California: Arguing for Marriage Equality on Religious Merits

In an Op-Ed in the Stockton Record, a straight man, married for 56 years, argues in support for marriage equality, specifically with the challenge currently facing same-sex couples in California. The twist? He uses the Bible to back him up. My favorite line: “If gay marriage is sinful, let him who is without sin cast the first vote.”

The hot-button issue of gay marriage has taken up a lot of space in recent issues of The Record and seems to have clearly divided us once again. Fortunately, whatever our views, we are entitled to those views, and the secret police will not come knocking at our doors because of our stand.

However, in all the frenzy by those who oppose same-sex marriage and see the institution of marriage threatened, some significant details are being overlooked:

» God did not initiate the marriage ceremony or the exchanging of vows. He simply created male and female for the purpose of populating the Earth (Genesis 1: 27-28), and we have had conspicuous success in doing that.

» Man created the marriage ceremony. It has taken on many forms over the centuries and continues to evolve.

» In our culture, the marriage ceremony is neither exclusively religious nor exclusively secular. It can be either, and both are legally binding.

» Marriage is not an institution to be protected by public laws. It is a licensed contract shared by two parties only, based on mutual love and respect, with common goals such as happiness and companionship in mind. There is nothing in the contract that requires the two parties to bear children or have the ability to do so.

Many of those who have lined up to strike down the California law, which presently allows gays to marry, are quick to point out portions of the Bible to support their views, such as Leviticus 20:13. One has to wonder if these same folk religiously adhere to all the other admonitions in Leviticus and practice all the other teachings described in the Old Testament.

Unquestionably, supporting the initiative to ban gay marriages is the right of every registered adult who opposes such unions. If successful, the California Constitution will be altered to strike down the current law.

For all who so vote, life will go on, and the issue will be quickly forgotten. For those who have been denied the joy and happiness of marriage, it will be a bitter day of heartbreak.

I have been married 56 years to the one I love. Our marriage has been the most significant and rewarding event of our two lives. I have not been placed here to judge and would not deny this experience to anyone.

If gay marriage is sinful, let him who is without sin cast the first vote.

via the Stockton Record

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