Let me start by saying that this terrifies me. I haven't figured out why but I've been filled with dread ever since I decided to write this. It may very well be that I'm afraid of what people will think of me. Or it may be that I'm afraid that my thoughts and feelings will look stupid once I've written them down. Whatever the reason, the fear makes me more determined and Write to Marry Day (click the icon) gave me the push I needed. Here's why I am passionately in favor of legal marriage for homosexuals.A few years ago this issue started pressing on me. The proposals to define marriage on the 2004 ballots forced me to finally figure out what I believed. So I studied. I read everything I could find on what the Bible really says about homosexuality. I studied and I prayed and I pondered. I already knew how I felt about the issue but I needed to figure out how that lined up with Scripture. I came to the conclusion that homosexuality is not a sin. I don't care to regurgitate all the info here but I would encourage you to do the research if you are curious.
Here's the thing. If I had done all the searching and studying and praying only to find that homosexuality really is a sin...I would still be in favor of gay marriage. It is absolutely clear to me that this is a civil rights issue. There are families out there, families that look a LOT like yours and mine, that are not allowed to call themselves families. There are children who are barred by law from the stability of having parents who are married. My heart aches for all the people out there who are being told they deserve less than the rest of us.
I've heard that some people oppose gay marriage because they believe homosexuality is a sin. I have a hard time understanding this because it seems contrary to what Christ taught us about sin; specifically what He taught us regarding our response to other people's sin. He got on the religious leaders of his day for the rigidity and hypocrisy of the rules they enforced and they were religious leaders. It is not my job to enforce the rules.
I've heard that some of these people oppose gay marriage because they are afraid that churches will be forced to perform same-sex weddings. I don't want to belittle anyone but that really is just ridiculous. Catholic priests still only marry Catholics and will not marry divorcees. This argument also makes the assumption that people would want to be married by someone who does not recognize the marriage. This demonizes the very real human beings who just want to be married to the person they love.
These are the two arguments I have heard. I don't know if there are others. I sincerely hope that by the time my girls are teenagers they will scoff at the idea that there was a time when gay people weren't allowed to get married. I will continue to pray that my children will be allowed the same rights as everyone else no matter what their orientation.
