There comes a time in every person’s life that they have to stand up and be counted for what they believe in. They must speak out against injustice as loudly as possible and do whatever they can to stop that injustice, and to keep others from furthering that injustice. For me, that time is now.
I do not speak for my denomination, my wife’s employer, or any organization I’m a member of. I speak as a person weary of painful rhetoric that accomplishes nothing but alienation of the very people Christ wants us to reach.
I can no longer sit by while my brothers and sisters in Christ use the Bible as a bludgeon to deny basic human rights to others.
When it comes to basic human rights like employment, housing, self-defense, or marriage, we cannot base our laws solely on a religious book or writing.
We as Christians have every right to say “We’re not going to perform our denomination’s marriage rites for same-sex couples because of what the Bible says.”
We as Christians have every right to say “If you’re going to become a member of our religious body, we expect certain behaviors and disallow other behaviors.”
We have no right to endorse the use of government force on a group of people based solely on what is written in the Bible, Qu’ran or Torah.
If society is to ban an act, there must be a victim. Murder is wrong because there is a victim. Robbery is wrong because there is a victim. There is no victim when two people publicly express their love for each other by promising to love, honor and obey till death does part them.
Jesus Christ did not rely on Caesar to make people stop committing what He called sin. Neither should we.
4 Comments
OTOH, If I may be so bold, I would say that the State can regulate Marriage on the basis of “future taxpayers.” Married couple get tax breaks that other relationships do not get on the basis of children (or potential children) produced by that union, and even more breaks (child care subsidies, etc) when they can document expenses related to those future taxpayers.
The State only got into regulating marriage because they saw money to be made in the form of fees for licensing. It’s a complex enough issue as it is. No need to bring religion into it.
As the proud parent of a bisexual daughter, I thank you for this article. I am grateful to see that more and more people are seeing that it is in no way unfortunate that my daughter is the way she is. (Pragmatically, I only have to worry half as much about pregnancy, LOL.) And, if she has a female life partner, it does not necessarily mean I will never have grandchildren.
Good work.
Is this the analogy you want? Even in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, no one has ever advocated a law forbidding the sale of bacon or pork.