Posted on 07/16/2005 1:42:42 PM PDT by Zender500
For the most part, Christians oppose legalizing same-sex marriage. But some religious people from across the spectrum are trying to make a Christian case for allowing homosexuals to marry each other.
Theological liberals, of course, have never seen a left-wing cause they will not support. They follow cultural trends, secularist philosophers, and progressive politicians without question or criticism. So if the liberal social class accepts homosexuality and calls for same-sex marriage, then liberal theologians will too.
Some large mainline denominations, such as the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, have agreed to "bless" same-sex unions, but they have stopped short of granting them the full status of marriage. But now the United Church of Christ (UCC) has put homosexual marriages on the same par as those between a man and a woman.
Using the language not of theology but of liberal politics, the new policy tells UCC clergy not to "discriminate against couples based on gender." Specifically, the resolution supports both the legalization and the church consecration of marriages of "gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons."
This raises a question: Wouldn't a bisexual have to marry either a man or a woman? Wouldn't that suggest settling on one orientation or the other, thus negating the bisexuality?
But theological liberals are not constrained by reason. Nor by revelation. They rejected the authority of the Bible years ago. They operate instead under the canons of niceness, cultural conformity, and political correctness.
Andrew Sullivan, a homosexual Catholic, has offered a more serious case for gay marriage. He recognizes that the homosexual subculture is promiscuous and, in many ways, pathological. Marriage is a civilizing institution, he argues, which channels sex in a positive and socially constructive way, the establishment of the family. If some people are, as Mr. Sullivan believes, naturally attracted to members of the same sex, they should be encouraged to form monogamous and permanent relationships. Religiously, bringing homosexuals into the institution of marriage preserves a moral order. The church can thus continue to teach that sex outside of marriage is immoral.
Douglas Wilson offers another argument for legalizing gay marriage, predicated not on the morality of homosexual activity but on its immorality.
In an article titled "Owning the Curse: Re-Thinking Same-Sex Marriage," written with Douglas Jones in the journal Credenda/Agenda, Mr. Wilson makes the following argument: (1) Homosexuality, according to Romans 1, is God's judgment on societies that reject Him; (2) Christians should not reject God's judgments but take responsibility for them so as to repent; (3) homosexuality is a particular judgment against the church for failing to promote biblical fatherhood; (4) homosexuality may well be genetic—as are other sins from our inherited fallen nature—and Christians should treat homosexuals kindly, as victims of "neglectful or abusive fathering"; (5) Christians should let gay marriage happen, as God's judgment on our culture; and (6) the only remedy for this judgment is restoring "right worship" and recovering biblical fatherhood.
"In the brewing culture wars," Mr. Wilson and Mr. Jones conclude, "we ought not to stand with those seeking to ban same-sex marriage (or with those seeking to impose it)." Their bottom line: "So we openly accept homosexual marriage in the civil realm as God's means of undermining that civil realm, and we accept that He has done this in judgment for wicked fathering within the Church."
On the most basic level, though, despite any arguments, the institution of marriage is not changeable. No church council, legislature, or judge can change what marriage is, which is not a social construction or a personal choice or a legal fiction. Rather, marriage is grounded in nature—the way human beings reproduce themselves—and thus in God's created order.
A key Scripture on marriage is Christ's command: "What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate" (Matthew 19:6). By the same token, what God has separated, let not man join together. •
World Mag BUMP!
Sums it up very nicely. This kind of liberal theology can easily be found on FR.
We all know what happened to "Sodom", and what happens in the end to godless places.
Not for long, Fur Shur.
BTW, there's simply no Christian case that can be made for same-sex message, nor is there a legitimately Jewish case for it either.
People who advocate same sex marriage cannot be authentic Christians or Jews.
As Hegel showed, that is not sufficient since it does not outlaw marriage between blood relations. There is more to it than that.
You can't civilize something that is perverted. The bestialist cannot argue that having sex with only one dog is less perverted than having sex with 50 dogs. An abuse is an abuse, no matter how exclusive the abusers may be. A man who beats his wife cannot say, "Well, it's better than beating all the women I meet, I just beat the one." Such an argument would be rightfully rejected as absurd morally, and thus falls Mr. Sullivan's argument.
I wonder how the Democrats that keep losing elections have cornered the market on the term Mainstream?
Yep.
I generally don't automatically trust "nondenominational" churches because I have no idea what their doctrine is.
"People who advocate same sex marriage cannot be authentic Christians or Jews."
Well, they're fully ordained pastors, bishops, poo-bahs and they run entire church bodies and denominations, y'know. /s
I doubt the author would settle for being treated kindly. I can be kind to homos, without approving, respecting or legalizing their lifestyle. Murder is a sin, but I'm not going to legalize it.
What twisted reasoning! Because we have failed to measure up to God's standards respecting "right worship" and "biblical fatherhood," the proper response is to promote the evil of homosexuality?
I do not think that God will buy this argument. The proper response to sin is repentance, not participation in other sins.
I suppose anyone can call or consider themselves an "authentic" Christian or Jew. In a world of relativism, its expected. But, no matter what I call myself, although I am a Catholic first and foremost, the basis for the man/woman marriage argument comes directly from God Almighty. Old scripture is written by those to whom God Spoke and the New testament is the same with the added quotes from Jesus Christ. There is no getting around it. You have to toss the Bible entirely out in order to make an argument for homosexuality being acceptable and if you toss the Bible out, its not a world I will choose to stay in.
I agree. You cannot civilize promiscuity nor bestiality with marriage. And it has never been proven that homosexuality is genetic. And the latest research is showing that it has to do with cohorts/ peer groups that you hang with. Duh! (I know, preaching to the choir).
Blessings and curses: Is there a Christian case for promoting —or not opposing —same-sex marriage?
NO.
"Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near. Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy.
"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done."
Revelation 22:10-12
Satan is having the time of his existence converting religions and their people to his way of thinking.
Revelation is a wondrous, mysterious book..
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