I realized this was true. God ordained it from the Garden, did He not? God ordained it throughout the Bible in fact. But, where did the concept of state-issued marriage "licenses" come from, I wondered?
A quick Google search later, I learned something new.
Marriage licenses in the USA originated in the mid 1800s because people were against what they referred to as "interracial marriage" (Because I believe there is only one race, that being the HUMAN RACE, I don't like the word "race" when referring to the level of melatonin in our skin...but that's another sermon). Essentially they were intermarriage licenses, which later evolved into licensing all marriage.
In 1923, the Federal Government established the Uniform Marriage and Marriage License Act and by 1929, every state in the Union had adopted marriage license laws (From http://www.mercyseat.net/BROCHURES/marriagelicense.htm, which takes some radical views on this issue)
I am not about to go have my marriage annulled and I am not really sure how I feel about avoiding licenses altogether at this point (what's done is done). But let's think about this for a minute.
What benefit is there to being "legally" married with a marriage "license" (license is defined, by the way, as a government giving us PERMISSION to do something! We need their PERMISSION to enter into a God-ordained union?!?!)? Well, the benefits tend to be financial. There are tax breaks for married couples. There's the whole health insurance and "benefits packages" that are only available for legally married couples, and in essence it is mostly economic, isn't it? (unless you are on the edge of poverty, in which case being, for example, a single mom, will get you more social service benefits).
Why do homosexuals wish to marry? Most of the arguments are economic, relating to getting benefits, and being legally recognized for something that is going on anyway. To the state, void of God, this sort of thing seems logical and to exclude them seems like a violation of "rights", which these days is like the unpardonable sin in our selfish, secular society. We are reaping the bitter fruits of allowing the state to license marriage in the first place.
By "selling" something that is only God's to give (the right to marriage) even to believers who allow this for the financial benefits of having a legal marriage or so that racists could hinder "interracial" couples from marrying, we have opened the door to where it is the STATE and not GOD who makes the decisions about marriage. And, sadly, the STATE at this point could give a hoot what the Bible says about anything.
There are two things about the whole Prop 8 thing that have really gotten me fired up.
The first has been the absolutely inflammatory way in which people of faith have been portrayed, with the rather scary, fascist mob mentality that the gay rights advocates have been walking in since election day. Just to mention a few I've read about: mobbing a group of Christians in downtown San Fran, shoving and shouting down a grandma for having a cross, and invading a church in Lansing MI during Sunday worship with the purpose of intimidating and disrupting the service. (Who's intolerant?)
The second is really a sadness in me over the time, energy, and cash that the average Christian has given to this sort of thing INSTEAD OF doing what we were COMMANDED to do by our Lord and Savior, Jesus. What were we commanded to do? It's not as Newsweek preaches (being tolerant and inclusive) but it also isn't taking to the streets and demanding our rights, and whining about being persecuted because of some bad press or angry people expressing their hateful views...it's about making His last command our FIRST priority (Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:18-20)
If I were in a voting booth, making a choice, I would vote against same sex marriage without a doubt. I pray for our country, and then I do the only thing I can do...the only thing He commanded me to do about it...the only way to really make a CHANGE, a LASTING CHANGE, is in doing things the way Christ told us to in the first place. Preach the Gospel (Which changes lives), disciple those new believers (teaching them how to live the Christian life, and how to tell others about Christ's love), and then do it some more, until everyone in the world has HEARD. They still have to make a choice, and are free to do so, but they at least need to be told the good news.
The Bible tells us homosexuality is a sin, and that marriage is between one man and one woman, but it does not tell us to take that message to the highways and byways. Instead, we are commanded to tell others that Christ died for our sins (all of them, not just some), that that "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16).
Before I got saved, I heard the first message a lot but don't remember hearing the second! How sad is that? It was like a drink of living water to hear that God provided a Savior for me as I traveled in what was then Czechoslovakia.
Only the gospel changes lives permanently. Laws change, politicians change, governments rise and fall as do nations. Ours sadly seems to be in decline, and whether America lives to see another century, or whether it goes the way of the once-great civilizations before it (all of which fell due to a focus on hedonism), God will be glorified. The best thing we can do is to preach a message that truly changes lives, protects traditional marriage, and glorifies God: that
"God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8).
To Ponder: Think about the last month. How many people have you told about the saving power of the Gospel of Christ? how much time have you spent telling others His Good News? Got that number in your head? Now think... how much time have you spent talking about, reading about, fretting about politics? Now, make this into a math problem. What is the ratio of minutes spent talking about what Christ did for you and can do for others versus the minutes spent on the latter? How much money did you invest in evangelism, missions, and in the lives of those you have a ministry with, vs the amount of money you have thrown to a political cause? This could be why America is in decline. If we want to change the World we need to do it His way!
4 comments:
I always love your posts, but I feel compelled to respectfully disagree with some of the points you made in this one. This is probably because I believe that there is a difference between religious marriage and civil marriage, whereas you do not seem to have that same distinction. I believe that I have both a religious marriage (ordained by God) and a civil marriage (recognized by my country). In other countries, such as France and Russia, you even have two marriage ceremonies: a civil one for the country and a religious one (if you choose).
So, I don't think that the state is "selling" something that belongs only to God. Just as we have a separation of church and state in many areas, so too we have it in marriage. This is the reason why many homosexuals (and those who support laws permitting homosexual marriage) do not understand the religious community's aversion to the idea; because they see it as a civil/legal matter, not a religious one.
One question I would ask would be, what do you think of the marriage of two non-religious people? Should an atheist man and woman be allowed to marry if marriage belongs to God and they do not acknowledge Him? What about men and women from other religious faiths apart from Christianity? What about Hindu couples who pray to many gods and goddesses? It's an interesting thought. If marriage belonged exclusively to the Triune God, then we would have to disallow all marriages where the couple did not recognize the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Surely God intended marriage to be something more than JUST a man and a woman. Biblical marriage also involves relationship with God, lifelong commitment, and a covenant. These things are violated all the time in male-female marriages.
You also asked why do homosexuals want to marry. Having grown up in an area and profession (I'm an actress) where homosexuality is accepted and common in the greater society, I have known several gay couples and many gay singles. The reasons behind the desire for marital rights has to do with MUCH more than economic reasons. Think about why you wanted to marry. It wasn't just so you could get a tax break, I hope. You wanted to make a public commitment that everyone you met would recognize that you were committed to spending your life with one person. Gay couples want the same thing.
Even if we're just discussing the legal implications of a marriage license, gay people want more than just economic rights. There are other very personal rights that only come with state-sanctioned marriage: for example, hospital visitation rights and next of kin rights for end-of-life decisions. Set aside views of homosexuality for just a moment and think compassionately about this situation: You have spent 50 years with committed to someone in love. That person is dying. The doctors tell you that you cannot see them in their last days. Moreover, their siblings who disowned them 40 years ago will be making the decisions about their end-of-life care, though they haven't spoken in decades. This is a real situation that many gay couples have faced, and I think it is wrong. I would be furious and heartbroken if someone told me that I could not see my husband in his dying days and that someone who did not even love him would be caring for him in those precious hours. So, when I think about situations like gay marriage, I feel that I cannot only consider them from a standpoint of "defense" for biblical marriage but from a standpoint of compassion for REAL PEOPLE that are going through these things.
This is not to try to change anyone's mind about what they do in a voting booth or about saying, "God doesn't have an opinion on homosexuality"; He does. Rather, it is a plea to understand that homosexuals are not all a bunch of facist, sexually promiscuous lunatics. They are real people, just like us, with real feelings. The couples that are seeking marital rights are just as likely to be truly committed, faithful, devoted, and functional as any straight couple (so they've probably got about a 50/50 chance at success). All they are seeking is civil rights that we are willing to give to male-female couples who spit on the Word of God in every other way possible and make a mockery of godly marriage. They do not want to invade our churches or desecrate our personal beliefs (okay, a few radicals do, but you have those everywhere, even within the Church). They just want legal rights.
Personally, I disagree with denying civil rights to a group of American citizens for reasons of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, etc. That doesn't mean that I think churches should start performing gay marriages. But, I don't think that a gay couple getting married in San Francisco who I don't even know is going to be more destructive to marriage than my friends who got married right out of high school and divorced in a year (yes, I've got more than one friend who did this). I don't think God had that in mind, either, when he ordained marriage. So, I think of it this way: our country gives certain rights, and they can give out marriage licenses to anyone they choose. But, only God can sanctify a marriage covenant, and the state can't touch that no matter what laws get passed.
Okay, stepping off my soapbox now. But, I did appreciate what you said in the post about Christians spending time and money on political campaigns rather than dealing with these issues on a personal level with real people. I think you have the right idea there, for sure.
~Bethany
I think we agree on most of these points, Bethany and I really appreciate what you wrote.
I do believe there is a difference between civil and religious unions, but point was that civil unions only came into being in the last century, and it is the civil unions that make it possible for us to be in the quandary we are in today, where the question of "what is the definition of marriage" is now being debated in the public forum. It's as you said, many view it as a civil/legal issue not a religious one.
Even in the European countries where there are two different weddings, this was not the case until recent years (early or mid 20th century for most of them). Of course, most of it comes from the move from their societies having a state church to becoming more secular.
From what I've read (and I don't pretend to be an expert on this :-)), a marriage was legally recognized as such if two people made some sort of public commitment to each other (regardless of faith), usually in a church, whether they were atheists, agnostics, or active members of a faith. Basically, I just don't think that the government should have the right to regulate marriage at all, because pretty soon, as the moral tides change, a secular society will be calling anything and everything a "marriage" if they are the ones who regulate and license marriage and view it as civil/legal arrangement rather than a religious matter.
"Even if we're just discussing the legal implications of a marriage license, gay people want more than just economic rights."
Definitely agree there. I had many gay friends, especially before I got saved. But, the reasons that are promoted (I should say) more as to why it should be a legal union are usually given with this whole "We aren't getting fair treatment, and we are being denied all of these benefits..."
The issue of medical rights does bug me, but there are ways around that too. One of my friends in this lifestyle was talking about not being able to be there for his partner in the hospital... until I pointed out gently that you can make a legal document stating who you want making medical decisions for you (this could vary by state). You don't have to be married or related, but you do have to state your wishes clearly in an advanced directive of some sort.
"So, when I think about situations like gay marriage, I feel that I cannot only consider them from a standpoint of "defense" for biblical marriage but from a standpoint of compassion for REAL PEOPLE that are going through these things."
Again, totally agree..but I also worked in a theater and in the arts and know many real situations, including couples who are together longer than some marriages...
"But, only God can sanctify a marriage covenant, and the state can't touch that no matter what laws get passed."
That was really my point...God ordained it not the local county courthouse or the federal government.
"But, I don't think that a gay couple getting married in San Francisco who I don't even know is going to be more destructive to marriage than my friends who got married right out of high school and divorced in a year (yes, I've got more than one friend who did this)."
Sadly, I also have friends and relatives like this...or who are on wife or husband number 10 or something like that (and not for any good reason like abuse or adultery...just "we don't love each other any more"...drives me nuts!). To me that is also a mockery of marriage, and it's sad because really you don't walk away from those situations unscathed, to say nothing of what this does if children are involved. :(
I enjoyed your insights!
Kimberly- Thanks for taking the time to respond so thoughtfully to my comment. It makes me read your original post in a different light, and I find that we do really agree on most things. I know from experience that sometimes when you're blogging, and you're trying to make a succinct point, you sometimes don't get to round things out as much as you would like, and I think your comment helped me understand your post better.
~Bethany
yeah, especially if you consider I am taking some strong meds for this shoulder issue ;)) LOL
i have my MRI this afternoon which should be exciting.
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