Is there truly a Biblical justification for opposing the legality of same-sex marriages?

Question

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(By asking this question, I am not saying there is...or that there isn’t. It is a question.)

Before *some* Christians spew out hate, here is some food for thought:
If the legal system of a country was perfectly aligned with the law of God (i.e. legislating all Christian morality), then everyone of us would be guilty of breaking the law...even daily. And therefore, we would all be in jail for our crimes. For we are all guilty of breaking God’s law. No one is perfect. Everyone sins. Everyone does that which is “illegal” in the sight of God.

For instance, in Matthew 5:21-6:18:
Jesus condemns anger. Should such anger be illegal?
Jesus condemns lusting. Should sexual fantasy be illegal?
Jesus condemns fornication. Should sex before marriage be illegal?
Jesus condemns divorce. Should divorce be illegal?
Jesus condemns all lying. Should all lying be illegal?
Jesus condemns those who don’t love their enemies. Should “not loving” be illegal?
Jesus condemns hypocrisy. Should hypocrisy be illegal?

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It is NOT as though homosexuals are forcing you to marry them before God in your church, as if they even wanted to be married before God in your church! Furthermore, Jesus stated that the unmarried woman at the well (John 4) had had 5 husbands (5 past sexual partners) while also saying they weren’t truly husbands (i.e. were not considered married in the sight of God).

So, who really cares if the “world” considers homosexuals married and get the wordly benefits (i.e. tax breaks)? Perhaps you, your church, and God Himself would not recognize such a marriage as a sacred and holy union...but what is the harm in them cashing in on a legal union? Even in 1877, the United States Supreme Court affirmed the legitimacy of “Common-law marriage” (i.e. tax benefits for fornicators who are not even legally married)! But you don’t really hear of too many Christians viciously opposing “Common-law marriage”, do you?!?

So, if you grant that even Christians can “legally” divorce, then should you equally grant that homosexuals be “legally” married?

...or is this just another example of legalistic Christian hypocrisy with judgmentalism and condemnation?

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Answer 1

You seem to forget that there is a difference between making something illegal and legalizing something which is currently illegal. Being opposed to the efforts of a tiny minority to impose their socio/political agenda is not bigotry. It is the duty of every member of a democratic society to vote and advocate laws which they believe healthy for the society at large. Marriage is the core institution of any civilization. I will not sit idly by and watch as it is undermined in the name of "tolerance". If that makes me a judgmental bigot, so be it.



peace

Answer 2

Your question definitely makes one think. However I think that yes Biblically it should be illegal. You mention that many other things are condemned in the Bible and are legal. I cannot disagree. However the question for me is not whether homosexual marriage should be legal. But should those other things. We are imperfect and we can never be sinless. However that does not mean we should not strive to be.



Should sex before marriage be illegal? I don't know about putting people in jail but it is definitely wrong. Should Christians divorce? No unless the Biblical standards are met. Should sexual fantasy be illegal? There is no way to regulate thought. However should pornography be illegal? Yes. There are some things we cannot prevent. However if the world at large lived by the Biblical morals this world would be a much better place.



Once again you made me consider it but I have to disagree with you on this one.

Answer 3

The non-biblical precepts have nothing to do with it. I personally don't care and think that same sex marriages should be granted. Yet some people think that marriage should be between a man and a woman; being either of those faiths you mention is not factor. Some people think that marriage should be between a man and a woman, because the whole idea of marriage is to create a family; to create a family through procreation (sex), and to insure that family stays together. People of the same sex can't do that together, they can have a family through adoption and other means (still heterosexual). But hey times are changing and we can work around those technicalities.

Answer 4

Amen brother!



Personally, I think the problem some Christians have with this issue (and ones like it), is that they see, quite clearly and correctly, that God gave his moral laws to the Hebrew people AND he gave them the right to enforce those laws in their nation. Jesus said he didn't come to change the law, thus, some (many obviously or gay marriage wouldn't be such a hot political issue) Christians think that he extended to us the right to enforce his moral law in our own nation as well.



Problem is, Jesus made it perfectly clear in the same verse (well, perhaps it's a little vague in this verse, but it is clear in MANY others) that we do NOT have the authority to enforce God's moral laws...that through Jesus, that authority was returned to God and our ONLY job is to love God and every other person on this planet! That includes gay people, divorced people, fornicators...and liars, thiefs and murderers too!



How can it be that so many people didn't learn the lesson included in their own bible...the lesson God taught through the stories in the old testament? How can so many Christians still be operating under the delusion that we (human beings) can create a "righteous" or "Godly" society here on earth by identifying a list of rules and enforcing them on everyone? Didn't Einstein say that the definition of insanity was "doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result"?



The way I see it, as long as we're focused on the sins of others, we aren't doing what Jesus commanded us to do...thankfully, a growing number of "Christians" are breaking free from the insanity of the "prohibit and punish sin" strategy and instead are focusing on reaching out to people in love. ...and the key characteristic of the love strategy is that those who "sin" the most are the one's God wants us to love the most!

Answer 5

People will always be imperfect. That is true. We cannot make all sin illegal. But we can try to make laws that will give good moral guidance to our nation.



The law of an earthly nation cannot be perfect, because it exists in a fallen world. But we can do our best to shape it in a way that will reflect God's heart. The more it does so, the better off that country will be.



Anger is not illegal (and for that matter, "be angry but sin not"--see Eph. 4:26 & Ps. 4:4; not all anger is sin; it depends on how it is expressed), but hurting someone else because you're angry is illegal. If you assault or murder someone, that has legal ramifications.



We can't outlaw lusting, but we can--and should--outlaw pornography, the most evil industry on this planet.



We can't make people always tell the truth, but we can take legal action if they defraud or steal or lie on the witness stand.



We can't force people to love each other, but we can certainly enforce consequences on people who deliberately harm each other.



If we can't make a perfect country, should we throw up our hands and say, "Oh well, whatever!"? Of course not! Does it matter to you if a country follows God's principles? Then don't say that godly laws in a country don't matter.



As for divorce, it certainly is a tragedy that there have been so many divorces since the laws regarding divorce were made extremely lenient. How many marriages might have been saved if the people in them had had extra incentive to stick it out and work things through? Granted, there are times when divorce is the only possible healthy solution, but that probably isn't true in the majority of cases.



Marriage is an extremely important relationship. It is the only relationship in which sex is spiritually protected. All sex outside of marriage, including fornication, homosexuality, and the use of pornography (by anyone), invites demons in to attack the participants.



Sex is so beautiful when between one man and one woman who are married to each other. In any other environment, its destructive power is enormous. It has a mind-boggling capacity for evil.



The more a country gives public approval to sex outside of marriage (as God defines marriage--He created it, so His are the only definitions that count), the more that country is opening a spiritual door for the enemy to attack. Approval of homosexuality is not the only problem, but it is undeniably a problem.



We are not islands. Individuals create communities which in turn create countries. Does it matter what the individual does in the privacy of his own home? Some politicians have tried to say it doesn't. But we are all part of each other. We make up each other's world. And we influence each other closer to God or farther away from Him. Does that matter? It matters to me.



It's true that we can't make all sins illegal; that is clearly impractical. But we don't need to make laws saying that sin is acceptable. That is wrong.



Each step we take is a building block for the future, not only ours but for those who come after us. The more we build on sand, the easier we--and they--can be swept away.



The devil's spin on sin: "Just one little step. Just one more...and one more...it doesn't REALLY matter because (insert rationalizations here)..." Then before you've quite realized it, you're falling off the edge of a cliff. All those little steps add up. So we need to walk in the right direction and follow God! We need to build our lives and our countries, as much as possible, on the solid ground of God's Word.

Answer 6

The Bible condemns a lot of things. For example, doubting God is a sin in the Bible.



I'm sure they would also like to make that a law, but there is no way in hell I'm allowing that...and I won't allow them to push their false morality on the love of others either.

Answer 7

Yes. God designed marriage to protect children during the unusually long immaturity of childhood. He restricted the act of sex ("becoming one flesh") to mating couples pledged to a permanent relationship. In this way, children would have both mother and father, whether by natural procreation or by adoption.



For biblical support, see the Genesis narrative and Jesus' reiteration of God's plan for marriage as a man and woman becoming one flesh in the gospels. See also Paul's discussion of the origins of homosexuality in Romans 1 and his application of the one-flesh standard in 1 Cor 6 to reject extramarital sex ("Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, 'The two will become one flesh.'").



Removing the idea of mating from marriage removes the reason for honoring and promoting marriage--to encourage mating couples to tie the knot. Politically, society has no interest in permanent homosexual coupling.



Redefining marriage to mean "any relationship anyone wants to call marriage for any reason" MUST award marriage recognition to other relationships, including polygamy, incest, or friendship. Removed from the mating context, there is no rational reason to exclude other aggregates.



Homosexuals who reject permanent mating yet want to make marriage meaningless for others are like Aesop's dog in the manger. Making marriage mean anything and nothing will mean more couples will cohabit rather than marry, and more children will be raised by single parents. It's already happening in Europe. Two-thirds of black kids are already born to single mothers here.



But apparently the self-esteem of homosexuals is more important than kids having married parents.



Cheers,

Bruce

Answer 8

You cannot make sin legal in the eyes of God by making a new man made law.

Answer 9

Murder is not legal.

Stealing is not legal.

(And these are two of God's commandments- He tells us we shall not commit these)

And divorce God says He hates, however it is acceptable when adultery is involved (as the scriptures say) But divorce is so common today it is sad- people do not tend to take marriage serious- and we know God intended marriage to be between a man and woman.

There will always be things the world tends to skip over as thinking they are not that bad. Or they think it is "normal" so of course they will not make it illegal. But who is the Judge in the end? God. And it is before Him they will stand.

I will always defend God's word on every matter.

The truth needs to be heard- the gospel of Jesus Christ needs to be shared with all. For sin is sin and it is what separates us from God forever- without having been born again by believing in Jesus Christ and repenting of sin.



But remember the world will always try to make what is bad look good- as the scriptures say:

Isaiah 5:20

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.



God hates homosexuality just as He hates divorce and all sin. He would not be ok with it being legal! Just as He is not ok with people having idols- using His name in vain- He is not ok with this. But of course the world will pick and choose what they think should be ok, because they want to do what they want, what feels good to them. Many need to turn to God, and fear Him ( reverant fear) and put their trust in Him.

For He is who we will all answer to in the end. Is it worth it now, to live your life the way you think is best, forgetting God and living in sin, when this life is like ONE hour compared to eternity......?

Something to think about. And yet the world will say "Ahh who cares" -- wow what a shock they will be going through the day the Lord returns. It just truly saddens me that people forget about God and go their own way- but we know that this was going to be.....Romans 3.

Answer 10

It's in Leviticus, and also in Mark.



But yeah, Christians do have an tendency to zone in one part of the Bible while ignoring hundreds of other little rules they should be following.

Answer 11

edit: bruce is faking concern for kids when he's promoting discrimination and bigotry

It's more christian hypocrisy

the bible was mistranslated as the term 'homosexual' wasn't invented till 1869 so it can't be a sin

the below is thanks to Tim A

Romans 1:26 and 27 clearly speak of same-gender sex by both men and women, the only passage in the New Testament that does so. Rom. 1:18-32 speaks of Gentiles (heterosexuals) who could and should have known and served and given thanks to God but would not, so God gave them up and let them do whatever they wanted to do, and that resulted in degrading and shameful acts, including same-gender sex. It is almost a moot point, but Paul is not listing sins for which God will condemn anyone, he is listing sins that occur because people have forsaken Him. These are acts committed by those who have turned away from God and so become "consumed with passion." All of us recognize that those who forsake God and give themselves over to lustful living--homosexual or heterosexual--stand condemned by the Bible. This passage is talking about people who chose to forsake God.



I Corinthians 6:9



King James Version:



9...Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [malakoi], nor abusers of themselves with mankind [arsenokoitai], 10 Nor thieves..., shall inherit the kingdom of God.



New International Version



9...Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes [malakoi] nor homosexual offenders [arsenokoitai] 10 nor thieves...will inherit the kingdom of God.



Revised Standard Version--1952 edition:



9...Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals [malakoi and arsenokoitai], 10 nor thieves..., will inherit the kingdom of God.



Revised Standard Version--1971 edition:



9...Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts [malakoi and arsenokoitai], 10 nor thieves..., will inherit the kingdom of God.



A comparison of how the two Greek words (malakoi and arsenokoitai) are translated in the different versions shows that translations often, unfortunately, become the interpretations of the translators. In I Cor. 6:9 Paul lists the types of persons who will be excluded from the kingdom of God and for some he uses the Greek words malakoi and arsenokoitai. KJ translates the first "effeminate," a word that has no necessary connection with homosexuals. The NIV translates the first "male prostitutes" and the second, "homosexual offenders". The RSV in its first edition of 1952 translated both words by the single term, "homosexuals". In the revised RSV of 1971, the translation "homosexuals" is discarded and the two Greek words are translated as "sexual perverts"; obviously the translators had concluded the earlier translation was not supportable.



Malakoi literally means "soft" and is translated that way by both KJ and RSV in Matt. 11:8 and Luke 7:25. When it is used in moral contexts in Greek writings it has the meaning of morally weak; a related word, malakia, when used in moral contexts, means dissolute and occasionally refers to sexual activity but never to homosexual acts. There are at least five Greek words that specifically mean people who practice same-gender sex. Unquestionably, if Paul had meant such people, he would not have used a word that is never used to mean that in Greek writings when he had other words that were clear in that meaning. He must have meant what the word commonly means in moral contexts, "morally weak." There is no justification, most scholars agree, for translating it "homosexuals."



Arsenokoitai, is not found in any extant Greek writings until the second century when it apparently means "pederast", a corrupter of boys, and the sixth century when it is used for husbands practicing anal intercourse with their wives. Again, if Paul meant people practicing same-gender sex, why didn't he use one of the common words? Some scholars think probably the second century use might come closest to Paul's intention. If so, there is no justification for translating the word as "homosexuals." Other scholars see a connection with Greek words used to refer to same-gender sex in Leviticus. If so, it is speaking of heterosexuals given to such lust they turn to such acts.

Answer 12

It boils down to this is a secular country, so any one religions laws are meaningless compared to the laws of the land.



If only more would realize this.

Answer 13

Yes

Answer 14

Since the Bible is not the law of the land, it doesn't matter what the Bible says. All "good" Americans would know this.

Answer 15

Wow, I couldn't agree with you more. Well said.



**standing ovation**





Edit: OMG, I think that this is the first time that I've ever agreed with you. Is this proof that the End Times™ are near?

Answer 16

You wont catch me picking up a stone to throw !

Answer 17

You had God show Himself to you while you were reading the Bible. You seem to be a Bible believer but only when it goes along with your own personal beliefs.

You know very well the Bible does not justify homosexuality.

Concerning your last sentence I would appreciate it if you would stop bad mouthing other Christians.

Answer 18

"Render to God what is God's, and render to Ceasar what is Ceasar's.



Sums it up.