The internet is spinning with the gay marriage debate. The supreme court can’t decide whether they should intervene, facebook has practically turned red and pink with a banner circulating on it that supports gay marriage, and those of us that disagree with it are nestled somewhere in there between all the fuss, and uproar. Media outlets are littered with one opinion after another, and the push to legalize gay marriage is stronger than ever.
Have you changed your stance on gay marriage?
Are you holding fast to your original opinion?
Do the gay people in your life have an influence on which side of the fence you’re on?
Whatever your views are, you’re entitled to them. Of course, I am entitled to mine as well. Read on if you’re interested, and if you’re not, that’s OK too. Here’s what I think about gay marriage.
To begin with, I believe marriage is an institution that is ordained by God. Some say it’s actually a legal union that should be governed and defined under the law. Well, that may be true, but before there were courts, marriage existed so that reasoning holds no water with me.
Next, I’d like to share with you what I believe the purpose of marriage is in God’s eyes. I believe the purpose of marriage was a blessing on two people to commit themselves to each other for all of eternity, and procreate if they should be blessed to do so; thus creating one generation after another.
Now before you start attacking me with the, “Well, if a married couple doesn’t have children should they be entitled to marriage?” or “What about those that don’t want children, but want to be married anyways?” and the, “What about those that marry for political gain, or for citizenship into foreign country, or what about those that marry for money…should they be allowed to be married?” I’ve heard the arguments. Here’s my answer.
Marriage is a gift from God, and procreation is a gift that can be found therein. The key word there is “can”.
You can commit yourself to another person for the rest of your life without ever filling out papers, or taking blood tests, or any other hoop the government says you have to jump through in order to be considered married in the eyes of the Lord. Those thing only have to be done in order to be married in the eyes of governmental law.
For me, making a union legal in the eyes of the law is simply an outward expression of what has already taken place inwardly; and therein lies the argument from my stand point.
If there is separation of church and state (Which by the way was designed to protect you from the government not protect the government from you) then the law has no right intervening on something that’s a religious matter. Man has taken the religion out of marriage, and replaced it with benefits.
The things you gain by getting married by man’s standards are nothing more than benefits offered up by municipalities when you take that step. The right to file income tax returns in a specific way; the right to put Mrs. in front of your name; the right be the automatic beneficiary on life insurance policies, the right to your spouses social security when they pass, and the list goes on and on.
So in today’s society, being married has taken on a whole different meaning. No? Well, aside from the benefits you gain from the government when you get married under their law, what do you get from it?
You can have a life together, without a piece of paper saying you’re married. You can build a future with your soul mate, and grow old together as you live off of each others love. You can even procreate without a piece of paper.
So the answer is that being married under the law gives you benefits you wouldn’t otherwise get if you were not married under the law.
So why do I personally disagree with gay marriage?
I think it’s because most of society has been duped into believing that in order for God to condone marriage you have to put it on paper, and make it legal in the eyes of the law. And, if I condone gay marriage, then in a roundabout way I could be sending a message that my creator condones gay unities, and that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
It’s time to remind people that being married has nothing to do with paper, benefits, and rights. It’s a union that is blessed by God. Period.
Until there is a clear distinction between what marriage really is, and what people have been tricked into thinking it is, I will not risk being a part of any movement that makes it seem as if God condones gay marriage.
Political Correctness Is Not On My Agenda 
We are kindred spirits, girl. Keep writing; I’ll keep reading and sharing.
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Thanks so much for your encouragement!
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Dear Trudi,
I respect you and would, without question, fight for your right to your own opinion…anywhere, anytime. You are one of my oldest and dearest friends and you know how very much I love you. That being said, our opinions differ in this particular area.
Personally, that little piece of government issued paper means very little to me, however; I can understand and empathize with the significance it holds to many others and I support that request.
There are countless marriages, purportedly blessed by God, the church, government, what have you…that have failed, been abusive, neglected, convenient, etc. The point is, who among us knows for certain? I’m talking absolute, unquestionable certainty. Not necessarily our belief systems alone nor the question of a bible recorded by man and influenced by individual perspectives and opinions. Before you answer, consider this…
A priest once asked our congregation, “What would you do, what would you think, if when you got to heaven…you found yourself standing beside none other than Adolf Hitler himself”? Well you can imagine the astonished gasps and murmurs that flooded through the congregation, myself included. People began to protest and become angry and with heated passion, voiced their opinions and all of the reasons why He of all people, would never be allowed to enter the gates of heaven. We’ve heard it all before, but in this particular context…it held considerable magnitude. The priests response was simply this: “Who are you to pass judgement”? And as the congregation began to twist uncomfortably in our seats, he continued…”Only God himself has that right and HE ALONE can see directly into the heart of every living being.”
I’m not looking for any type of heated debate, we could presumably, argue this perpetually, which is probably why I have waited until now to voice my own opinion. Because I love you and because I respect your opinions, I felt compelled to respond.
My only question dear friend, requires no written response, but rather, I hope…a quiet personal reflection of honesty, with an open mind and heart.
Marriages sometimes fail, of course. And some of us have been there, divorced and elected to marry again, while others have not. That is our right…obviously and without question.
My question is simply this: If that little piece of paper means so very little…then why do you have one?
Whether or not, it’s considered by anyone else to be right or wrong…I have a partner who is female. I fell in love and it was about that alone. Gender was secondary. Other people’s approval or disappointment is irrelevant to me. I believe in a higher power. I also believe that at the end of my life, the only question I will have to answer is “How much did you love.” And I know without question, that when that time comes, I will be able to answer truthfully…”With All of My Heart.”
Frisis
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Frisis! How are you? I was hoping you’d happen along and share your views on this issue. I love you dearly, my friend.
You’re right, this issue is perpetually debatable so I’m not going to restate anything I’ve already said or try to persuade you to see it my way.
I will, however, answer that question you asked: If that little piece of paper means so very little…then why do you have one?
I have that little piece of paper for two reasons:
1. I can now reap the benefits taking that step brings to me and my husband via the ruling governmental agencies of my country.
2. It was an outward expression of something that had already been ordained by God.
Sort of like a sweet sixteen party. A girl doesn’t turn sixteen at her party; she’s already turned sixteen on the day of her actual birth. The party is simply a celebration of what has already happened. She would still be sixteen even if she had not had the party.
My husband and I believe our true date of marriage is on June 7, 2010. This is when we committed ourselves to each other, and we believe God blessed that commitment.
We were married in the eyes of man’s law on September 12, 2010; though we believe we would still be married even without that piece of paper.
Love you Frisis, and I look forward to meeting your partner someday soon! xxoo
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Thank you for your response Frisis, I appreciate your honesty.
Please indulge me just a few moments more in contemplating your responses.
Despite your obviously strong opposition to government involvement in marriage,
you, yourself were able to acknowledge the benefits of obtaining a marriage license
and therefore; abided by those same laws to acquire one.
Simply stated: You WANTED one. Much like the people who are currently fighting
to obtain the same thing for themselves. Seems reasonable and the ‘benefits’ unquestionable.
Which brings us to your second reason, “that it was an outward expression of something
that had already been ordained by God.”
Most of us who are fortunate enough to find someone we would like to share our life with, often would also like to share that union in celebration with others. This would signify the ‘outward expression’ that you refer to.
Again, this seems reasonable that people would want to share their happiness and commitment to each other, with others who are important to them also. Seems simple enough.
Which brings us to the real dilemma…and the true crux of the matter. Those three little words,
‘ordained by God.’
This is where the true debate begins and personal belief systems are called into account.
The potential arguments therein are undeniably exhaustive and I simply have no desire to
initiate something which requires such a significant commitment of my time.
This, I suppose, is where we simply agree to disagree my friend.
But perhaps, you might contemplate these things also.
You know me well enough to know that we both share very strong belief systems and faith.
I also believe that there are many different paths to reach the same destination and who is to say which path is right or wrong?
I believe that Christ and Love are synonymous and my vehicle of choice.
We both share a similar love for writing and would probably agree that we could both be present at the same event, yet our accounts, even if dictated verbatim, would vary to certain degrees and our personal opinions might also be reflected in our own styles of writing.
A reasonable assessment, right?
Without delving into the entire topic, consider the origins of the Bible, how it was recorded, how it has evolved and changed over the years. Influenced by individual writers and their opinions, influenced further still, by laws of a particular era and the dominant religion of a particular geographical region.
If we were to simply ‘clear the clutter’…if you will, to uncover the true underlying message…I believe it’s simply LOVE.
Love for ourselves and love for each other.
Namaste…recognizing the divine in each other….we are all one.
Just some food for thought. Thanks for listening, my friend.
Love,
Frisis
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Hello again my old and dear friend,
Let me just sum up my reasoning for opposing gay marriage.
When people think of marriage, they think of God. Therefore, any marriage I condone would also have to be a marriage that I believe my creator condones.
Until there is a clear distinction between spiritual marriage (Condoned by my creator) and marriage under man’s law (A unity everyone should be entitled to) I will appose gay marriage. As I’ve previously stated in my original post….
“Until there is a clear distinction between what marriage really is, and what people have been tricked into thinking it is, I will not risk being a part of any movement that makes it seem as if God condones gay marriage.”
I simply don’t believe that God condones gay marriage; to the contrary; you believe He does.
We both have a deep love for our creator, and as long as we are making decision based on our love and faith in his existence and love for us, God understands each of our thought patterns.
Remember when you lost a person dear to you some years back? After the loss, another person gave you a lighter case, and said that it once belonged to that person you had just lost. They said that the person you lost had wanted you to have it.
Remember you questioned whether or not the lighter had truly belong to your lost loved one, and you didn’t know if you should really cherish it because there was no way to be sure?
I told you that day that it really didn’t matter if it did or didn’t belong to your lost loved one. As long as you believed in your heart that it was theirs, and that they wanted you to have it, and you cherished it because it once belonged to them, it really didn’t matter if it truly once belong to them.
They would know that you thought it was theirs, they would see how much you loved and cherished it, and they would never be angry with you for cherishing something that wasn’t really theirs, because in your mind, it did belong to them. And, it was because of your undying love for them that you cherished it so dearly.
This is the same situation. You believe with all your heart one thing, and I believe with all my heart, another.
God, knows our hearts, and knows we have these beliefs because we love and believe in him. He isn’t angry with either of us. Obviously, we are seeing things in different shades of color, but God understands why we see so differently..and you know what?
He doesn’t love either one of us any less than the other. He knows the hues that comprise our belief systems represent a rainbow of color that honors Him. It doesn’t matter that the colors are so drastically different.
I love you with all my heart, dear friend. Safe travels!
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Beautifully stated, my friend. ❤
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