Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the time has come for me to weigh in on this matter that seems to always be on the forefront in the media. I guess this has been brought on by the recent happenings of Chick-Fil-A, and somethings in Orthodoxy as well.
As surprising as it may be, I am not going to argue for either side in this issue and this boils down to one main reason: I do not care. I know I am probably going to catch some flak from friends and family, but please let me explain...
I don't care if homosexuals want to get married. I don't care if the government decides to legalize same-sex marriage. I don't care if the government decides not to legalize same-sex marriage. It does not matter to me.
You will not catch me out on the picket line saying no to gay marriage. You will not find me on the picket line saying yes to gay marriage. I do not care. I am Switzerland on the issue.
I know that Dr. David Dunn has caught flak recently by some in the Orthodox community for his views on same-sex marriage (he supports same-sex civil unions), and I know that others have caught flak for their opposing views on this issue. I don't care. Dr. Dunn does not speak for the whole of Orthodoxy, nor do I, we are both speaking for ourselves.
Now I will say this, I believe that anybody engaging in homosexual acts is committing a sin. The Bible plainly says this, and the Orthodox Church plainly teaches this. But before you readers nod your head in agreement (or shake your head in anger), let me add that anybody engaging in lying, lusting, masturbation, gluttony, slothfulness, cheating, stealing, covetousness, murdering, a whole slough of other things, and being a Southern Baptist is sinning (ok so maybe being a Southern Baptist isn't a sin).
Who am I to judge anybody - whether they be a homosexual or a closet Southern Baptist - when I am the chief of sinners?
I will add this, I do not think that homosexuals should be allowed to marry in the Orthodox Church. I do not feel this way because I am a homophobe or because I am a bigot; I feel this way because in the Orthodox Church marriage is a sacrament that takes place between a man and a woman. I also feel this way concerning other Christian churches and other religions that view marriage the same way. It is their right to believe this way, and it is their right if they want to change how they view marriage.
I will also add this, if you are a homosexual that is seeking same-sex marriage then why would you go to a church or other religion that forbids such a practice and then throw a fit about it? Seriously now! If I wanted to go to the moon I would not hop on a submarine (unless I failed geography), so why in the world would you go to a Catholic Church if you wanted to be married to a person of the same sex? Go to a state/country that allows same-sex marriage and be married before a judge, or go to a church that does allow same-sex marriage. Anything else would be like me going to a brothel to find a wife and then be angered that she is not a virgin on our wedding night.
Also, I will not refuse to eat at a place that offers affordable fast food because the owners and operators of that franchise are known Christians who take a stance against gay marriage. They are only standing up for what they believe in, people (but hey, if you want to take offence be my guest, the line was much shorter today)! Likewise I would not refuse to eat at a place that supports gay marriage. Now, I would take issue if either place started to not allow homosexuals/heterosexuals or any other kind of person in to their places of business as that would be discrimination; but for right now they are simply practicing their right to free speech and their right to practice their religion.
I will now tell you where I will start to care. If the government steps in and tries to force the Orthodox Church or other churches to allow gay marriage I will care and fight back since the government is not allowed by our constitution to do such a thing. I will care if for whatever reason the government would decide that homosexual unions are the only unions to be allowed. And I would care if some homosexual person tried to force their views and way of life on me and my family - just like they care that we (as a collective) are trying to push our views on them.
There is the old saying of hate the sin and not the sinner. I like a quote I just heard from my wife, "Don't judge someone just because they sin differently than you." I think we should all take this to heart or we would be perpetually hating ourselves.
Lastly, I will attempt to explain why I do not care about same-sex marriage... Because whether or not you want to marry some one of the same sex has absolutely no bearing on my salvation. There. I said it.
That's right, I will not go to Heaven or Hades based upon your views or your actions. I will only achieve salvation through my faith and my actions based upon my faith. And that there is also the reason I go to church and I try to have a daily prayer life - to learn to subdue my passions and to follow the will of God as I am called to do - and shouldn't we all be trying to do that instead of worrying about other people?
As surprising as it may be, I am not going to argue for either side in this issue and this boils down to one main reason: I do not care. I know I am probably going to catch some flak from friends and family, but please let me explain...
I don't care if homosexuals want to get married. I don't care if the government decides to legalize same-sex marriage. I don't care if the government decides not to legalize same-sex marriage. It does not matter to me.
You will not catch me out on the picket line saying no to gay marriage. You will not find me on the picket line saying yes to gay marriage. I do not care. I am Switzerland on the issue.
I know that Dr. David Dunn has caught flak recently by some in the Orthodox community for his views on same-sex marriage (he supports same-sex civil unions), and I know that others have caught flak for their opposing views on this issue. I don't care. Dr. Dunn does not speak for the whole of Orthodoxy, nor do I, we are both speaking for ourselves.
Now I will say this, I believe that anybody engaging in homosexual acts is committing a sin. The Bible plainly says this, and the Orthodox Church plainly teaches this. But before you readers nod your head in agreement (or shake your head in anger), let me add that anybody engaging in lying, lusting, masturbation, gluttony, slothfulness, cheating, stealing, covetousness, murdering, a whole slough of other things, and being a Southern Baptist is sinning (ok so maybe being a Southern Baptist isn't a sin).
Who am I to judge anybody - whether they be a homosexual or a closet Southern Baptist - when I am the chief of sinners?
I will add this, I do not think that homosexuals should be allowed to marry in the Orthodox Church. I do not feel this way because I am a homophobe or because I am a bigot; I feel this way because in the Orthodox Church marriage is a sacrament that takes place between a man and a woman. I also feel this way concerning other Christian churches and other religions that view marriage the same way. It is their right to believe this way, and it is their right if they want to change how they view marriage.
I will also add this, if you are a homosexual that is seeking same-sex marriage then why would you go to a church or other religion that forbids such a practice and then throw a fit about it? Seriously now! If I wanted to go to the moon I would not hop on a submarine (unless I failed geography), so why in the world would you go to a Catholic Church if you wanted to be married to a person of the same sex? Go to a state/country that allows same-sex marriage and be married before a judge, or go to a church that does allow same-sex marriage. Anything else would be like me going to a brothel to find a wife and then be angered that she is not a virgin on our wedding night.
Also, I will not refuse to eat at a place that offers affordable fast food because the owners and operators of that franchise are known Christians who take a stance against gay marriage. They are only standing up for what they believe in, people (but hey, if you want to take offence be my guest, the line was much shorter today)! Likewise I would not refuse to eat at a place that supports gay marriage. Now, I would take issue if either place started to not allow homosexuals/heterosexuals or any other kind of person in to their places of business as that would be discrimination; but for right now they are simply practicing their right to free speech and their right to practice their religion.
I will now tell you where I will start to care. If the government steps in and tries to force the Orthodox Church or other churches to allow gay marriage I will care and fight back since the government is not allowed by our constitution to do such a thing. I will care if for whatever reason the government would decide that homosexual unions are the only unions to be allowed. And I would care if some homosexual person tried to force their views and way of life on me and my family - just like they care that we (as a collective) are trying to push our views on them.
There is the old saying of hate the sin and not the sinner. I like a quote I just heard from my wife, "Don't judge someone just because they sin differently than you." I think we should all take this to heart or we would be perpetually hating ourselves.
Lastly, I will attempt to explain why I do not care about same-sex marriage... Because whether or not you want to marry some one of the same sex has absolutely no bearing on my salvation. There. I said it.
That's right, I will not go to Heaven or Hades based upon your views or your actions. I will only achieve salvation through my faith and my actions based upon my faith. And that there is also the reason I go to church and I try to have a daily prayer life - to learn to subdue my passions and to follow the will of God as I am called to do - and shouldn't we all be trying to do that instead of worrying about other people?
1 comment:
Very interesting post, David. Glad I stumbled upon it. You're a good writer.
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