GAY MARRIAGE:
9 REASONS WHY CHRISTIANS VOICE SUPPORT?
Why?
The why question is problematic because Christians give
different answers. I’ll not wax too philosophical here. But I think it
important to keep in mind that Christians have different beliefs about a lot of
things. Here’s a few common answers to the why question.
Bible Answers
1. Godly love supports diverse marriage
arrangements. The foundation for Christian morality can be found in
Jesus’ summary of the law requiring followers to love God and love one’s neighbor.
Since the Bible does not condemn loving relationships between same-sex persons,
there is no reason to assume any of the small set of oft quoted Bible verses prohibits
same-sex marriage.
The Genesis verses describe a God blessed union but do not
address marriage. Polygamy has a long and accepted position for the people of
God. The Hebrew households included many wives and concubines who bore children
for the tribal leaders. God’s laws included having sex with a brother’s wife to
produce heirs. Polygamy continued within Christian groups in recent years and is
supported by Muslims who like Jews and Christians also trace their ancestry to
Abraham. The primary point is only that a God-blessed marriage was not limited
to one man and one woman.
2. Sinful sex answer. The Hebrew Bible
identifies male-male sex as an offense worthy of death (Leviticus 20:13). And
Paul condemns same-sex activity in most translations of Romans 1: 26-27. The
Bible does not condemn loving relationships between same-sex persons nor does
it comment on same-sex marriage. Bible scholars disagree on the way the words
and phrases are translated. Bible scholars also disagree about what rules
Christians should obey—it’s pretty obvious that most Christians do not follow
the biblical rules about sacrifice, dietary regulations, or honoring God on the
Sabbath as Jews did. Moreover, Jesus only allowed divorce for reasons of
adultery but most Christians justify divorce for other reasons, including
spouse abuse. A strict interpretation of the Bible means that most divorced and
remarried Christians are living in adultery—this is the traditional understanding
of biblical marriage, divorce, and remarriage (Read Matthew 19:9). The point
is, Christians interpret the texts in different ways when it comes to marriage
and sex. It is reasonable to believe the apostle Paul was concerned about
abusive and exploitative same-sex activity and was not thinking about same-sex
marriage when he wrote to the Romans or the Corinthians.
Moral answers
Moral reasoning can be classified in different ways. Research
from Jonathan Haidt and his
colleagues identifies six categories. Some
categories do not appear in some articles supporting same-sex marriage. Some
categories have features that overlap with other categories. An important point
to make is that moral reasons often appear to be motivated by emotional
reactions of fear, anger, and disgust rather than derived from cool and
rationale analysis commonly found in philosophical works on ethics. I used
similar subheadings so you can compare the arguments opposing same-sex marriage
in the previous post.
3. Same-sex marriage is based on
caring relationships.
Laws and
policies prohibiting same-sex marriage cause long-term harm to LG (lesbian,
gay) persons who love each other. Many government and business benefits are
tied to marital status. Denying same-sex couples access to health, education, and
economic benefits and exposing them to social condemnation can cause measurable
general health, mental health, economic, and social harm. Benefits
of same-sex marriage. Over
1,000 benefits in the U.S. are linked to marital status.
4. Same-sex
marriage shows respect for authority. The fact that some governments and some Christian
organizations support same-sex marriage indicates that people in authority positions
disagree about which authority to respect. The fact that Bible scholars
disagree about what the Bible says about same-sex marriage also makes it clear
that Christians are not disrespecting God or the Bible when they support
same-sex marriage.
5. Supporting
same-sex marriage becomes an act of loyalty. Arguments are not
clearly made about matters of loyalty when it comes to same-sex issues but it
is clear that people in religious organizations are required to be loyal to
their policies and to the position papers of their church leaders. Because
Christian groups disagree about same-sex marriage, Christians in nonsupportive
faith traditions may struggle with loyalty issues. This is unfortunate but
there are Christian traditions that welcome new members.
6. Same-sex
marriage is linked to honor and commitment. Christians who support
same-sex marriage point to the importance of a committed monogamous loving relationship.
Christians oppose promiscuity, sex
abuse, rape and other forms of exploitive sexual relationships.
7. Same-sex
marriage is a choice. The concept of choice is crucial to morality.
Christians supporting same-sex marriage agree that marriage is a choice but it
has not been a choice for LB persons in most nations. The point is that all
marriages ought to be a choice regardless of a person’s sexual orientation.
8. Same-sex
marriage laws can promote freedom of religion and conscience. When
laws do not prohibit same-sex marriage, Christians are free to marry or not
based on their religious beliefs and conscience. Laws that prohibit same-sex
couples from marrying violate the religious beliefs of those who believe the
sanctity of marriage includes same-sex marriages.
9. Same-sex
marriage is about equality and fairness. This equality argument focuses
on the unfairness of discriminatory practices that prevent LB persons
from enjoying married life and the benefits that come with marriage.
RELATED POSTS
Marriage Posts
Christian Leaders and Groups Supporting Same-Sex
Marriage
Evangelical Pastor Rob
Bell
Evangelical leader and sociologist, Tony
Campolo
Church leader, Brian D. McLaren explained his views to NPR.
He also led the commitment
ceremony for his son’s relationship with his same-sex partner.
Pew
Research facts about the same-sex marriage positions of churches and other
religions as of March 2015
From the Pew list, supportive Christian
groups included:
Presbyterian Church USA
Society of Friends
United Church of Christ
Evangelical Lutheran
Same-sex unions may be blessed by
the Episcopal Church
My website Geoff W. Sutton
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