Proposition 8 is back in the news following a California Supreme Court ruling that says the vote to ban gay marriage was indeed constitutional. I’m not sure how I feel. I do not believe that gay marriage is biblical. From what I understand in the Bible there is nothing to support it in any way, and there is plenty of evidence (however open to interpretation you claim it to be) against it. That said, I am not sure how I feel about the constitutionality of banning gay marriage.
I am by no means a government scholar. Perhaps written into our constitution originally is a declaration of marriage being defined as between man and woman. I don’t honestly know, and I don’t really care to go research it. I’ve never read anywhere that it is and adding that definition seems to be the biggest push by conservative groups in various states, so I’m going to assume it isn’t. And that brings me to a place where I find it hard to figure out that right blance between my personal religious beliefs and my personal political beliefs.
I feel that we Christians in America have a pretty flawed view of what it means to have freedom. We firmly embrace being allowed to worship as we choose, to voice our opinions as we choose, to pray where we want, when we want, and to educate our kids as we choose. But, when it’s another person’s freedoms to believe what they want we fight against it because it goes against our religious beliefs and values. Now, let me clarify one thing here. I am not saying we should not be out to change the world, but I do not think we should be out to take away the freedoms of other people in our attempt to change the world. This is not what Jesus did. Jesus gave people freedom, he never took it away.
This will probably get me in trouble with the majority of Christians out there, but I will not vote against gay marriage. I feel like to do so is not much different than voting to ban marriage between two white people or two black people or whatever. These are people who want to have the right to live a normal life. They want to get married not to be different but to be the same. They aren’t trying to manipulate the system in their favor, they are people trying to have the same rights as any other American. Can you imagine living with your spouse without having the benefits of a civil marriage? You’d be outraged! You can’t get health coverage for your “spouse” because you aren’t actually married. You can’t get the tax breaks or the security of common property.
I would love to see a world where this isn’t an issue. A world where sin doesn’t exist. And I don’t know exactly where to stand on this thin line I’m trying to balance on. One slight step too far over and I know I’m not living as a Christian. But one step too far back and I’m not really living as a Christian then either. I cannot say I support gay marriage. I don’t. But I do support the rights of people as Americans to have the same freedoms as the rest of us. Isn’t that what America is all about anyway?
