Sunday, March 31, 2013

Marriage Equality

I’ve begun this post so many times now.  I suppose I feel like so many others have said it much better than any attempt I make.  I actually spent a lot of time over the past week or so doing research on the topics of homosexuality and marriage and religious views and what the bible does or does not say.  So I decided I would use a combination of science and religion because I think they both need each other.  Science shows us truth vs. fiction and religion gives us morals and accountability.

I’ll start with the science of homosexuality.  I think a lot of people believe that it’s a lifestyle choice.  Everything I’ve seen and everything I’ve read from the scientific community says otherwise.  In fact, currently the belief is that it is a epigenetic occurrence.   If you type in “Science” and “homosexual” in Google you will get a vast array of articles on the topic.  The scientific community has long since believed that homosexuality is not a choice or a lifestyle but simply the way some people are created.  Obviously there are people who experiment, and there are also environmental factors that can lead people to live a homosexual lifestyle; these are not the people I’m speaking about. 

So my problem with the whole marriage equality issue is that why is it even an issue?  I realize that it is not the typical union and to some it may not make sense because they believe the point of a union or marriage is to procreate.  That argument does not stand well with me because I know quite a few heterosexual couples who are Christian, married, past their childbearing years and have NOT procreated.  I’m quite certain they engage in coitus.  I’m quite certain they have a strong, fulfilling relationship that is filled with love.  Other arguments are that it is against nature, or unnatural.  According to one article at News-medical.net at least 1500 species engage in homosexual acts.  An article ran in the NY Times about Albatrosses and they documented several female-female couples raising eggs similarly to the male-female couples and these pairs had been together for up to 19 years.  So it may not be the typical pairing, but it DOES in fact occur naturally and animals don’t make choices as we do, so I doubt those albatrosses are consciously choosing to find a same sex mate.  Finally, and probably the most common argument, is that homosexuality is a sin against God, an abomination.  Some people claim they “don’t hate gays” and usually they list off how many “gay friends” they have.  I’ve heard this same comment numerous times, “hate the sin, love the sinner” and have heard feedback that this comment is actually VERY insulting.  I’ve looked around for verses from the bible and I’ve come across some vague ones throughout.  There is also Leviticus 18:22 “Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable. “ and Leviticus 20:13 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.”  Without knowing Leviticus very well and what context this was in, I can’t say much against it though.  I do notice that God seems to be laying down social laws for the Israelites rather than sins of humankind.  Two chapters earlier he was talking about the correct way to offer a sacrifice and if it is done incorrectly you will be shunned from your people.. But since the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, we really do not abide by those rules any longer.  I could go on about the next verse that deals with man laying down with animals and how that is “confusion.”  I would think lying with animals would be a bigger deal than laying with your same sex, but hey, who am I to judge?  That’s God’s job, right?

Which brings me to my next little rant.  It is NOT our place to judge.  I could quote hundreds of verses from the bible if you like?  We can lay down social laws, but it is NOT our place to create laws based on God’s judgment.  Of course we can include the morals we have been taught from the Bible, but let that not be our whole argument!  So rather than quoting the bible about what is or is not moral, lets just make our own decisions and stop the anger and hate.  This is not meant to sound anti religious in any form, it is simply a thought of how to accept that we do not all think alike AND we do not all practice the Christian faith.  Yet we are all human beings who deserve love and respect.  The same love and respect that we easily give to the people who think similar to us and agree with us.  It is quite a bigger deal to offer love and respect to someone who does not readily agree with you.

I have to wonder if you can imagine how it would feel to fall in love with someone and be told you cannot be with them.  Something akin to Romeo and Juliet I presume.  To have people tell you they would rather you live a solitary life rather than experience the happiness of a loving relationship, seems a pretty horrible thing to do to someone.  And while I love God and believe that I have a wonderful relationship with Him, this is not the same as a human relationship.  Love is a wonderful, beautiful thing.  It is a human thing.  Let’s not sully it with hate and fear.

I’ve spent a good three days working on this post.  I know I missed some important points that I wanted to make and as I said before, many others have written posts much better than mine about this topic.  But I do feel better for writing it and for standing up for what I feel.  Now lets send this out into cyberspace and even if it does not make an impression or an impact, at least I can feel validated in that I have sent my voice off to be heard.

No comments:

Post a Comment