As a Christian, what do you think of marriage equality?
I’ll be honest. I voted for Prop 8 back in the day. It was not an easy decision. And I deeply regret it. Today, I’m happy that all my friends now have the legal power to marry the person they love.
Reasoning:
To me, there is a difference between a Christian marriage and a secular marriage. This goes way beyond gender requirements. I believe a Christian marriage is one where two individuals commit to one another under the worship of Jesus Christ as defined by the Bible. Obviously, this type of marriage does not apply to non-believers. So if Kim Kardashian marries another celebrity dude without giving Jesus an afterthought, I do not categorize that union as a Christian marriage. Same goes for other marriages where the focus is not on Jesus.
Now, for a LEGAL marriage? It’s a completely separate issue for me. I think if any two consenting adults want to marry, I will not be offended. If people want to provide a safe and loving home for children, I would always encourage it. Gay parents can be better than abusive/dysfunctional straight parents. Also, Christians divorce as frequently as non-Christians. On a secular legalistic level, I’m happy with today’s ruling because it has nothing to do with the way I perceive Christian marriages. The Christian faith is a personal belief system and I will not be imposing or judging those who do not share the same beliefs.
To me, it all goes back to the thinking: should we outlaw adultery? Should we ban all forms of pornography? No, these are areas that our government should not touch (and boy, would that be hard to enforce). Let fellow Americans have the freedom to make their own choices, even if my values disagree with their actions.
This ruling does NOT destroy Christianity in any way. We, believers, have the opportunity to raise our kids and teach them the difference between a Christian marriage and a non-Christian marriage. It doesn’t mean our marriage type is superior or better, although I tend to think any marriage blessed by God will be quite advantageous. Also, if it’s even possible, I don’t want to be associated with hatred or bigotry – we are to love our neighbors and not restrict them.
Above all, my faith is not based on what the government says. And it never will.