I have heard it a number of times now. “Why do you care about the recent supreme court ruling regarding homosexual marriage? Is your life somehow different?” The message is “It does not change the legalities of your heterosexual marriage, so it should not matter to you if the same rights are extended to homosexuals.” Oh, but it does.
The ruling does not make a direct difference in my marriage, but it makes a huge impact on the world in which I am turning over my children to in a few years, along with one in which those of my faith live. Many fear the legal action that they will incur while attempting to hold up God’s law despite the law that man has made. So, no my marriage is not affected, just the rest of the society in which I live.
I have a God-given responsibility to teach scripture to the two children I have been blessed with. It scares me to think that within the next three years I will be turning both of my children over to a school environment that will be able to teach him ideologies that are in direct conflict with the scriptures they will be learning at home and school.
From a peer perspective, how much persecution will my children face when they attempt to uphold scripture? What impact will it have on their psyche when they are being sent conflicting messages between culture and church?
We have the option of pursing private Christian education, but how long will conservative Christian schools be allowed to openly uphold scripture over the law of the land? How long before the government steps in and bans institutions from teaching a system of beliefs that are not in line with the law?
Sure, I could homeschool them (and, this is not against those who choose that route). At some point though they will have to enter the “real” world and experience the conflicts that come with attempting to stand by scripture when society is teaching them anything but the truth. At what age do I do that? Do I do it when they are too young to really understand what is being taught and run the risk of exposing them to ideas that they accept as truth because an adult tells them it is? Should I wait until they are adolescents? At that point parents traditionally become the least knowledgeable people on the planet. The teachings of their peers is much more appealing. I could homeschool them K-12, but transitioning to college is often overwhelming, let alone for someone attempting to incorporate an entirely different societal belief system than what they were taught for the previous 18 years.
How long do I protect my children while also preparing them to function in the world in which they have to live?
From the standpoint of my fellow believers, how long do we have before we see lawsuits filed because we cannot support homosexual marriage? In our area we already have a judge who is being sharply criticized for stepping aside from presiding over a homosexual marriage. Another judge took the case and the homosexual couple was able to be married a bit later in the day. People are calling for his resignation because of his beliefs, stating that he is unable to uphold the law. Do you know how many marriages would be impacted by allowing another judge to participate in a homosexual marriage while respecting the assigned judge’s religious beliefs? In the USA, less than 4% of the population identify themselves as homosexual. Given that they are marrying each other, it would constitute less than 2% of all marriages. Marriage is only a small segment of the judge’s responsibility. So, because he is unwilling to perform less than 2% of marriages, due to a conflict with his beliefs about homosexuality, when it not even his primary roll, he can no longer practice as a judge?
Why can’t we honor the right for someone to not violate their religious beliefs? This is not a rarely held religious belief. Depending on the poll, somewhere between 40-45% of Americans believe that homosexuality is a sin. With the acceptance of homosexual marriage in the setting of the law, 40-45% of us are being asked to violate our beliefs for the sake of the 4%. It strikes me that we do not see the media reporting this subject in the context of the actual statistical impact that this subject has.
Will churches be able to speak out against homosexuality? What if a minister refuses to participate over a homosexual marriage? How many more times will my brothers and sisters in Christ be drug into the courtroom due to their beliefs about homosexuality and inability to support it?
To say that the ruling that legalized the recognition of gay marriage has no impact on me is naïve at best. Nearly every facet of my life outside of the narrow confines of my actual legal marriage to my husband is impacted. I hope more Christians start speaking out with me. The ripple effect of this decision is far greater than just the legalities. The influence it has on our society is profound. And, as long as I am being asked to continue to function in the world in which I live, the direct impact on me is huge. This is why I care!
From My Plan To His 
You are not “upholding scripture”. You are not upholding religious beliefs.
Consider all the support in Scripture for slavery. Read Dr. Thornton Stringfellow on the subject, he makes exemplary Evangelical argument. Yet, you deny Scripture (at least I hope you do). You do not support slavery. You read about Love and Equality in Scripture, and see that the Christian cannot support slavery, despite all those troublesome verses.
Do you imagine the story of Sodom, of threatened gang rape, has anything to do with loving gay relationships? In the same way as with slavery, the Gospel is inimical to homophobia.
Yours is not a “religious belief”. It is congealed hatred and disgust which you have imbibed from your ancestors- the sins of the fathers visited on the children- so that you hate and fear God’s good creation and the Love of God’s children. You are homophobic. Engage your moral sense, and see that you have no right to condemn these loving couples.
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You are right that I have no right to condemn them. Thankfully, that is God’s job. As a Christian I have a God-given responsibility to use scripture to teach, rebuke and correct. I have an extensive post on what the Bible says about homosexuality. You can find it at https://frommyplantohis.com/2015/07/07/godlylovewins/
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Well, I have a better post on what the Bible really says about homosexuality, shorn of the homophobia and congealed homophobia of translators and commentators. You may find it here.
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Wow. I am impressed with people’s ability to stretch scriptures into what they want it to say. God warns us that this would come.
“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction. For a time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead to suit their own desires they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:2-4 (NIV)
It appears in reading through some of your posts that you desperately want God’s approval of homosexuality. So much so that stories that have nothing to do with condoning homosexuality are given a pro-homosexuality spin. This is dangerous.
Naomi and Ruth are lesbians? Having a close relationship with my mother-in-law that has absolutely no sexual interest, I deeply appreciate the love between the two women. My husband is an only child. If he were to have died in Old Testament times, I likely would have done the same thing Ruth did. Naomi was facing no one to care for and support her as she aged. I could have never left her in that state. It has nothing to do with homosexuality.
In Matthew 8 Jesus heals what may have actually been the centurion’s homosexual partner so this proves that God approves of homosexual behavior? Even if it is truly what the relationship was, the passage only goes to show that Christ did not discriminate his healing powers based on what type of sin the individual struggled with. It is consistent with his general message of love and compassion.
It seems that you view all of us who show scripture that condemns homosexuality as hateful. Because I disagree with the homosexual lifestyle does not mean that I hate homosexuals. I have two in my life that I care for deeply. Obviously, I disagree with their sexual orientation, but that is only one segment that makes them who they are. If I were to walk away from them simply based on their sexual orientation, I would have to walk away from everyone else in my life. We all struggle with something. I am not tempted with homosexual thoughts, but I certainly have my own demons to fight.
Your speech is rather wrapped in a hateful attitude toward any who oppose your line of thinking. I am not sure that further discussion would be a fruitful endeavor for either of us. I would be more than happy to continue to volley this discussion in intellectual terms, unhindered by emotions. But, if that is not possible, thank you at least for your thought provoking comments and post.
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If it looks like hate, and it acts like hate, it’s hate, even if you don’t realise it. You treat those gay people you “care” for hatefully. You lie about God to them. You are like a person telling a slave that his slavery is God’s will- if you believe it, it is the sins of your ancestors visited upon you.
Repent!
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Clearly we are miles apart in theology and philosophy. I do not see any benefit to continuing this discussion. Neither of us are capable of compromising our beliefs to the degree that would result in a mutually beneficial conversation.
I hope that have more conversations with those who oppose your views so that you can understand us better. You seem very convinced that we are simply hateful when that could not be further from the truth.
Speaking for myself, I see people as more than their sexual orientation. I am heterosexual, but there is so much more to me than who I prefer to have sex with. Thus, how I can love the homosexuals in my life even if I disagree with their orientation.
We are no where close on what defines sin in regards to the Bible’s stance on homosexuality. To me it is loving my fellow peers when I point out what the scriptures say and it is hateful to stretch scripture and mislead people. We seem to agree on that point, however, we come at that same conclusion from entirely opposite interpretations of scripture.
There is a lot of anger that bleeds through your posts. I pray that you find the peace that God provides. When a relationship with him is my primary focus, all of the chaos of the western culture falls away. In the end, God is the only one that matters. It helps me to be more loving and respectful of the others in my life. I am able to be more gentle, knowing that we are all struggling to make sense of this Earthly world and sinful desires while working towards an eternity with God. Regardless of what their struggle is, they are just like me.
As I see that there is no mutual benefit between the two of us for this discussion to continue I will end the conversation here. You will be in my prayers.
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I do not think you have the peace which God provides. You are one who says “Peace, peace” where there is no peace. God be with you.
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homeschooling wouldn’t be an option through 12th grade anyway. i fully expect that within the next 3-5 years we will see homeschooling banned. good post, though! i completely agree with you. every single aspect of our lives outside the perimeter of our home has (or soon will) change.
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Thank-you! I fear this is only the tip of the ice berg. I have seen many predictions that the church is going to be basically forced underground. We are seeing less and less acceptance of the rights for Christians to adhere to their beliefs. It is so sad to see what this country has become in contrast to its original intent.
Over the past few weeks I have gained a new appreciation for the pilgrims who abandoned everything they knew and sailed across the ocean to begin a new life where they were able to follow their religious beliefs unhindered by government involvement.
With two small children, hubby and I have lightly debated moving at least to a more Christian friendly state or even Texas in hopes that they will split from the union. In some ways I am beginning to feel like I am living in a mission field instead of a country where I can openly worship as I see scriptures command us to.
Thank-you for your support! It is so helpful to see I am not alone in this fight!
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with the jade helm thing going on, i’m not sure texas is all that safe. we’ve been declared “hostile” by our administration, and i suspect if we don’t secede from the union, we might be the first state to feel the full affects of christian persecution in america. that being said, if you do ever decide to relocate, i’m happy to be able to say (and grateful, too!) that MY particular neighborhood is chock full of bible believing, God loving, prayerful families. (and there are a lot of kids in the neighborhood, too!) i don’t imagine there’s a whole lot of neighborhoods quite like this, even in texas. so give me a shout if ya’ll ever give serious thought to moving, and i’ll share my recommendation of where to set up camp 🙂
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I am so out of touch with current affairs! Jade Helm was not covered on PBS kids or Disney Channel. Reading up on it, it is interesting stuff. I try really hard not to fall into the conspiracy ideology camp, but I do not trust this government further than I could throw it. Hopefully, all stays peaceful! And, if we do decide to move, any advice would be great! Right now my best friend and I have been joking that our families need to buy some land and set up a little Christian community to raise our families in. The midwest is not too far gone, but it is certainly no Bible-belt!
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i try to avoid conspiracy theories too…. but i have a daughter and son-in-law who are marines, and they are very concerned about the jade helm thing. when they get concerned, i get nervous! i’ve also been thinking how nice it would be to buy a little land… somewhere with the ability to hunt and fish and live off the land. not that i know how to do those things… but i’d be willing to learn!
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I hear you! Growing up in the suburbs I know very little about living off the land but my grandparents did quite a bit of that. I would love to learn how!
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