's teachings which is in and of itself a sin. So gay or straight, everyone sins. So if the only reason that can be given to outlaw gay marriage is that it is a sin, it would make sense that all sins should be outlawed. Not just stealing and murder, but blasphemy and dishonoring ones parents. And while I hold to a rather strict interpretation of the establishment clause of the First Amendment, outlawing blasphemy would clearly violate it. Personally, I like the idea of so-called "civil unions" not just for gay couples but for anyone who wants to get married. That way everyone gets equal benefits under the law and if different churches want to recognize some couples as married and others as not then they could do so as they pleased.

Answer 4

The highest court in the state of Maryland recently ruled in favor of recognizing marriage as a union between male and female. Part of its reasoning was that the state has a valid interest in supporting marriage as a unit of procreation. Yes, there may be heterosexual couples not able to reproduce, but you cannot build a system of law on exceptions. The state benefits in recognizing heterosexual marriage because the state has an interest in supporting healthy and successful forms of procreative activity, such as traditional marriage, as this tends to provide future citizens who will work, pay taxes, and otherwise support the continuity of society. By contrast, not only do gay unions lack the procreative element, but also they tend to much shorter duration, and higher levels of domestic violence than heterosexual couples, all of which creates a less stable environment for the upbringing of children. Thus, the state also benefits in supporting heterosexual marriage due to the overall superiority of the nurturing environment for children, which will tend to the greater health and productivity of the citizens of the state. Thus, the state is well within its constitutional prerogatives in singling out heterosexual reproductive pairs as the proper beneficiaries of the state's support and encouragement of marriage.

Answer 5

I'm not a christian, but I think that there is a lot of misunderstanding about what marriage really is. Unfortunately for the fundies, marriage is actually a state sanctioned and is a civil matter. Anyone who has ever gotten a divorce should be able to understand that. The addition of the religious stuff just makes it easier for the state to get it off.

Answer 6

My view is pretty clear: I believe in strict separation of church and state, because I think it protects both from each other. And I think marriage is a lousy place to make an exception to that separation. I think it's horrible to grant special legal status to people solely on the basis of engaging in a religious ceremony.

So we ought to have civil unions for anyone from the state perspective, which would apply to legal, tax, medical, estate, etc issues. You want a civil union, you file your paper with the state. If you want to have a religious ceremony in a church, with all the spiritual/covenantal implications that go with it, then abide by the rules of that religious community.

It's the only way I can see to have a just society and also allow freedom of religion.

Peace to you.

Answer 7

slow down litle lady yes we all sin but thats not whatthe bible is speaking about,, it states we are not to continue in sin meaning wilfully disobeying that which GOD SAYS WEARE NOT TO DO FOR OUR good as well as for others,. GOD ordained marriage to be betwen 1 woman and 1 man alone. the act of homosexuality is an abomination in the sight of GOD , its clearly defined too as a turning away from GOD AND having burning desires for that which is not natural.. . YOU yourself can make excuses and say -- well i dont know ------, why do u not if its written down in the instruction manual u say is GODS??.. FOLKS would GOD say something different in person if HE were here on earth than HE did WHEN HE inspired HIS writers to tell us in HIS WRITTEN WORD?? IF u are not home and u leave a letter is it not your words? IF your husband comes home and reads it will he not know that this is what you want ??
ok can we not then reason it out then that GOD has written down for us HIS CHILDREN what HIS will is ,. IN A will its a legal document that testifies to what you want done after your departure and its illegal for anyone to alter this after u have passed ,, isaiah 8 , . 9 , 10 says to gain knowledge its found bu searching here and their in GODS word precept must be upon precept and line upon line . we cannot take things out of it or add our own words to it , JUST LIKE A WILL it cannot be altered , u can as long as u are alive alter change or add or subtract anything in this will as long as u are alive .. when u die thats it , it remains as written .. . the same APPLIES TO the bible WHATEVER IS WRITTEN IS THEIR FOR a THOSE OF US THAT ARE HIS legal heirs by rebirth and adoption. we either follow what it wants us to or we be cut off , mathew 24 n12 and 13 tyestify that during the end times lawlessness will abound and the love of many will grow cold / we are to overcome it says and endure to the end ,, , false prophets or false ministers will be leading many astray too .. u have to listen to and abide in the truth . ,, that my friend is the gospel account .. bro .. murray

Answer 8

I agree though I'd put it a little differently.

I'm totally opposed to the concept of government interference in marriage. The constitution of the United States guarantees all the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness...how is that consistent with a government that requires people to get permission to marry (license, blood tests), denies some adults the right to be legally married, and forces still others to obtain government permission to end a marriage? Even more sickening (and downright unconsitutional) is that this same government chooses to hand out differential benefits based on marital status.

In my opinion, the government should get the heck out of the marriage and family business...stop telling people who they can and can't choose to share their life with and stop encouraging (or discouraging) marriage (and other personal choices) by discriminating for or against people because of their marital status or other family-related decisions they make (such as the decision to have children, the decision to support two adults on one salary so the other spouse can stay with those kids, etc...).

Personally, I don't think God recognizes gay marriage...but that belief is only relevant to me. I don't feel the need to force others to agree with me and I find it decidedly "unChristian" to ask that the government support my beliefs at the expense of someone else's beliefs! It also seems dangerous to me to give the government (any government) the power to deny the rights of any person to support the personal beliefs of another group...what happens when the government uses that power to start denying my rights?

To quote a line from A Man for All Seasons..."yes, I'd give the devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake".

Answer 9

I think that if they want civil unions (which I think have about the same rights as marriage), then fine, but the whole issue of allowing gay marriage presumes we have the right to redefine what marriage is, and we don't. God has set the example of what marriage is, and that is a commitment between a man and a woman for life, we have no right to redefine it. The issue of gay marriage is void bc we have no authority to redefine marriage.

Answer 10

The practice of homosexuality is destructive to the human soul and God gave His warnings about this in the Bible. Supporting gay marriage is a sin because it means to support homosexuality. If a nation legalizes gay marriage, that nation will be cursed.

Iniquities (sinful tendencies) pass down the generation line if they are not removed by the Blood of the Lord Jesus. Homosexuality is caused by iniquity and the Blood of Jesus cleanses the iniquities of all who accept Him as their Saviour.

After a person accepts the Lord Jesus as their Saviour, they are transformed and made a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). So the gay person would be changed and so would the alcoholic, liar, drug addict, fornicator etc. It's the power of the Blood of Christ and the Holy Spirit in the believer that brings about this transformation.

REDEMPTION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH

Because mankind is incapable of meeting God’s standard of perfection necessary to abide in God’s presence (Romans 3:19-20,23), God sent His Son Jesus Christ to pay the total debt for the believer’s sins and mercifully credits to his account Christ’s righteousness (Romans 3:21-28,5:1-11; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21). Jesus’ gracious act of atonement was complete and covers all sin (Colossians 2:13-14; 1 John 1:9). Salvation is not based on good deeds but according to the mercy of God (Titus 3:4-5). Believers are justified by faith; it is a gift by God’s grace (Romans 4:3-8; Ephesians 2:8-9). A true, living faith will result in a desire to live a holy, loving life of good works (Ephesians 2:10; Galatians 5:6; James 2:14-26), but failure to be absolutely successful at righteous living does not negate the believer’s justified status.

If you sincerely say this prayer, your sins will be washed away, you will be redeemed to God, be saved from eternal torment and inherit the Kingdom of God:

"Dear Jesus,

I am a sinner.
I repent of my sins.
Please forgive me and save me by your shed blood;
come into my heart.
I want to receive you as my own personal Lord and Savior.

Amen"