So seriously, what is this marriage debate really about?
I think it merits finer definition. In this world of political correctness, there is much to be said for correctly defining terms because the current tactic is to redefine words and therefore win the battle of the lie. As a precursor to my discussion, I will deal with some definition examples as an illustration. First of all, correctness is simply correctness- something is either correct or it's not. Political correctness is a false premise entirely. As is social justice-justice is inherently supposed to be blind and fair, not stratified based upon social standing. Social justice is actually socialism. Gay means happy, not homosexual. Further, being homosexual is not a happier state than being heterosexual anyway.
Back to my discussion, and definitions. Marriage is, by dictionary definition, a union between one man and one woman. Even polygamy is actually more than one marriage-John is married to Sally AND John is married to Jane. Sally is NOT married to Jane. There is no other definition of the term-any more than marriage is also defined as the color 9 or a type of bacteria. Marriage is SUPPORTED by many governments for various reasons, and practiced by virtually every religion and society in world history, but most importantly, marriage is marriage because it was designed as the most elemental unit of society by God himself. It is the FIRST institution as well as the biological basis of society. I think I've covered all the bases sufficiently to prove beyond doubt what marriage is, but could go on for pages and pages.
I challenge you to neither use the term 'traditional marriage' nor the term 'gay marriage.' I have a traditional and a gay marriage-my wife and I were married under the auspices of the state in a legal contract in a church ceremony by our pastor, and we are quite blissfully happy. Marriage is marriage -period. We allow an open door when we call it 'traditional'- there is no other kind! There is traditional food, music, dress, custom, but marriage crosses all boundaries. There is no such thing as 'gay marriage' neither.
I am working backwards now to 'narrow.' A dictionary is not a dictionary if it is not 'narrow' and precise in its definitions; neither is language if words do not mean what they mean! Since all this marriage debate is directed at Christians, yes, Jesus is the only way to heaven and yes that is narrow-minded. He says so! He built heaven, made the rules, and says the way to heaven is narrow because, well, he's been there. He also said he loves the whole world and wants us all on that road, but go ahead and try another way. By the way, Muslims are also narrow-minded in their marriage definition and path to heaven [and forbid abortion and are known to slaughter homosexuals and infidels, but who cares about that].
Conservatism is stuck in the past.
Because it is supposed to be! The idea of conservatism is to conserve what is true and has been true for millenia, not tear it down. Truth never changes. Our understanding does. Liberal should actually mean generous or overflowing-in other words, being liberal with love, affection, generosity, gifts, or encouraging liberty. Love, affection, generosity, and gifts are not proper functions of government, so that leaves liberty-but the 'liberal' of today only adds to government, not liberty. Yes, I know those who claim to be conservatives are often just as misguided as the 'liberals' are. 'Liberals' are often actually progressives. That is a laughable philosophy-that society will progress as government takes ever-increasing control of it. Greedy, selfish people given more power over the greedy, selfish people they govern will not have improving results. Technology progresses. Knowledge progresses. Health and longevity progress. Human nature does not progress-have you read today's headlines? We are just as depraved as cavemen were, with our cannibals, drug-crazed murderers, sexual assailants, etc.You think the same dirty thoughts the cavemen did while on your computer or sitting in rush-hour traffic or talking with your angry boss-or watching TV or listening to the lyrics to your favorite music. Oh, sorry. Meddling:) That is why human nature will not allow government to progress society, because government will still be populated by dirty-rotten people, just like the masses.
A bigot is someone who is utterly intolerant of another's opinion or treats another group with hatred and intolerance as if they are inferior. This used to be a term used for racists and sexists. A narrow-minded, conservative Christian is not a bigot because they believe their set of beliefs is the only correct one-neither is anyone else because they sincerely hold their own beliefs as correct. Actually, one is an idiot if they don't believe something at their core is true! One is by definition a Christian, Republican, transcendentalist, Muslim, Jew, etc. if they hold to the beliefs defining that particular category. It makes no more sense to be a Christian atheist than it does to be a wooden Chevy dishwasher. Holding such beliefs does not make one a bigot. Holding to beliefs that maintain that others' opinions are unworthy of a listen or that other classes of people is inferior is bigotry. Because one holds to the actual definition of marriage does not constitute bigotry; by the way, homosexuals weren't clamoring to be married as little as thirty years ago, because the idea of 'gay marriage' didn't even exist! There has always been freedom of association. Two men have always been able to live together, work together, ride in a car together, drink from the same water fountain. They don't qualify to marry any more than brother and sister, father and son, chicken and tractor do. Their behavior when together cannot be proscribed with any practicality.
Now for the final definition-intolerance. Tolerance is actually an engineering term. It basically means amount of slack. In other words, within precise tolerances car parts are put together. If one uses a huge wrench to tighten plastic parts, they will break, while if one hand-tightens an axle nut, the wheel will fall off! Back to the axle nut-overtighten it and the axle will not turn as designed, and undertighten and, again, the wheel will fall off. Tolerance is actually limited, and socially, tolerance should be limited too. We should not tolerate child abuse, but should openly tolerate free speech that is not vulgar or inciting danger. Redefining marriage is not tolerance, it is a lie. Tolerating a lie is wrong in itself. Looking back at our beginning, we have to correctly define terms. There is no room for tolerance with that. A dog is not a cat, a man is not a BMW, and marriage is not two women-by definition. Bigotry is not part of the equation.
Not that any non Christians or homosexuals care, but Christianity is actually given quite a precise definition. Its dictionary is the Bible, written in black and white for all to see. It never changes. It didn't used to say that black people couldn't marry white people, Jesus was blonde with blue eyes, we must all vote Republican, or that homosexuals could marry. What it does say is that we are all rotten to the core-and our sins have many flavors. Some are more visible than others. It says that there is only one God, and he created us and gave us work to do and rules to follow. They are for our own good. He loves all of us but knows we don't all love him. Those who he has rescued are given the mission to go out and try to rescue others. The rescued will often screw up. Their message will not sit well with the others, because they are rotten and don't believe they are doing anything wrong in need of rescue. Of course some Christians are racist, sexist, prejudiced, bigoted, homophobes, rude, judgmental, and generally rotten. That's the whole point! We're all wrong in some way and need fixing by God. If we aren't dead yet, God is not through with fixing us. Being a Christian does mean being born again-and that is an ugly process to watch. Being born, messing your diaper, being immature and whiny and unable to take care of yourself all over again, can be an ugly process to watch from the outside.
It's kind of like quitting smoking. At one point you were not a smoker, but you tried it. It made you sick and tasted horrible, but it had some stupid appeal to your blind eyes, so you persevered until you began to like it. By then you were hooked. Eventually, with much struggle, you realized what it was doing to you, making you broke and stinky and sick and dying, standing out like an idiot in the 110 or 10 degree weather desperately trying to light another one, that you quit. Now, as a quitter, you hate cigarettes, the smell, seeing others smoke. You may become an activist-'get smoking out of the restaurants, the bars, the colleges.' Now you're repelled a quarter-mile away by the stench and you bug the snot out of everyone around you. Deep down, you know how helpless you were in the grip of the cigarettes, and don't want anyone to be imprisoned, but it may manifest in some anger at those who still smoke because it bugs you so much and may even make you sick.
The difference is that God has the power to change our attitudes, and to be fair, non Christians expect us to have had those changed more quickly than we have allowed. For the ten servants in the quit-smoking program trying to help people because they have a humble understanding what it is like, there is still the one guy at the office fussing at the smokers. It is the same way with Christians-for the ten who deeply struggled to get free from their own sin, and it may have nothing to do with sexual sin, who are out to help the sinners adhere to God's law, there is the one who is repulsed by a particular sin and not acting in a Godly way about it. Homosexual behavior is a particularly distasteful as well as powerful sin, to be honest, so I do not condone this sin and understand how many Christians have difficulty extending grace towards those struggling with it.
In conclusion, I am not chicken to say that God defined marriage as between a man and a woman and I wish to conserve that narrow definition. He blesses true marriage among all peoples, though, not just Christians! God created the family before he created the church because marriage is a model of Christ's relationship to people.
