In recent years a debate has been raging in the US and other countries regarding gay marriage. The issue has been framed within the context of discrimination, claiming that homosexuals are being denied the same rights as others because of their sexual identities. It is my contention however, that marriage equality already exists in our country. Anybody who is of age is free to marry whomever they choose, so long as certain requirements are met. Race isn’t a factor. Religion isn’t a factor. Even convicted felons are allowed to marry. The stipulations vary from state to state, but basically they are as follows.
- Both parties must be of age or have parental consent
- The parties can’t be of the same gender (this used to be the case in all fifty states, but due to political pressure over half the states now recognize same sex marriage)
- Neither party can currently be married (bigamy & polygamy are illegal in all fifty states)
- The parties cannot be full-blooded siblings or parent and child (25 states also forbid marriage between first cousins)
- A marriage license is required
Some states still require blood tests, but most have abandoned that requirement. Also, the parties must have sufficient mental capacity and must not be inebriated, so as to have full comprehension of what they are doing.
These requirements are a matter of maintaining standards that reflect our values as a culture, rather than a reflection of any inherent prejudice. For example, if a man wants to marry a girl who is only eleven years old he’ll just have to wait. Nobody is discriminating against men who like pre-adolescent girls. It’s just an accepted standard that we as a society have agreed upon. Or if a person believes in polygamy, they’re just out of luck. In the mid-19th century this issue was hotly contested and monogamy prevailed. In some countries polygamy is allowed, but not here. This is not discrimination against any religious group. It’s just the definition that we have agreed upon.
In order to make the case that laws against gay marriage are comparable to laws denying certain ethnic groups their civil rights you need to be able to prove that some people are just “born gay”, but that simply isn’t the case. Take the studies regarding identical twins, for example. Since they are genetically identical you would expect them to always have the same sexual preference if homosexuality is genetic. The fact is identical twins with one homosexual twin have a low rate of homosexuality in both twins. Watch this video with Dr. Brad Harrub on the genetic research into homosexuality.
This video of Dr. Joseph Davis of Southeastern University of Lakeland, Florida provides further enlightenment on the issue.
This is not about discrimination. That narrative has only been presented because the advocates don’t wish to come across as demanding special rights or accommodations for an alternative lifestyle. So if legalizing gay marriage isn’t a matter of ending discrimination against people who are born gay, the only reason to change the laws is to reflect the changing values in society. Nobody would argue that our cultural values aren’t changing on this issue. The question is, should they be?
Legalizing same sex marriage is tantamount to stating that it’s just as acceptable in our culture as traditional marriage. It essentially says that children don’t need a father and a mother. They can do just as well in life with two moms or two dads. For the perspective of somebody who was raised by a same sex couple, watch this video of Dr. Robert Oscar Lopez.
In this video a former gay activist reveals the strategy and influence gays and lesbians have in the media and political world. (Discussed from 3:00 to 5:20)
In this video Dr. Nicholas Cummings, the former president of the APA (American Psychological Association), discusses how the gay agenda took over that organization.
The move toward legalizing gay marriage has been driven by a gay agenda through a gay controlled media, backed by false science in the fields of genetics and psychology. As a result, support for gay marriage has grown exponentially over the past ten years to the point where Bill Clinton has decided that the Defense of Marriage Act that he signed into law in 1996 is unconstitutional. His wife Hillary has also reversed her position on the issue while ramping up her presidential aspirations again, and President Barack Obama has done an about face as well.
We shouldn’t be surprised when politicians with the depth of a mud puddle backpedal on a moral issue, but the church must remain true to the Word of God. While same sex marriage may indeed eventually become the law of the land, the Bible makes it clear. Homosexuality is a sin, and marriage was always meant to be between one man and one woman.
“You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.” (Lev. 18:22)
“Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” (I Cor. 6:9)
“But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife.” (Mark 10:6,7)