Friday, April 3, 2009

Little Rainbow Houses




I want to shed some "lyte" on gay marriage.  Today the Iowa (yes, Iowa) Supreme Court ruled unanimously that gay couples have the right to get married.  Iowa follows Massachusetts and Connecticut in granting this privilege to same sex couples.

I have blogged on marriage before, so you know how I feel about the institution.  Why gay people want the opportunity to ruin perfectly good relationships, I have no idea.  Actually, I do, since our society encourages marriage by giving married couples tax breaks and other financial perks.  Also, it gives gay couples rights when one gets sick or dies.  It allows them to be recognized as legitimate.

I have no problem with this, but most people do.  Most states (including my own) have passed "marriage protection acts".  I find this amusing since gay people pose no threat to a heterosexual relationship.  I am not sure why marriage needs protecting.  Prostitution (which is legal in my state) poses more of threat.  Strip clubs pose more of a threat.  But again, they are legal in most states. 

What most people miss is that marriage is both a religious ceremony and a legal contract.  They conflate the two, which is wrong, since we have a separation of church and state in this country.  That's why most marriages start in a church and end in a court.  Granting gay couples the right to the legal contract of marriage is fully supported by our Constitution.  Individual churches have the right to not perform the ceremony, if it is supported by their doctrine.  

But Jesus never had an opinion about gay marriage.  The Old Testament, specifically,the book of Deuteronomy is the Biblical authority that most use to bolster the view that homosexuality is an abomination.  Great, but we don't follow most Mosiac laws, so why cherry-pick this one?  The Old Testament also supports slavery, and recommends stoning as the punishment for wearing blended clothing.  It stipulates that every 50 years, all debts should be forgiven.  Funny, that particular law is never enforced.  It sure would come in handy in light of today's economic situation.

And the Old Testament is the law for Jews, not Christians.  Jesus kept it pretty simple; love God, and love your neighbor.  It is that second commandment that is so hard to follow.  Especially if your neighbors are two gay guys named Bruce and want the chance to legitimize their love.

If Iowa can legalize gay marriage, I have hope that eventually the other 47 states will remember that we are nation of laws, not men, and do the same.  It is the "Christian" thing to do.  

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