"Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24).
When a lesbian couple was "married" by the authority of the state of Connecticut this fall, one of the partners said that being married felt different than a civil union.* This couple already had a civil union which officially legalized and recognized their relationship. It set me to questioning, "What is different about being married than having a civil union?" What are the practical differences? I can think of only one--faith. Marriage comes from the realm of faith. Marriage was established by God--not by the state. He established the boundaries for it. In the Bible there is never a provision for gay or lesbian marriage--unless, of course, a gay guy and a lesbian marry each other.
Marriage is a faith relationship. A civil union is not a faith relationship, rather it is a legal relationship established by the state. Though a civil union is legal it is not sanctioned by God. The push for same-sex marriage is a desperate attempt by gays and lesbians to receive God's blessing on their relationship.
Some gays and lesbians may argue that being "married" normalizes their relationship and that they would not be stigmatized if they were "married." In a civil union the state gives legal sanction to the relationship, what more is needed--the approval of God? If the state normalizes the relationship why should God's approval be necessary?
When the state "marries" same-sex couples it is becoming involved in God's business. The wall of separation of church and state has been violated by the state. Whatever the decree of the state, it will not change the Word of God. It will only be marriage in the sight of man, but not in the sight of God! The logical conclusion of the state becoming involved in matters of faith is to make criminals of those who believe the Bible.
Grace&Peace,
Tom
*from my memory of a newscast when Connecticut's same-sex marriage law when into effect.
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2 comments:
I think that you make a good point, but I think that they feel that civil unions don't give them equal rights compared to marriages. For instance, they don't have the same rights when it comes to being hospitalized or when one dies. If that is true, then it is a shame that those rights aren't given to them in a civil union. Perhaps we wouldn't have to fight for the "sanctity of marriage." But I think you also see this with couples that live together. Even though they are acting as they are married, the actual wedding is still so special to them.
The purpose of civil unions is to extend to same-sex couples the same legal rights that married couples enjoy. The blessing civil-unioned couples do not enjoy is Divine approval for their relationship.
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