Yesterday President Obama formally endorsed same-sex marriage in California. This is a fairly large step in what will most certainly be a highly debated and politicized issue over the coming weeks, months and years.
The following is nothing more than the late night ramblings of a heterosexual, christian, male.
I have thought about sharing this opinion for quite some time and after quite a bit of thought I am now hastily scribbling down my thoughts on the matter. Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
As always this opinion is my own and not necessarily that of any other TTAF writer.
I believe that same sex-marriage should be one hundred percent legal.
There, I said it. Now allow me to explain.
I am a christian. I believe that Jesus existed, was the son of God and I attempt to model my life on his teachings (I fail quite often). I also believe that Jesus, and the Bible as a whole, denounce homosexuality as a sin, just as drunkenness, lying, adultery, greed, malice, envy, mistreatment of the poor and many more. I do not think that homosexuality is any more or less a sin than the ones that I struggle with and commit on a regular basis. I believe that a Biblical marriage exists between one man and one woman together in a monogamous and loving relationship.
I am also an American. I was born in Kentucky and enjoy all the rights and privileges of a US citizen. I believe that America was founded by a group of people seeking freedom of all types, religious, political, financial etc. I also believe that some of those men had some type of monotheistic Judeo-Christian faith (the specifics of those beliefs get a bit hairy). Again, I do not believe that make America a christian nation, in as much as it is impossible for any nation to be a (insert religion here) nation. I know that there are many people in America that do not have the same faith that I do. It is wrong, in my opinion, for me to expect my government to create laws, legislating the morality of my religion, upon people who are not a part of that same religion.
Please note that I am attempting to approach the topic from a legal matter. It is my thought that under the law there is no such thing as a gay, straight, black, white, young, old, christian, non-christian, or disabled American. There are only Americans. It is wrong to discriminate against a person.
Many will make the argument that by making gay marriage legal there is some sort of impact on “the sanctity of marriage.” Allow me to disagree. Two men and or women were probably married in some corner of the country today. I still love my wife. To my knowledge my wife still loves me. Our marriage did not become anything less in either of our opinions, which are the only two opinions that matter in our marriage. We are still madly in love and no number of gay men or women getting married will have any effect on that. Similarly, while on the topic of “the sanctity of marriage” let us not forget the toll that our current divorce culture is taking on marriages, families and children who will grow up and be in relationships.
Once more allow me to reiterate. I believe that gay marriage is morally wrong according to my own christian faith. But that does not mean that it should be illegal. I do not expect the government to legislate the morality of my religion, or any religion over the religion or belief of any other citizen.
I could be wrong, I have been wrong before, but I do not remember reading about Paul spending his time protesting Roman laws, or lack thereof, that went against his beliefs. I would imagine there would have been quite a few more than there are in America. Rather Paul preached the Gospel and let it fall among those willing to hear it. He discipled believers. He most certainly spoke out against moral issues which he believed to be out of line with the teaching of Jesus, but that was his focus, not the statutes of the Roman legal system.
If gay marriage were to become legal in America tomorrow it shouldn’t make a difference to those of us who will not go out the next day and marry someone of our own sex. Legally, I believe that homosexuals are owed the right as Americans to marry one another if they choose to do so. Morally, I believe the act is wrong, but I do not expect everyone to live by my own moral code.
It’s getting late and I have a long day of work tomorrow, please don’t fill up my inbox with obscenities ala the post on gun control. This post was by no means a comprehensive or well written essay on the topic so please continue the discussion below. I will do my best to participate.
thethingaboutflying 
good points. Our nation is by no means a Christian nation. And to expect people to live in accordance to certain Christian principles that even most Christians can’t agree on would be extreme. What you believe about gay marriage is certainly your personal choice. I do not see a good reason for it to be illegal for gay people to marry
Thanks for reading and commenting. I certainly agree with you that there really isn’t a good reason for gay marriage to be illegal.
I worry about the idea of redefining marriage still further. Making divorce so much simpler did away with one cornerstone and helped bring in the idea of marriage 2.0. Allowing gay marriage isn’t something I object to in the specifics, it’s the idea that the institution needs redefining I disagree with.
If marriage is being constructed anew why should it only be between 2 people?
I could think of several legal reasons that marriage shouldn’t be between more than two people, mainly tax issues. I do think that marriage needs redefining but only because it has already been redefined into a watered down version of its formal self. Thanks for reading, we really appreciate it. We love a good discussion in the comments section.
It was refreshing to see you say, “I could be wrong, I’ve been wrong before…” If more Christians embraced a little of that humility, we might be able to talk to each other better.
Thanks for reading and commenting. Admitting that I am wrong and wrong often is something that I should do a lot more. Anyone suggesting that they are never wrong or that they have achieved the pinnacle of thought on a certain topic is fooling themselves. My apologies if you have run into some jerk christians in your time.