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One of the elements that most disturbs me about the opposition to same sex marriage is how often within Christian circles, the appeal to legislate their own sense of morality reigns supreme. The reason this bothers me so is because it presupposes to those individuals and organizations that this land and country was divinely placed into their hands to be used and legislated to their liking, but only to their liking, no ones else’s. Many well-meaning, and some not so well-meaning politicians, assuming and acting on the part of their constituents, enacts a law that removes the rights of one individual in order to secure the religious security and free flowing dissemination of another group even though both constituents pay taxes and are otherwise guaranteed equal participation in the political process. Churches praise the decision and the politician rides through another election storm unscathed; however, for the group still without rights and still very much in the minority, they have to start back at square one.
North Carolina is one such state that recently passed a law that outlawed any form of same-sex marriage. From the associated press: “The State Board of Elections on Wednesday certified the results of North Carolina’s May 8 primary elections, including the constitutional amendment defining marriage solely as a union between a man and a woman.” In the North Carolina case, the people voted on the issue, but the idea was put into people’s thoughts and thus actions at the voting booth by other of their politicians acting on behalf a group of their constituents.
In Romans 13, it reads: Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God. 2 So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval.4 For government is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. 5 Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath, but also because of your conscience. 6 And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God’s public servants, continually attending to these tasks. 7 Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor.
The very next week, the President of the United States comes forth and endorses same sex marriage. What happens when Christians can create the laws they are suppose to abide by? Many parts of the Bible have been used over the years to exclude people from certain rights–slavery, for example or women’s rights. Many parts of the Bible are practiced and enforced while others are ignored. I truly believe same sex couples should be given the same rights as everyone else. Last July, New York legalized same sex marriage. Gabe Lyons argues that the legalization of same sex marriage could benefit traditional marriage. If from my last posts, Christians are called not to judge, but to show restraint, kindness and patience, the furthest they can be from those precepts is to discriminate against another people group. If they truly believe God is the ultimate judge, then let God do the judging and legislating; they shouldn’t be putting that much power in their own hands. Wars and mass struggles have occurred simply because Christians fought tooth and nail to protect their own, limited way of living and existing at the expense of many others. I have no problem with standing up for what one believes in; in fact I respect standing for ones beliefs, but when one uses the political system to undermine the rights of another human being, that is not standing up for ones own beliefs, it is judging and presupposing that person is inferior to oneself and that is ultimately the harshest criticism and judgement.