The Debate over “GAY MARRIAGE”
“Gay marriage” is in the news a lot these days. May I begin by saying, regardless of what people say, there is no such thing. Marriage is not a human invention; it was brought into being by the Creator, Who in fact performed the first marriage Himself, Genesis 2:18-25. From the beginning it has always been between a man and a woman, as affirmed throughout the Bible, by the Prophets, by Christ, and by the Apostles. It is thus not “old-fashioned”; it is in fact eternal, and not up for a vote. We are living in God’s universe: eating His food, drinking His water, breathing His air, and He gets to make the rules. He thinks He is God, you see; but many people think that they are their own gods (Gen.3:5). Only a “wicked and adulterous generation” (Matt 16:4), one which “neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened” (see Romans 1:18-32), could even consider the possibility of marriage between two of the same sex. And that sound of distant thunder could be the storm clouds of the judgment of God heading our way. Yes, I know, this must mean that I am “narrow-minded, judgmental, bigoted”. But it would be hard to verify such an opinion by the actual facts. I have known many homosexual persons, and none could ever claim that I did not treat them with kindness and respect, as though they were made in the “image and likeness of God”. I personally ministered to a homosexual man in every way possible, until he died of AIDS. It is because I love and care about homosexuals that I cannot pretend everything is “OK”. The easiest thing to do is to just ignore the plight of others, and look the other way as they destroy themselves. But maybe when God puts up the “no trespassing” sign, He is not just trying to ruin someone’s fun. Maybe He knows more than they do, and is trying to protect them. Look at the facts. Aside from the moral issue, homosexuality is a profoundly unhealthy behavior. Ask any doctor or nurse! HIV, full blown AIDS (85% of all cases; most of the rest are drug users), Hepatitis B (8 times more likely to contract), syphilis (fourteen times more likely to contract) the list goes on and on. Homosexuals account for 80% of the serious sexually transmitted diseases. They are six times more likely to commit suicide (oh, I know, they want to blame that on us Christians.); 25-33% are alcoholics. They are even 18 times more likely to be involved in fatal auto accidents! [Jeffress, p.114] A psychologist told me the other day that the average life expectancy for a homosexual male is----- 42. Gee, I wonder if homosexuality is unhealthy!
But there is a principle prevalent in our culture: tell a lie often enough, and people will begin to believe it. Personally, I feel great care and compassion for homosexuals. Great helplessness, too, as I see them slowly destroying themselves. And I’ve noticed they are not very “gay” (in the original meaning of the word). I have never personally known a Christian man or woman who was bigoted toward, or persecuted, a homosexual person. On the other hand, I know Christians who have served and cared for homosexuals, and who have been at the bedsides of dying AIDS patients. While hating the sin, we deeply love the sinner, just like Jesus. (But I have read lots of truly hateful literature by homosexual activists toward Christians. )
But now, I would like to present arguments for “traditional marriage”, and contrary to so-called “gay marriage”, that should resonate even in a secular culture:
Heterosexual marriage affirms that men and women need each other. Even those who do not believe in a Creator cannot deny the obvious physical, as well as spiritual, evidence that man was made for a woman, and woman was made for man. It is not interchangeable, for each brings something different to the union. There is great evidence that married heterosexuals live longer, have better mental and physical health, and suffer less stress. A heterosexual union also greatly benefits the unique needs of children, and of course there are no children without heterosexual union. Not only do men and women need each other in order to reproduce, but also children need a male and a female to meet their unique needs. Children who are raised with a mother and a father grow up healthier, emotionally and physically, than those who have only one parent in their life. Having two parents of the same sex cannot have the same effect of having a mother and a father, for they have completely different roles that compliment one another. Being a male or a female goes beyond body parts. A father brings stability and discipline to a family, and a mother brings nurturing care. By supporting same-sex marriage, a person denies that innate, meaningful and essential differences exist between male and female. Since these differences do exist, it is only logic to say that men need women and women need men.
To say that not allowing homosexuals to marry is taking away rights on which our country was built on is audaciously deceptive! It is not about taking away anyone’s “Constitutional rights” for there has never been a “constitutional right” to homosexual marriage, nor polygamy or group marriage. Preventing homosexuals from being able to marry does not take away anything. It guards against the stealing of something that belongs to others: the purity and goodness of heterosexual marriage and the traditional family.
To redefine marriage is a gigantic expansion of government power. Just as Charles Krauthammer wrote in the Dispatch, “With the stroke of a pen, they radically redefine the most ancient of all social institutions. And then those not quite prepared to accept this undebated, unlegislated, unvoted, unnegotiated revolution are accused of creating a political wedge!”
This is not just an issue about gay rights. This is about marriage and changing its true meaning.
