How Dare You! An answer to gay marriage advocates
The local newspaper, The Knoxville News-Sentinel, in its
online version, provides a section where readers can leave comments on articles. Reading these reminds one of a 7 year old's birthday party with too many kids who have ingested insane amounts of sugar and have no adult supervision, and they have fallen to squabbling over every little thing. It provides a very sad glimpse into the reality of the levels of intellect in this area. The more controversial the topic, the more numerous and insane the comments become. The article about how the state of
Tennessee "accidentally" married two men ... to each other ... while one was in prison no less! Well, there are over 500 comments there as of this writing. I got about 20 in and wanted to weep for the obvious decline in the human condition. Rather than entering the fray there, I decided to post my thoughts here. I, um ... got a little carried away, so grab a nice beverage, get comfy, open your heart and mind (but don't bleed out or become brainless), and let's have a little chat. Mind your manners!
The bulk of the argument in the comments was over who could be married to who, and why or why not. The same old arguments that will never, ever end.
What, exactly, is required in order to be married? Who makes that determination?
The state? Well, if a couple wants to enjoy and uphold the legal, financial and civil rights and responsibilities of being a bonded couple, then that is the answer there. What if a couple has no need or desire for any of that? Do they HAVE to be declared a married couple by the state?
What if all they want or need is to make a vow before God and enter into the Covenant of Marriage? Where does the state come into play in this case? Is the state going to stand with the couple on Judgment Day and declare to God that they have a piece of paper issued to them that says they are married? Would God care?
Gays and their leftist friends seem to think that the state is more important than God, and therefore must sanction their desire to be married. To this end, gays have insisted that not only should the state allow them to marry - thus re-defining marriage, but also that everyone else accept, tolerate and even condone their version of marriage. They insist that everyone else set aside their religious and moral beliefs about marriage, and accept wholly their way of life.
Lemme tell you what folks, as a Christian looking forward to my place in His Kingdom, knowing that how I choose to live my life as a Christian will determine my rewards there, it is not gonna happen!
Now before you go scrolling down to the comment form where you will call me intolerant, bigoted, hateful, homophobic, etc. let me set something straight (no pun intended ... no, really!) I have no ill feelings towards gays at all. I do not care if they wish to enjoy the legal and financial benefits of a legal or civil union. I don't even care if they wish to call themselves married. That is between them and God, and it is they who will pay the consequences of their choices in life ... just the same as all the rest of us will.
Whoa now, wait a minute ... before you head off to that comment form now, if you go and say I am wrong to believe as I do, and that I should alter my beliefs (what, to make you more comfortable with your beliefs? Gee, I didn't know you thought MY opinion was so important!) By saying that, you are revealing that YOU are intolerant of MY beliefs! Calling me a bigot or a homophobe does not make it so, but it does reveal your own prejuduces. Hatefully calling me hateful ... well, you should get the picture by now, surely.
A major part of the agenda of gay marriage proponents is to gain widespread acceptance of the gay lifestyle. To a Christian, this is deeply offensive. The Bible clearly states that homosexual activity is wrong, in both the Old and New Testaments. It is not something that is taken out of context, or is wishy-washy in its condemnation. For men to have sex with men, and women to have sex with women, is just plain wrong.
For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
For a Christian to deny, for any reason, the Word of God being the Truth is a sin. For a Christian to say it is OK for someone else, even a non-believer, to go against God's Word and willfully commit sin, is a sin. Advocates of gay marriage are asking Christians to commit sin. No, they are insistimg on it, and attacking us when we refuse.
How dare you? What gives you the right to ask that of anyone?
I will absolutely not go against the Word of my Lord and condone or accept the gay lifestyle! It is wrong, and like all sin, it is hateful to God. I will never say it is OK to engage in homosexual sex, any more than I will say it is OK to lie, steal, murder or commit adultery. Insisting that I do so is hateful and intolerant, and very offensive.
So, just stop it, OK?
The state offends me as well. To presume to have the power to declare who may and may not be married, and what the defintion of marriage is, is arrogant to the extreme. That is for God, not the state. Leave it alone and take care of the civil unions, marriage is not your business!
For an expanded discussion of this which puts this into Biblical context, click the link and read on ...
(Disclaimer: I am no Biblical scholar, I merely read the Bible and trust God to give me the right words to speak and write)
The verses Romans 1:26-27 plainly state that homosexual sex is wrong, it is called "dishonorable passion, contrary to nature, shameless acts." Even so, some still insist that this passage is taken out of context or is too vague on how wrong these acts are judged to be. Well, let's put it into context so we can see just how wrong it really is.
The Book of Romans is actually a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to early Christians who were living in Rome. So, who is this Paul guy, you ask, and why do his letters matter? Well, he was a pretty special dude, specifically chosen by Jesus to carry His Word to both the Jews and Gentiles. But his story is even more extraordinary. Paul was originally Saul, and his first job was to persecute and kill early Christians. One day, as he travelled the road to Damascus,
... suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened.
So, this dude was killing Christians until Jesus Himself appeared to him - note this is years after the Crucifixion and Resurrection! and told him of his mission by way of a disciple. It's a really awesome story, told in the Book of Acts, mostly in
chapters 8 and 9.
Anyway, Saul became Paul, and carried forth his ministry and mission to the "Gentiles, kings and sons of Israel." At the time, there were a good number of both Gentile and Jewish Christians living in Rome. The letter Paul wrote to them is instruction for believers on the essentials of salvation. It is made up of three parts. The first is how God sees us humans and how we failed Him, and how He has forgiven us and what He has done to give us a path to our salvation. The second part addresses how Gentiles and Jews will all be part of God's plans, and the third is how to be a good Christian and to live up to the Name.
Romans starts by assuring believers that they, the righteous, will live because of their faith (
1:17, see also
8:29 - Righteousness, or blamelessness before God, is a blessing from God, not something that can be earned or achieved, and puts those thus blessed in a right relationship with Him and in the process of being transformed into the image of Christ). It also speaks of God's wrath. (Many people prefer to think of God as a kindly old grandpa who dispenses words of wisdom and gives comfort to those in need. He does do these things, but he is also wrathful - which is not a blind and careless rage directed at those whom He dislikes, but a just and holy response to those who defy Him with their willful sin and rebellion. Wrath is not the opposite of love, it is a parallel. Both are used to put what is wrong to right. Denying God's wrath is to lose sight of the message of the death of His Son, Jesus, who took on His Father's wrath in our place
1:18).
In modern terms, this part describes how awful we humans are ... so awful, and so God-less are some, having abandoned God, He abandons them (
1:24,
1:26) to wallow in their own filth.
Romans 1:25 to 32 describes many of the behaviors that are hateful to God, from earth worshippers to homosexuality to slanderers to the unmerciful. "Those who practice such things deserve to die,
they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them." (
1:32)
So, do not ask me to give my approval for the practice of homosexuality. I will not sin for you!
Focusing directly on the two verses that specify homosexuality as being wrong:
For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
Paul contrasts that which is natural, men having sexual relations with women, with that which is not, same-sex acts. While homosexuals may occur naturally (ie, born that way), homosexual sex goes against the natural order that was created by God. Those who indulge in homosexual sex are rejecting what God intended us to enjoy, and the only kind of sexual relations acceptable to God - between a man and a woman, married to each other.
Yes, I know ... if God created all there is, then He also created homosexuals. Therefore, they are part of the natural order of God and it's all good. Only ... not. God gave us free will, the ability to choose how we live our lives and whether we will follow His Word and accept His Son as our Lord and Savior. We are all surrounded by temptations and fleshly desires. It is up to us to give in to them, or obey His Word and defy those things if we wish to inherit our place in His Kingdom. In
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Paul tells us: "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
Uh oh ...
But then Paul continues in
6:11 - "And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
The next verses exhort us all to turn away from all sexual immorality:
“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
God did not create homosexuals merely to be condemned. He gave them a rougher road to salvation, but it is certainly not a forgone conclusion that all gays will be going to hell. None of us have to go to hell, we can all reach salvation, but there is only one path there, and that is
through Jesus Christ.
« Hush me up!
Posted by
LissaKay on 05/12/09 at 11:12 PM in
Christianity
• (2)
Comments •
Pop Up
•
Permalink •
Keywords for this entry:
Bible,
christianity,
gay marriage
« Back to main
