Gays vs. Christians: The Race to Destroy the Meaning of Marriage
Christians believe the marriage is primarily a religious institution, and that government should not meddle with it. The Family Research Council, a prominent Christian organization, defines marriage this way:
Because of this belief, Christians are upset, claiming that Gay Marriage Supporters are destroying the meaning of marriage.
I believe, however, that Christians have done more to destroy the meaning of marriage than gays or any other group ever will. Here's how they have worked to destroy their own sacred institution.
According to the Bible, sexual intimacy is supposed to be reserved for marriage. It is part of what made being married special, and it served to keep child bearing and rearing within the confines of a family. However, 80% of Christians admit to having sex before they are married. I understand that it is unrealistic to expect everyone to remain a virgin - people are not perfect, and mistakes are made...but 80%?!! Not only that, I know from experience that a lot of Christians don't even give it an honest try. They figure God will forgive them, so it's not really a big deal. What they are really saying is that the sacredness of marriage is not really a big deal. If 80% of Christians thumb their nose at the importance of marriage, why are they surprised that everyone else would, too?
The divorce rate among those that claim to be Christian is the same as for the general population - around 50%. Among "serious" Christians, it is lower - about 35%. So at the very best, one third of serious, devoted Christians do not think marriage is sacred enough to hold together. I know there are cases where a marriage needs to be dissolved, but unless you believe that half of Christian marriages are abusive (in which case Christians have a much larger problem to address) then Christians apparently don't think too highly of contracts that they make before God, and they are willing to break those contracts when things become inconvenient or uncomfortable. If half of Christians don't protect their own marriage, why would they think the rest of the world would protect it for them?
Marriage has been on the decline for decades now. Christians - who are supposed to be the City on the Hill - have done nothing to prevent that decline among themselves or society at large. They have been just as seduced as the rest of the country by the rationalizing and propaganda that has been hammering away at marriage for the last thirty years. There has been no strong voice of outcry or courageous example from Christians, only silent acquiescing to and adoption of Biblically immoral behavior. Now, as society seeks to take a giant final whack at their soiled sacrament, Christians suddenly want to take a stand? To defend what? A promise they don't intend to keep? Why? Because the Bible told them to? A little late to worry about that, isn't it?
I do not believe that Christians are going to win this war. They may win small battles - like Prop 8, and maybe even this court case - but in the end, their heart isn't in it. They cannot drag their own banner through the mud and then expect that it will have power to rally them. They cannot stomp on their own flag and then ask others to salute it. Christians have lowered the standard of marriage until it was within the reach of the masses, and now the masses will do with it as they please.
Marriage is a covenant, a sacred bond between a man and a woman instituted by and publicly entered into before God and...involves at least the following five vital principles: permanence, sacredness, intimacy, mutuality, and exclusiveness.Christians claim that marriage is about a man and woman committing to each other, being true to each other, and raising children together, and all of this is part of their commitment to God.
Because of this belief, Christians are upset, claiming that Gay Marriage Supporters are destroying the meaning of marriage.
I believe, however, that Christians have done more to destroy the meaning of marriage than gays or any other group ever will. Here's how they have worked to destroy their own sacred institution.
According to the Bible, sexual intimacy is supposed to be reserved for marriage. It is part of what made being married special, and it served to keep child bearing and rearing within the confines of a family. However, 80% of Christians admit to having sex before they are married. I understand that it is unrealistic to expect everyone to remain a virgin - people are not perfect, and mistakes are made...but 80%?!! Not only that, I know from experience that a lot of Christians don't even give it an honest try. They figure God will forgive them, so it's not really a big deal. What they are really saying is that the sacredness of marriage is not really a big deal. If 80% of Christians thumb their nose at the importance of marriage, why are they surprised that everyone else would, too?
The divorce rate among those that claim to be Christian is the same as for the general population - around 50%. Among "serious" Christians, it is lower - about 35%. So at the very best, one third of serious, devoted Christians do not think marriage is sacred enough to hold together. I know there are cases where a marriage needs to be dissolved, but unless you believe that half of Christian marriages are abusive (in which case Christians have a much larger problem to address) then Christians apparently don't think too highly of contracts that they make before God, and they are willing to break those contracts when things become inconvenient or uncomfortable. If half of Christians don't protect their own marriage, why would they think the rest of the world would protect it for them?
Marriage has been on the decline for decades now. Christians - who are supposed to be the City on the Hill - have done nothing to prevent that decline among themselves or society at large. They have been just as seduced as the rest of the country by the rationalizing and propaganda that has been hammering away at marriage for the last thirty years. There has been no strong voice of outcry or courageous example from Christians, only silent acquiescing to and adoption of Biblically immoral behavior. Now, as society seeks to take a giant final whack at their soiled sacrament, Christians suddenly want to take a stand? To defend what? A promise they don't intend to keep? Why? Because the Bible told them to? A little late to worry about that, isn't it?
I do not believe that Christians are going to win this war. They may win small battles - like Prop 8, and maybe even this court case - but in the end, their heart isn't in it. They cannot drag their own banner through the mud and then expect that it will have power to rally them. They cannot stomp on their own flag and then ask others to salute it. Christians have lowered the standard of marriage until it was within the reach of the masses, and now the masses will do with it as they please.
Comments
Post a Comment