Lets uppose we pass legislation to allow same sex marriage in the USA just for the sake of argument.
Now two brothers decide that they want to get married because they live together anyway and want to take advantage of the tax break. Why would that be wrong? They are not going to have sex just take advantage of the tax laws. They can always get a divorce if they find someone else.
So now brothers can get married. What about sisters? Same arguments apply so, okay lets let them do that too.
Here comes the problem child. Now that we let brothers and sisters have same sex marriages, what about brothers and sisters? Can't discriminate against them either. But wait they can't have children because that is incest. Hmmm, no problem we just rewrite the incest laws.
So now anyone can get married to anyone else, which is fair by mans standards. No discrimination for ANY reason.
So two friends decide to live together but they don't want to get married. After 10 years one of them decides to move to another state. The other one sues the first one because they live in a Common Law State and the statues say after 7 years they are married. Don't think that can't happen. It does already as there are laws on the books in common law states that protect women and since we have to be fair...BINGO.
I know what you are going to say, that law is a myth. Well check the law suits that have been filed in those states and you will see that they do happen. Some win some lose.
All the marriage laws would need to be examined. This is a can of worms without bring God into it. Do we really want to go down this path?
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Monday, May 7, 2012
Marriage: A Rose by Any Ather Name...
What was Shakespeare thinking when he wrote Juliette's line?:
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
In short it doesn't matter what we call something, that "thing" is still what it was. Take the debate over Same Sex Marriage. Calling two men or two women married doesn't change the fact that they cannot actually be married in the sight of God. Scripture says:
Genesis 2:23-24
New International Version (NIV)
23 The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man. ”
24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
"One Flesh." How can two men or two women become one? They can't. You can call them married all you want, pass all kinds of laws to make it true, but it will never be true. Although Christians should be concerned about this issue we must understand it is in mans nature to sin. Yes we should voice our opinion, point to scripture and then move along without accepting it from a spiritual perspective. The world will continue to sin and pull away from God. This is our struggle. We can only educate people and let them choose to sin or not to sin.
Both Matthew and Mark tell the same story where Jesus confirms what Moses wrote in Genesis.
Mark 10:6-8
New International Version (NIV)
6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8 and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Matthew 19:4-6
New International Version (NIV)
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
Non-Christians always try and point out that we are trying to show our moral superiority or belittle them in some way. While that may be true for some Christians not all of us feel that way. We understand that sin is sin and that all fall short of the Glory of God. The Law condemns us. All of us. But the Grace of Christ Jesus saves all who flock to Him.
All Christians are sinners. The Pope all the Cardinals and Priests. All Clergy in any denomination. Name one who is not a sinner? Just as God took care of Sodom and Gomorrah He will take care of all those who are against Him. Our fight is not a physical one but a spiritual one.
According to a recent poll 52% of Catholics (as a whole) in the United States are favorable to same sex marriage (http://www.pewforum.org/Gay-Marriage-and-Homosexuality/Religion-and-Attitudes-Toward-Same-Sex-Marriage.aspx)
I think they need to re-read scripture.
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
In short it doesn't matter what we call something, that "thing" is still what it was. Take the debate over Same Sex Marriage. Calling two men or two women married doesn't change the fact that they cannot actually be married in the sight of God. Scripture says:
Genesis 2:23-24
New International Version (NIV)
23 The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man. ”
24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
"One Flesh." How can two men or two women become one? They can't. You can call them married all you want, pass all kinds of laws to make it true, but it will never be true. Although Christians should be concerned about this issue we must understand it is in mans nature to sin. Yes we should voice our opinion, point to scripture and then move along without accepting it from a spiritual perspective. The world will continue to sin and pull away from God. This is our struggle. We can only educate people and let them choose to sin or not to sin.
Both Matthew and Mark tell the same story where Jesus confirms what Moses wrote in Genesis.
Mark 10:6-8
New International Version (NIV)
6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8 and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Matthew 19:4-6
New International Version (NIV)
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
Non-Christians always try and point out that we are trying to show our moral superiority or belittle them in some way. While that may be true for some Christians not all of us feel that way. We understand that sin is sin and that all fall short of the Glory of God. The Law condemns us. All of us. But the Grace of Christ Jesus saves all who flock to Him.
All Christians are sinners. The Pope all the Cardinals and Priests. All Clergy in any denomination. Name one who is not a sinner? Just as God took care of Sodom and Gomorrah He will take care of all those who are against Him. Our fight is not a physical one but a spiritual one.
According to a recent poll 52% of Catholics (as a whole) in the United States are favorable to same sex marriage (http://www.pewforum.org/Gay-Marriage-and-Homosexuality/Religion-and-Attitudes-Toward-Same-Sex-Marriage.aspx)
I think they need to re-read scripture.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
What must God think...
...when Pastors like Sean Harris twist God's word into something that does not communicate His great love for us? We Christians often forget that sin is sin, period. Sodomy and other sexual immorality are no worse than calling someone names or killing 6 million people. There is only one sin greater than all the others. One sin that is unforgivable. One sin that exiles you from the presence of God and that sin is truly turning away from Him. If you do this there is no going back and since only God knows our heart, only He knows if we have truly turned away from Him. All other sin is equal. This is a difficult concept for most Christians. We want some sort of scale to chart the sin on so that we can say, "Well I never did that."
Pastor Harris, in case you have not heard, made some statements from the pulpit that in no way build up Christians or call others to our faith. His sermon should have stuck to scripture rather than embellishment with his personal opinions. He and God would have been better served if he had. He has since issued an apology but the cow's already out of the barn.
The short version (1 min 41 sec) is here => http://www.opposingviews.com/i/religion/christianity/audio-pastor-sean-harris-calls-punching-effeminate-boys
The whole sermon (55 min 03 sec) is here => http://www.sermonaudio.com/playpopup.asp?SID=42912940300
And the retraction is here => http://pastorseansblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/official-statement-of-retraction.html
The problem is that unless we all have the same definitions for the terms used in the sermon we are not getting the same message. What is Effeminacy? According to Merriam-Webster (on-line) it is defined as:
Effeminate:
If you'd like to contact Pastor Harris, good luck. The "Contact Us" page has been removed from the churches web site. That's understandable.
Pastor Harris take a look at these:
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
2 Timothy 3:15-17
Matthew 5:43-44
Pastor Harris, in case you have not heard, made some statements from the pulpit that in no way build up Christians or call others to our faith. His sermon should have stuck to scripture rather than embellishment with his personal opinions. He and God would have been better served if he had. He has since issued an apology but the cow's already out of the barn.
The short version (1 min 41 sec) is here => http://www.opposingviews.com/i/religion/christianity/audio-pastor-sean-harris-calls-punching-effeminate-boys
The whole sermon (55 min 03 sec) is here => http://www.sermonaudio.com/playpopup.asp?SID=42912940300
And the retraction is here => http://pastorseansblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/official-statement-of-retraction.html
The problem is that unless we all have the same definitions for the terms used in the sermon we are not getting the same message. What is Effeminacy? According to Merriam-Webster (on-line) it is defined as:
Effeminate:
1: having feminine qualities untypical of a man : not manly in appearance or manner
2: marked by an unbecoming delicacy or overrefinement <effeminate art> effeminate civilization>
I see nothing here against scripture. Is it manly to turn the other cheek? Is it manly to let people spit on you and degrade you? It has to be otherwise Jesus did not act as a man.
Pastor Harris take a look at these:
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
2 Timothy 3:15-17
Matthew 5:43-44
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