...something sacred, something covenant-like, something biblical (or at least there should be) that makes me want to keep it between a woman and a man, for now.
Yesterday, New Jersey's Supreme Court didn't go all the way as to require the state to allow same-sex marriage, but said same-sex couples can't be denied the same rights and benefits that male and female couples get. So now the state legislature has 6 months to figure out how to solve this dilemma, which includes the decision to allow civil unions. Civil unions I can deal with. Marriage, I don't know...
I waver on this topic because I don't hold a vehemence against homosexuals as I do against abortion. With gay couples, at least no one dies a horrific death. Or, at least they shouldn't. Gay bashing is deplorable. What happened to Matthew Shepherd was a true, modern-day tragedy.
Jesus was about love. God is love.
Besides, I can easily see how same sex couples would be attracted to one another. My ob/gyn tells me that when you study the brain of some gay men, it looks just like a female brain. Then there a hermaphrodites, or intersex folks as they like to be called now. They have both female and male sex organs. So how could one not understand that life is not always black and white or cut and dried in this instance?
So on this issue, I sympathize. I've seen Philadelphia numerous times. I've wept.
Christians "have gone to this well too many times, and people are not buying it," says Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, a group that supports same-sex marriage, about this fight against same-sex marriage.
But Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a Washington-based advocacy group, had a different take: "I have to think there are Democratic strategists out there thinking the words of the old Japanese admiral: 'I fear all we've done is wake a sleeping giant.' "
We shall see in 180 days.
Tags:
gay marriage ruling new jerseycivil unions supreme+court court same sexsame sex married marry homosexual freedom to marry
Comments
I'm not sure what you meant by "I can easily see how same sex couples are attracted to each other."
Its interesting that I can't. That's exactly what helps me to understand that it is purely genetic.
That being the case, I think its very hard for people to use scripture as a prohibition.
If one believes that homosexuality is genetic, then one must either say the bible is not a literalist interpretation, or that the few times its mentioned, it is interpreted wrongly. I believe a little bit of both of those, although I am a Christian.
Many people would say, "that's not possible". However, I haven't seen the words of Jesus that said, "worship the bible and defend it as literal." (I actually think the modern day view of the bible by some is close to idolatry.)
Anyway...the thing about marriage being sacred. I think it would be great if it was...but it isn't in this country.
I wrote a story in my blog this week about running into Bill O'Reilly in Birmingham. He's being paid by hard right groups, regardless of how many times he's been married, and regardless of his asking a subordinate to shower with him during his current marriage.
Rush Limbaugh has been married numerous times. Newt Gingrich, the same.
These are the poster children for the people who say "gays can't marry, cause marriage is sacred".
The bottom line for me is that people waste time on things that are not the role of the gov't. This very issue won GW Bush his re-election.
I want my gov't to administer my safety and my economy. Until the gays affect one of those, I say stay out of it. They aren't hurting me.