Even if gay marriage were legal, I don't think that I would take part. I do believe that gay and lesbian relationships need to be recognized by the state because banning them only upholds our status as second class citizens. I just wouldn't personally want to be a part of what is now the institution of marriage and I certainly wouldn't want to go through the Christian ceremony that would make my partner and I card carrying members.If a 49% divorce rate constitutes an 'institution', then I don't want to be a part of it.
A video on CNN caught my attention this morning. Apparently, two gay Episcopal pastors in Secaucus, NJ want to get married. They bring up the typical arguments about basic civil rights and being treated as second class citizens. Nothing new here. Then a conservative pastor who naturally opposes them is interviewed and spews forth his tired rhetoric. Again - nothing new. He says something about how gay marriage is against the Bible code.
When are these people gonna let go of this same old, wore-out, FAULTY argument? Why is it fauly, you ask? I'll illustrate by using the old, VALID argument that the anti-gay marriage people can't seem to grasp.
Jesus personally didn't say anything in the Bible about homosexuals (although he sure did have some strong things to say about divorce), but yes, other people in the Bible had plenty to say. For example, Leviticus says this:
"And if a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them." (Leviticus 20:13)
That's a pretty severe punishment for some man-on-man action between Adam and Steve, don't ya think? But still, a lot of people use this passage to back up their anti-gay argument.
But Leviticus if filled with all kinds of little rules and regulations that all good Christians are supposed to follow.
"If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be set apart seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening. Everything that she lies on during her impurity shall be unclean; also everything that she sits on shall be unclean. Whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. And whoever touches anything that she sat on shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. If anything is on her bed or on anything on which she sits, when he touches it, he shall be unclean until evening. And if any man lies with her at all, so that her impurity is on him, he shall be unclean seven days; and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean." (Leviticus 15:19-24)
So if you're a good, married, homo-hating heterosexual man, you should have your wife quarantined for seven days when she's on the rag. The Bible says so.
"Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard." (Leviticus 19:27)
You can't shave. It's in the Bible.
"Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness." (Leviticus 19:29)
You can only pimp your daughter out if things get really bad.
"Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you." (Leviticus 11:4)
You can't have barbecued pork steaks. The Bible makes it very clear. You also can't have Catfish, Crab, Crayfish, Scallops, Prawns, Mussels, Lobster or Shrimp.
See - the Bible does have the answers to everything.