An Argument For Same-Sex Marriage

Those of you that know me or have gotten to know me from this blog, it is safe to say that I am extremely laid-back and don't get upset or offended by much. But this is a different type of thing that I've ever posted before. With the Supreme Court reviewing same-sex marriages in the US, it is an even hotter topic than usual. Let me give you a back-story to how this post originated, as much of it is in response to this article and these people's comments. It started when I posted this on Facebook:

When I first saw this, I thought to myself "they aren't gay." Then I realized that they were talking about bi-racial marriages. I am glad that it never seemed weird to me that this couple could be married. I have several bi-racial cousins, and when I was a kid, my best friend's dad was gay. I never thought of these as my "black cousins" or my friend's "gay dad." They were just friends and family. My dad is old enough to remember segregated bathrooms/drinking fountains, etc. but the thought of such a thing is absurd to me. A lot can change in one generation. I hope that when my kids are my age, they think of same-sex marriages the same way that I saw this bi-racial couple. Just two people in love.

This was the response I got:

o    Person 1 Hey Adam! Don't know if you've heard any of the points from the other side of this debate but thought I'd share a really well written article I found the other day. I always like to hear both sides of the story, so I figured I'd share  http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/07/19/gay-is-not-the-new-black/

o    Person 2 Ahhh religion!!! If anyone of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” is found in John 8:1-11. Dear Nathan...perhaps you too should dig deeper into your Christian believe!!! Who are you to judge when Jesus himself choose not to cast the stone on the prostitute woman, because there was a "LAW" in the book!!! BTW, I am a Catholic but not one who follows the bible teaching blindly because it is written in there.

o    Person 1 [Person 2]...I didn't judge anybody. The Bible was written by God, and His people are tasked with defending it and sharing the good news. Read Romans 1:18-32 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%201:18-32&version=ESV God is a perfect and just Judge...It's His words, not mine.

o    Person 1 Yes, you are judging when you have made the decision not to accept gay marriages. :(Let God be the judge and choose to love all our neighbors!

o    Person 2 [Person 1], I'm not trying to have a debate on Adam's link here. I just wanted to share an article with him I found to be very fact-filled and interesting to both sides of the debate. I wont comment any further after this one unless Adam wants to discuss something and he chimes in, but I must tell you that you are wrong - I am not judging anybody.
I am using the DISCERNING mind that God has given me to see Sin for what it is: Sin. Discernment is not Judging. For example, when a police officer pulls somebody over for speeding they are not actually "judging" anybody...they discerned that somebody was violating a written standard or rule (just like what is written in Romans 1) and set up a meeting between the Judge & the person in question. This is the task of anybody who truly knows Jesus Christ & believes that the consequence of Sin is death and eternal separation from God in hell. If you read that passage I linked no other determination can be come to - If you claim to know Jesus then you need to start loving people by pointing out that their running headlong into an eternity of paying for their sins and that Jesus paid for them all already! It is the BEST news! All that is needed is to accept that they are a sinner, admit Jesus is Lord and look to Him alone for their redemption from Sin. Nothing else is needed but Jesus. He paid it all! Only that relationship and those terms will stand before God - all else will end up in Hell. A supplemented Christ is a Supplanted Christ.

First off, in reaction to the article the Person 1 posted, I have to say that I respect him trying to provide an open forum for discussing this matter. I find the article, on the other hand, a hard pill to swallow if it is supposed to represent both sides of the argument of same-sex marriage. Before I start my dissection of the article, let me make something clear. Most people, regardless of their stance on homosexuality, have come to agree that it is not a choice. I am operating under the guise that we are all in agreement of that.

First, I would like to address the most fallible topic in the entire article equating pedophilia and homosexuality. Generally, when pedophilia is concerned, sexuality is not. I don’t know of any group that would like to be associated with an abhorrent practice. The Jerry Sandusky trial wasn’t about him having sex with other males. It was about him raping children.

Second, I don’t understand the importance in identification. The only merit of this seems to be one of limitation. This has been done several times throughout history. The Scarlet letter of an adulterer, women with moles/birthmarks for witch hunters and the Star of David for Jews during the Holocaust. None of these are proud moments in history for anybody. To stick with your police analogy, the Gestapo was a special police that were sent out by Hitler to enforce a clearly written law. This is an intentionally extreme example. The Bible (in this country) isn’t law.  I think that it is foolish to believe that the Bible isn’t influenced by man. I think that it is an excellent guide to live life. It teaches people to be good and be kind unto others. But if you take everything as literal, that would believe that somebody really lived inside a whale and that people lived to be 700 years old. The Bible is filled with allegorical tales with historical basis. One passage that is used to support the argument against homosexuality is Genesis 9:20-27. This tells of Noah’s son, Ham sodomizing him. Much like the pedophile argument, I read this story not as anti-homosexuality, but as anti-drunken rape. Today, if Ham raped his father, he might go to jail. Once released, he would lose his right to vote, to be part of a jury or to possess a firearm. But unlike the homosexual, he would still be able to get married and receive all of the financial benefits that are allowed a married person.

As far as showing the marriage is already discriminating against people that are too young or closely related this is another laughable argument. Everybody can agree that a child’s capability to make sensible, well-thought-out non-emotional decisions varies but aren’t made until they are older. These capabilities are influenced by the biological necessity of hormones and growth. This is why children aren’t allowed to drive, drink alcohol or other things that could be dangerous to them. As for incest, I am not even going to warrant the argument with the medical evidence showing why it shouldn’t be allowed.

As for the historical aspect of homosexuality, a same-sex marriage between the two men Pedro Díaz and Muño Vandilaz in the Galician municipality of Rairiz de Veiga in Spain occurred on 16 April 1061. They were married by a priest at a small chapel. The historical documents about the church wedding were found at Monastery of San Salvador de Celanova. Homosexuality was also openly practiced in ancient Greece. This is neither a new nor a local topic. This is an old and global topic. There are 11 countries in the world where same-sex marriages are legal: Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, and Sweden. Studies conducted in several countries indicate that support for the legal recognition of same-sex marriage increases with higher levels of education. Based on the standard of living, seven of these countries consist of these countries are fall under the highest possible category, “very high human development.” Norway (1), Netherlands (4), Sweden (7), Canda (11), Iceland (13), Denmark (15), Belgium (17), Spain (23). There are only 24 countries that make this list. The United States (3) and  Israel (16) have areas that perform or recognize same-sex marriages.

One thing is sure: love can be unconditional, but hate has to be learned. As I stated above, I hope that one day, our children will genuinely see love as a blind and inevitable thing that affects everybody.

Please comment this below, but please keep this a respectful argument.