Part one: reasons ten through six…the lifestyle benefits
In raising my kids, I have to apply certain moral principles—rules to live by. Most of those derive from my own sense of right and wrong, and the foundation I have. The golden rule, be willing to learn, help others, don’t judge….I pass these to my boys not because I am a Christian, which I am, but because these principles are right.
It is from that perspective that I have difficulty understanding the issue of “gay marriage” and the enormous faction of Born-again Christians against it. From my simple parental admonishments derived from the basics of Christianity, I don’t get it. Born again Christians should be at the forefront fighting FOR marriage equality, not against it.
Here are the first of ten benefits I believe Born Again Christians would derive should they support marriage equality.
Obviously, if the anti-marriage sentiment Is based on the six “clobber” verses in the Bible, the practice of citing out of context passages and claiming they are “God’s Word” without principle or logic behind them, these benefits won’t be realized. But such proof-texting is not spiritual law, it is superstition.
So. This is me… sitting down with you. Buying you a cup of coffee. Telling you that I love and respect you, that I do not think you have hate in your heart, and I don’t think you are afraid of gay people.
I am afraid for you, … and this is an intervention. You are not working in your own interest. You are, in fact on the road to demolish the things which mean the most to you. I do not want that to happen. So, I humbly offer you these ten benefits that hang in the balance on why you need to get up, out and vehemently demand the opportunity of marriage for your gay neighbor.
The 10th Most Important Reason Why a Born Again Christian Should Fight for Gay Marriage: Critical Thinking and Idealism vs. Judgmentalism You know it, and I know it. We are not to judge. Judgment is God’s.. .the Bible tells us this directly, emphatically, and frequently. It is not in some vague story, it says it point blank. There is a reason the Bible is right on this. When one judges, one stops thinking. Digging into the realities and seeing the gray areas give way to projecting our own insecurities onto others. Fight for gay marriage, and see what you learn in the process.
The 9th Most Important Reason Why a Born Again Christian Should Fight for Gay Marriage: To Save the Institution of Marriage. Marriage IS in trouble. Less people are doing it, and more people are disrespecting it. You know in your heart that same gendered people marrying in Boston or Spain has not had an effect over your personal marriage any more than easy divorces with ex-spouse, new-spouse alimony support systems resembling defacto polygamy have. But those latter marriages SHOULD be the ones that you worry about. There is a group of people heralding the virtues of marriage and honoring it…you should be supporting them.
The 8th Most Important Reason Why a Born Again Christian Should Fight for Gay Marriage: Romantic Love. Many people dream of their soul mate…that one person whose presence in your life is pure kismet…and act of God, bringing the exact right person to you who loves and adores you for who you are… who wines and dines you with flowers, music, candy and wonder. The person who is the first you want to see in the morning, and the last person you want to see at night. The spirit of romance does not thrive in some exclusivity vacuum. By supporting gay marriage when you reinforce the right to strive to be married to the person of one’s dreams, you earn the right to strive for the person of your dreams…if you have not already found them.
The 7th Most Important Reason Why a Born Again Christian Should Fight for Gay Marriage: The Good Samaritan. My sons love that story. It tells of the true hero who stepped up when he did not have to. You aren’t being the Good Samaritan. In fact, with Chick-Fil-A on your breath, you are being kind of mean. Bring back the Good Samaritan…BE the Good Samaritan.
The 6th Most Important Reason Why a Born Again Christian Should Fight for Gay Marriage: Championing for Disenfranchised Children. In a generation, people will wonder why you even bothered fighting against gay marriage—or worse, what kind of monsters you were to want to deprive gay families from having it. No one will think that you held any ideals of being for the lives of children. That is an issue that can be yours to win. Today, this minute, there are over 100,000 children in the United States that are unwanted and have not been chosen for adoption, most languishing in foster care.
So, what is my point in regard to gay marriage? Born Again Christians looking to advocate for children need to step up.
We need thousands of homes to warmly take in these children needing permanent love. Where will they come from? From all the gay couples you support marrying. So, be pro-gay marriage, and it will weave into your most effective child rescuing strategy to date.
These first five benefits would re-establish the Christian as the man or woman of warmth and compassion. The one to help make marriages work and be infused with romance. Christians would be the developers of loving families, not their adversaries. How great would THAT be?
Next up are the most important five reasons for a Born Again Christian to support gay marriage: the save-your-soul benefits.
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But, what happened to the verses in the Bible that explicitly says marriage is a sacred covenant and union between a man and a woman? Or the verses in the Bible that say homosexuality is a sin, just like lying or stealing?
Hi S.
yeah…about those. Well. Actually the Bible never actually says that marriage is explicitly a sacred union between a man and woman. Jesus mentions marriage between man and woman when he was asked about DIVORCE. The Bible never gives those guidelines and in fact describes marriages between brother and sister, a man and two sisters, a man and many wives…. it never has the passage you describe however. The bible also does not say that homosexuality is comparable to lying and stealing.
So…maybe the first order of business would be a more thorough understanding before using it as a weapon.
Sodom and gamora ( however u spell it) was destroyed because man slept with man. That right there proves that Jesus does think gay is wrong. However, I’m not judging these people and I’m not against them.
sodom and gommora was not destroyed because man slept with men… It was destroyed because of wickedness! period. Again you should know your book before you attempt to use it as a weapon!
Wes is correct..they were not, and Jesus was the one who points that out in the New Testament. EVEN if you think the Sodom story is about homosexual sex, it was not “men sleeping with men” it would have been angry crowd gang rape. Even by your definition, I don’t see how you can draw a parallel from that to same sex marriage.
I think people take the Bible too far out of context and forget that a lot of ideas were inextricably connected with the culture of that time. Consequentially, they lose the spiritual element because they are too focused on a literal interpretation. In the times when Leviticus was written – for example – there were no studies taking place on how a person develops their sexual orientation, no investigations, no documentaries and no recorded theory or experimentation. There was a general assumption that because the union does not lead to reproduction and adhere to Judean creationalism, it is a threat to society and therefore against God. It was a belief built on ignorance. In any culture with religious beliefs, anything that is a threat to the moral fibre of society is “coincidently” also something that their god doesn’t approve of. Ask a homophobic person to justify why homosexuality is wrong aside from their religious beliefs (if they have any that is) and their other justifications will be rooted on fears which the Bible also addresses. Numerous times it regards the act of sodom as synonymous with other abhorrent, perverted practices. This illustrates that homosexuality wasn’t perceived as an act of love, but an act of bestial passion. We know better now. Nevertheless, people are determined to make every last drop of the Bible fit in with their every day lives whether relevant or not. Jesus says nothing about deforestation, but we know that it is a major ethical issue in 2013. We can separate the ‘then’ from the ‘now’ in other circumstances, but when it comes to an opportunity to exclude or judge a group of people we seem to lose that skill.
Some might ask why then is this not the same with Christianity and why can’t all of its teachings and beliefs be appreciated as only relevant then and not now? Well that’s up to the individual to decide, but it comes across clearly in the New Testament that Jesus’ presence was very counter-cultural: he challenged and questioned a great deal of the doctrine he was raised into, continually emphasising how one must eschew evil which corrupts the spirit rather than that which threatens precious culture. As for Paul? Not only is Paul not Jesus, but many Christians today regard one thing he says as the fountain of all Christian wisdom, yet completely disregard another thing (especially if the latter involves them having to make an internal change as oppose to pointing the finger – funny that)! Personally, I’m a Theist who tries to follow Jesus’ teachings, a path which I can’t (and wouldn’t) convince anyone to follow because it’s based upon my personal experiences. I wouldn’t try to sell it like a shop assistant flogs their store cards. However, as far as I’m concerned, being deeply in love with somebody (man or woman) and wanting that union to be embraced by the Church that they want to be a part of is not corruptive or threatening, it’s the opposite. The reproductive organs of those involved aren’t an issue for me, especially when a great number of men and women entering into marriage through the Church are both not religious/faithful and have no interest in reproducing.
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You had me until the abortion argument. Utterly ridiculous and disgusting
Bonnie, How is it disgusting and ridiculous?
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This is the most even-handed and dispassionate appeal I have read. This should get shared all over the place. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Amazing, as I knew it would be. You covered the abortion debate with dignity and class not to mention a wonderful premise!
Beautifully written! I couldn’t agree more on every count.
I like you views!