Christianity and Gay Marriage
Yesterday the Supreme Court of the state of New Jersey declared in a 4-3 decision that homosexuals should have the same rights as heterosexuals, opening the door for New Jersey to become the second state in the union to legalize gay marriages. This only further heightens the greater issue facing the United States and, more importantly for us, Christianity - What role does our faith play in decisions we make and endorse in matters of government? How separate should church and state be? Finally, what role should Christianity play in culture as a whole?
Homosexuality is a hot button subject at every church in the US. Each church is choosing its side. In the end we've ended up with the alienation of thousands of proclaimed homosexuals from anything to do with Jesus. So as a pastor who views both the practice of homosexuality and the alienation of those who consider themselves "gay" as sinful actions, what do I believe should be done on the issue of gay marriage? I'm saying you first :).
Before I voice my opinion on what should be done, I'd like to hear your thoughts. What role do you think we should take as Christiains on the issue of gay marriage? What do you think of the recent decision in New Jersey? This is an open forum, so express your thoughts truthfully and be respectful of the thoughts of others. The bottom line is you've got an opinion, let's hear it!
posted by The Rising Community at 10:04 PM
3 Comments:
To be honest, I'm kind of of the view that the government should not be legislating marraiges in the first place. I think that marraige is first and foremost a sacred institution, which means that to put it under control of the state undermines its purpose, much like if our government was to begin offereing baptisms. I think that government should issue civil unions to any two people who want to act as a single financial entity, and that marraige itself should be left to the church. In this case, if there is a church who will marry you, you can be married, but it carries no legal significance.
11:36 PM
I'm going to stay away from the homosexuality debate for a moment and adress the conflict between church/state relations.
Much of my thinking on this has come from a Life and Teachings of Jesus class at APU. I have come to the conclsion, that based on the theme of the gospel of Mark, Christianity is not something to be enacted through the government.
The Kingdom of God, I believe, is not something attainable through the state. As shown in the exorcism of the demon named Legion in Mark 5 (the first thing that would come to mind at the mention of Legion would be the Roman army), Jesus came to "exorcise" the Roman empire. He wasn't trying to reform it so it could be better suited to be bringers of the good news. No, Jesus came to overthrow it and set up a new kingdom, a spiritual kingdom. So, in this respect, I think that church and state should and need to be completely separate.
11:44 PM
I am going to address the alienation side of your post. I think this is a problem that most churches are running into and not addressing. They are simply shunning anything homosexual without ministering to them in the slightest. Is a homosexual not just as big a sinner as any of us. Do they not need God's love and support just as much as you or I? I think its high time we show them just as much as attention as we do any other person. We can complain and push them away or we can actually make a difference. As for the marriage part. I personally am engaged and the thought of homosexuals getting married or claiming to be married does not make me feel like it is tarnishing my soon to be marriage or the bond it is creating between me and my fiance through God in the slightest.
7:35 AM
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