I posted this as a comment on a friend's facebook and thought it would make a good blog post:
Marriage, as defined by the Bible, is a relationship between a man and a woman. That is how God designed it from the beginning, and that is how we as his creation should view it as. Homosexuality is defined as a sin, no better or worse than any other sin a person could commit. It isn't the unpardonable sin, but it is still sin.
Now, my thoughts on where my faith and gay marriage collide:
To me, the authority behind marriage is God. When a man and a woman promise themselves to each other, making that promise with God as their witness is what makes them married. The paperwork that everyone signs at the end is just the government recognizing a civil union between two people. That civil union carries with it certain tax benefits and such that are relevant to the way our system works.
If a government wants to extend the civil union to same sex couples, that is their choice. I would not call it marriage, because the government is not the ultimate authority on marriage. It is, however, the authority on what it defines as a civil union between two people. So, if Obama wants to recognize civil unions between same sex partners, our government has created ways for him to pursue that vision, and as an American, I am obligated to honor that decision. But I wouldn't call it marriage.
As far as homosexuality being a sin...yes, I believe it is a sin. But you know what? This morning, when a student smart mouthed me and I yelled at him, I was angry with him. Guess what? That was a sin. When we tell our bosses we're sick when we're really not just to stay home, that's a sin. When we judge people who are different than us and assume that we are better than them, that's a sin. Homosexuality is not an alternative lifestyle; it's a sin, but it's not any worse than any other sin a person can commit on a daily basis.
As a follower of Christ, its my hope that in dealing with same sex couples, I would be able to show them the same love and compassion that Jesus did. He was very good about loving people while not condoning the evil they committed, and I want to do the same. So I don't think that homosexuals are subhuman people...they're just sinners like the rest of us, who need Jesus like the rest of us. So, to paraphrase some picket signs, God made Adam and Eve, and He even made Steve. And while all three of them have sins on their hearts, God loves all three of them. That's why Jesus came in the first place.
Keep Soaring,
B
