Gay Marriage

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans (Authorized King James Version) Chapter 1

26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (Authorized King James Version) Chapter 6

9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

On election day in California, many Christians will vote in favor of a state constitutional amendment that forbids homosexual and lesbian marriage. These Christians justify their abhorrence of such marriages by quoting verses from the New Testament of the The Holy Bible: Romans 1:26-27, and First Corinthians 6:9-10 (see above). "God said it," their argument goes, "so it is our Christian duty to impose our religion and its values on our fellow citizens."

Other Christians assert that God didn’t say anything of the kind. It was Paul, the inventor of the Christian religion, who said that the Kingdom of God would be denied not only to all homosexuals and lesbians, but also to thieves, fornicators, drunkards, extortioners, and the covetous. Presumably, this would include, today, many corporate executives, politicians, and clergymen.

Some Christians say that Paul was speaking for God, that God inspired Paul to create a set of beliefs and an organization to spread those beliefs to all humanity. Others say that God speaks to us all, if we would but listen, and that groups organized to spread the faith are merely political parties.

Some Christian denominations ordain women priests and ministers; others believe only men are worthy of the sacrament of ordination. Some forbid divorce, while other do not. Some believe that the Sabbath falls on Saturday; others, on Sunday. Some Christian denominations forbid birth control; one allows no sex at all. Some assert that everything in the Holy Bible is literal truth; others believe that divine revelation is possible through the study of Holy Scripture, but that divine truths are hidden in symbols, metaphors, and poetry. Some Christian denominations forbid their members to serve in any military organization, while others believe that such duty is blessed.

Several Christian denominations said that racial integration of schools was an abomination in the sight of God, and that another abomination, miscegenation, would inevitably result. Those members of those denominations ignored the mixing of white genes with black genes which had been going on since the time the first slaves were brought to North America.

Some Christian denominations condemn homosexuality and lesbianism as sins that will lead to damnation. Others ordain gays and lesbians as ministers and priests, even appointing them bishops.

In sum, Christians have been arguing among themselves—even killing each other—since Jesus sent his Apostles to the far corners of the earth to preach. When they began to debate a new Constitution for our republic, a group of Christians believed that religion had no place in the forming of states or the passing of laws. These men did not want our government to be caught in the middle of doctrinal disputes that, in England, had led to imprisonment, executions, and wars.

Nevertheless, many believers today claim that the United States is a Christian nation, and they condemn all who are not convinced by their scripture or their arguments, even other Christians. When Roman Catholics Al Smith and John F. Kennedy ran for the Presidency, they were reviled as popish anti-Christs. Recently Barak Obama was reviled as "arab" and "Muslim." When he rebutted the revilers with the fact that he is Christian, they claimed that his kind of Christianity called for the violent death of all white men.

With all the conflicting interests inherent in organized religion, why should American citizens put their state constitution in the middle of a doctrinal dispute that would hinder the very process of government itself. Why should American citizens seek to forbid their fellow citizens from enjoying the rights and privileges of one the happier conditions that the state can bestow on them—namely marriage.

And the state indeed bestows that condition; it issues official permission to marry—a marriage license—before a religious wedding can be performed. Some people are happy with a civil wedding, without a religious ceremony of any kind. I hope Christians do not seek to forbid marriage not performed by an ordained minister.

The only arguments in favor of forbidding gay and lesbian marriage are religious, and Christians maintain that gays and lesbians are promiscuous and are unfit to build strong marriages. However, my wife and I know five gay couples who have been together for periods ranging from twenty to forty years. Unlike many in my family who were married as many as three times.

Gays and lesbians pay taxes, serve in government, work for hospitals and law firms, in public relations and banking. They teach our children, nurse our sick, and feed the poor. To forbid them to marry each other makes no sense in a society that says that there will be no law establishing a religion.

Full disclosure: My wife and I are proud parents of two fine men. One is married and the father of our grandson. The other is gay with a domestic partner, as the legal relationship is called in New York City. We love them, heterosexual and gay.

We hope that Californians will vote down Proposition 8 and that soon the various states will allow gays and lesbians to marry.