Same-Sex Marriage

I saw a headline the other day titled, Debate on Same-Sex Marriages Heat’s up in Washington. Today I was reading CNN online about a lesbian couple from the Nashville area. One of their quotes struck me as odd.

She has been talking about the cost of legalities such as having their names changed, power of attorney papers, and different benefits. Then she says, "It is embarrassing to walk into a place and to have to throw out your sexual orientation just because you want to make sure that 'this is the one I love, this is the one I want you to talk to,' '' in the event of major medical decisions. "Men-Women married couples don't have to do that. They don't have to walk in and go, 'OK, well we met and we are together.' "

I want to look closely at this quote. First, why is it embarrassing? Could it be the conviction of living in such an immoral and sinful lifestyle? Could it be a futile attempt to be normal in a world that the majority still condemns the act of homosexuality? Secondly, legally married men and women do have to throw out their sexual identity. We do it when take our vows, we do it when we do our business, and we do it when we’re sick and injured. The difference here, is that it is the socially accepted norm and therefore there is no second thought given to it. It’s not wrong or sinful so we don’t think of it as throwing out our sexual orientation.

The article continues, Joan and Nancy met in Bible study in 1988, and bristle at those who bring God into the debate.

"I mean, I know my God loves me and I don't understand why that has to be -- I am sorry, I just don't understand the whole purpose of it," Joan said.

Of course God loves her and her partner. The more appropriate matter is how little they love and respect God, the creator of the universe, the creator and sustainer of life. To live in such disobedience clearly does not reflect a manner of love and respect. I have become amazed at how lacking the homosexual message is in their defenses.

The Bible couldn’t be clearer on the matter of homosexuality and no amount of twisting the words around make it less sinful or more acceptable. Every major religion of the world from Islam, to Judaism, to Christianity and everything in between overwhelmingly takes similar positions against the morality of homosexuality.

Have the homosexuals really read through God’s clearly stated position in the Biblical books of Romans, Genesis, or Judges?

In Genesis 18, God informs Abraham that he plans to destroy the city of Sodom because of its gross immorality. Abraham pleads with God not to destroy Sodom, and God agrees that he would not destroy the city if there were 50 righteous people in it, then 45, then 30, then 20, or even 10 righteous people. The Lord's two angels only find one righteous person living in Sodom, Abraham's nephew Lot. Consequently, God follows through with his plans to destroy the city.

In Genesis 19:1, the final episode in the story of Sodom is described as the angels visit Lot to warn him to flee:

4. When they had not yet retired, and the people of the city, the people of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, the entire populace from every end [of the city].

5. And they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, and let us be intimate with them." Lot refused to give the visiting angels to the men of Sodom and instead offered them his two daughters. The men refused to accept this compromise. The men were struck with blindness, allowing Lot and his family, who were then instructed to leave the city, to escape, and Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed with fire and brimstone by God.

A similar event is recorded in the Book of Judges, 19:2, this time involving the town of Gibeah. This suggests that the occurrences in Sodom were not unique:

20. And the old man said, "Peace be to you, just let all your needs be upon me, but do not lodge in the street."

21. And he brought him into his house, and gave fodder to the donkeys, and they washed their feet, ate and drank.

22. As they were enjoying themselves, and behold, the men of the city, men of wickedness, surrounded the house, (and were) beating at the door. And they spoke to the man, the elderly master of the house, saying, "Bring out the man that came into your house, so that we may be intimate with him.

Jude 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

The Bible is clear. Homosexuality is a sin. We cannot change the definition of marriage or our view of moral rights and wrongs to parallel the views of the perverse and immoral. God’s word is our road map and it is not open to interpretation in areas that He has spoken clearly and loudly. How more loudly can you be then to destroy whole cities? No matter how good-natured an individual is or how likeable they are, that does not change the sinful, immoral nature of homosexuality. Love the sinner, hate the sin.

Peace be on your tent.