[My opinions on this have changed drastically since I wrote this. Perhaps look at my entry "Pure of Heart" to get an idea of how I view sexuality in general. I do not really feel like taking the time to outline every single argument here. Maybe someday I will.]
So, marriage equality is the topic of the week. Here are my thoughts in two premises. Pardon the length and inevitable grammatical mistakes.
My first premise is this: I consider myself a Christian, and therefore
strive to follow a “Christ-like” way of life. It is obvious to me from studying the Bible that God desires
his followers, if “they cannot control themselves,” to have sex only between
two people after they are married.
(1 Corinthians 7:1-15) I
can’t tell you that it is “immoral” to have sex with someone of the same
gender, or even, for that matter, to have sex before marriage. I simply know that, as a Christian, if
I am to have sex, it is to be between a man and me only after we have been
married.
This does not mean that I don’t want sex before marriage,
because—let’s be honest—of course I want to have sex. Is God going to condemn me for wanting to have sex? No, because I am human, and it is
natural. That’s just how we
are.
However, God expects his followers to take control of their
bodies: to not submit to “the flesh.”
So, because of my love for God, I will strive to be sexually pure and not
give in to lust whether that means abstaining from premarital sex,
homosexuality or even masturbation.
Another way of putting it is this: if God would require
Christians to not eat bacon, I would not eat bacon. Of course I would have an incredibly hard time with this because
I love bacon. Am I a sinner
because I love bacon? No. And am I damned because sometimes I
mess up and have some bacon?
No. Jesus preaches
forgiveness and urges us to strive to perfection. That doesn’t mean that we’ll instantly be perfect and without
struggle. It means that we have
forgiveness as we strive to follow his example.
And then, if you aren’t one who strives to be like Christ, I
don’t really see any reason why you should follow these rules, and I apologize
for those who have told you otherwise.
My second premise is this: I am, in this political matter, of
a libertarian stance. That is,
politically, I think that people should be allowed to make their own decisions
as long as they are not harming another person—that is not violating another
person’s right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Also, this nation was founded on the ideas of separation of
church and state and freedom of religion.
Of course, the meaning of these can be debated and the “original intent
of the Constitution” will be argued, and I don’t mean that I want to keep
Christian principles out of the government (I mean, not stealing and killing
are primary examples/basic moral laws that should be followed), but when it comes
to mandating religious laws in a nation that is living on the principle of
freedom of religion, I have serious reservations.
Putting these two premises together, I must then ask: As a nation who claims to have a
freedom of religion, and if not everyone in this nation aims to live a Christian
lifestyle, then what right do we have to say that certain people may not live
out their selected path to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
For those who ask, what about churches? What if a church doesn’t want to marry
a homosexual couple? Here is where
I will agree. I feel like the
government should not have restrictions on heterosexual or homosexual marriage,
however, churches should have the right to permit the services in their
buildings and with their pastors or not.
So, back to the bacon analogy: the government can’t just outlaw
bacon because a religion says that it is immoral (or will bring on great
trials/tribulations/curse of the nation/fire/brimstone/anti-Christ—you name it)—especially
if it claims to have freedom of religion and separation of church and
state.
So, there is my political stance as of my current level of
understanding of theology, philosophy, and politically theory. If I’m wrong or my premises are faulty,
educate me. Give me solid
reasons.
