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Family member sent me an email about how homosexual marriage is going to “ruin this country and damage the church”. My better judgment told me to just ignore it like most emails I ignore but I wrote a lengthy response to it and I’m guessing that sometime between tonight and tomorrow I’m going to regret that response. My response was as follows:
I find it difficult to believe that gay marriage is something God would care much about. I think, if anything, he would care much more about all the starving kids in third world countries that rich religious leaders do little to help, or human sex trafficking or all the heterosexuals that fail to be faithful to their spouses or treat them with respect. I would love to see christians or any religious group show their passion in the media on THOSE issues more often, but no…its usually just about trying to stop same sex marriage.
Jesus apparently never talked about the issue. The apostle Paul did, but who’s to say that wasn’t just his opinion? How do we know he spoke for God unequivocally? Paul never even told anyone to put his letters into a book for future generations to follow and equate with God’s word…never does he say to do that, and yet thats what people have done with his and other biblical authors words. Paul also said women should be silent in church, but people mostly ignore that unless women try to become pastors or something (because God forbid they do that). As for the old testament, how many things in there do christians NOT live their life by under the saying “it doesn’t apply to us today”? What about women being treated as property and bought from their fathers? Or God saying next to nothing about all the multiple wives and concubines the Israelite kings and others had? Or God supposedly commanding the israelites to slay cities… men, women and children and all? Was that really God speaking? I highly doubt it. Everybody picks and chooses what Bible verses they believe or what applies to today and I don’t see how this issue is any different in that regard. The Bible was used to defend slavery and oppress minorities years ago and now its being used to oppress people who happen to be attracted to their own gender. This is all just another flavor of racism and one only needs to look at the westboro baptists for any confirmations of that. Christians and non christians alike will rail against them, but if you listen to them they actually KNOW their bibles…they’re speaking the same language all these other christians are in essence and justifying their hate with scripture. It’s not hard to do….it’s been done all through history. The bible says we should kill homosexuals as well, along with witches, those that have premarital sex and people that gather wood on the sabbath but I notice we are slow to act on those verses or insist that our county’s laws reflect their attitudes.
If someday religious freedom is impeded upon because of this, then I agree, that isn’t right and SHOULD be fought against. I 100% agree with that. At the same time, it’s wrong to deny other people their rights just because of another’s religious conviction. I think america and the world has a lot of serious issues right now and I’d say gay people getting married is probably the least thing people have to worry about amongst all the colossal evil that is going on right now.
That’s a great letter @savagesoto. Fasten your seatbelt!
Um, yes!
Perfect.
AnonymousRFO
And their reply?
I’m bracing myself for these kind of speeches where I live, because our new Prime Minister and his colleagues seem set to campaign on it for our upcoming election.
(Gay marriage isn’t legal in Australia yet – and it’s a federal constitutional responsibility. Some of our States and Territories have civil partnership or relationship registration schemes, but that’s as far as it goes.)
AnonymousMy question is: why did this family member feel the need to email you about this in first place? Sounds like they want to pick a fight.
That’s an excellent response. A lot of times I like to mention that people get married for the legal benefits and marriage is not something that only exists among Christians. Another point I ask and never get a response to is “My parents had a civil ceremony; is their marriage not legit?”
AnonymousSavageSoto – WOW! What you said is awesome! I agree wholeheartedly!
Could you please clarify one thing for me. I didn’t understand what you meant by this sentence: If someday religious freedom is impeded upon because of this, then I agree, that isn’t right and SHOULD be fought against. I 100% agree with that. (Forgive me for being dense. I just want to understand because what you wrote is SO GOOD! )
Brilliant, brilliant response. I wish I could say that to a lot of my Christians friends…
Wade.
Could you please clarify one thing for me. I didn’t understand what you meant by this sentence: If someday religious freedom is impeded upon because of this, then I agree, that isn’t right and SHOULD be fought against. I 100% agree with that. (Forgive me for being dense. I just want to understand because what you wrote is SO GOOD! )
It was in reference to part of the email (it was actually an article that someone else had written) that was basically arguing that soon people are not going to be able to speak their opinions in church and so forth.
AnonymousNow I get it. Thanks!
@Tim: The reply I got was just stating that we need to believe everything in the Bible, because of 2 Timothy 3:16 and basically said if the part about homosexuality isn’t true then none of it is, so on and so on. Like when I have tried to discuss similar matters with family members in the past, there is just no room for discussion. What they think the bible says is what is true, no doubt about it and that’s just the end of the discussion. I have an uncle who believes I’m an atheist just because I don’t call myself a christian anymore, despite explaining how I still believe in god and have a personal faith.
Oh well.
LOL….fundamentalists are very black and white so if you are not a Christian, you can only be an atheist.
I always try to impart that not everyone believes in the Bible and as Americans, we have to learn to let others live their lives. I also believe that the challenge for anyone of a particular faith is to live that faith even when others are not. Just my two cents.
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