Definition of marriage not eternal or inviolate
Now that the New Jersey Supreme Court has punted on the issue of gay marriage to the Legislature (where, one could argue, is where it belongs) it's safe to assume that Western civilization is safe.
There's no way this legislature, or the next one, is going to allow gay marriage. But in the half-a-loaf-is-better-than-none department, they will craft a civil union sort of thing. So maybe Western civilization is crumbling a little bit.
When I perform wedding ceremonies, I always leave out the line that goes "and now, by the authority vested in me by the State of New Jersey....'' because I don't feel the state has any authority to bless or ban a covenantal relationship between two people and their God.
Sure, I'll sign the license to keep things on the up and up, but to stand in church and say that just rankles.
Do I believe that God can bless the union of two people who have the same genitalia?
You betcha. God is interested in love and hope and the joy that two people share. He cannot be that interested in what goes where when the lights go out. Do I believe that gays and lesbians can mess up their relationships. Sure. Especially if they follow the model of all those heterosexual couples who wind up getting divorced.
Please don't tell me that the definition of marriage is eternal and inviolate. In my lifetime, in some places in this country, marriage was defined as the union of a white woman and a white man or a black woman and a black man. And don't get me started on the wisdom of King Solomon, with his hundreds of wives and hundreds of concubines. (Let's see the legislature bring back concubines!)
We tinker with fundamentals all the time. The world will keep on spinning, and loving couples will keep on finding each other to cling to when the wind blows hard and the world is so cold.
I pray for their love and know it's real whatever the law turns out to be.
There's no way this legislature, or the next one, is going to allow gay marriage. But in the half-a-loaf-is-better-than-none department, they will craft a civil union sort of thing. So maybe Western civilization is crumbling a little bit.
When I perform wedding ceremonies, I always leave out the line that goes "and now, by the authority vested in me by the State of New Jersey....'' because I don't feel the state has any authority to bless or ban a covenantal relationship between two people and their God.
Sure, I'll sign the license to keep things on the up and up, but to stand in church and say that just rankles.
Do I believe that God can bless the union of two people who have the same genitalia?
You betcha. God is interested in love and hope and the joy that two people share. He cannot be that interested in what goes where when the lights go out. Do I believe that gays and lesbians can mess up their relationships. Sure. Especially if they follow the model of all those heterosexual couples who wind up getting divorced.
Please don't tell me that the definition of marriage is eternal and inviolate. In my lifetime, in some places in this country, marriage was defined as the union of a white woman and a white man or a black woman and a black man. And don't get me started on the wisdom of King Solomon, with his hundreds of wives and hundreds of concubines. (Let's see the legislature bring back concubines!)
We tinker with fundamentals all the time. The world will keep on spinning, and loving couples will keep on finding each other to cling to when the wind blows hard and the world is so cold.
I pray for their love and know it's real whatever the law turns out to be.
posted by Michael Riley at 1:53 PM
11 Comments:
Good luck on your death day.
anonymous (hater).it is YOU, not Mr. Riley who needs to worry if the eternal elevator only goes DOWN for YOU! I pray for you!
Hey! I love your work and am happy that there's a blog to read, too. Incidentally, I'm not worried about your death day or the eternal elevator going only down for you. I'm chuckling at those comments. I'm glad that you write what you believe and applaud your stand for equality.
Gay Marriage: What Would Jesus Say? (A Traditional Baptist Perspective)
"Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you realize that we will be judged more strictly ..." -- James 3:1
"How can the wrong suddenly be right?"
It can only happen if one forsakes the eternal teachings of Christ Himself, Margaret. Riley has done just that in order to appear oh-so-politically correct.
Once a person starts to ignore the Eternal Word of God in favor of their own opinions, it isn't very long before they start spitting out nonsense like this:
"Do I believe that God can bless the union of two people who have the same genitalia?
You betcha. God is interested in love and hope and the joy that two people share. He cannot be that interested in what goes where when the lights go out."
..............................................................................
"Please don't tell me that the definition of marriage is eternal and inviolate. In my lifetime, in some places in this country, marriage was defined as the union of a white woman and a white man or a black woman and a black man." -- Michael Riley
I see. So because the State of Mississippi had once enacted and enforced anti-miscegenation laws, those laws somehow rendered null and void Christ's own eternal and inviolate definition of marriage? Did Hitler's edict that the Nazis seize the property of Jewish residents somehow alter the eternal in inviolate nature of God's commandment that one shall not steal?
Definition of "Eternal"
Definition of "Inviolate"
Christ's "Eternal and Inviolate" Definition of Marriage (Matthew 19:4-6)
"and" inviolate ... typo
I have long appreciated your faith-based comments on current affairs. Thank you especially for this one. I know it took courage.
Anonymous,
You have it completely backwards. and what is it with people using Nazis all the time? or how about really weak biblical references? Overstatement doesn't go far anymore. Do you really believe any divinity would share your hatred for anything speaking against your provincial Catholic, and probably more or less uneducated (not a stab at your personal education, but an acknowledgement that you probably have not attended divinity school) views?
Furthermore, Mr. Riley's stand is not "political-correctness." That phrase is used inappropriately by people of your limited perspective in an attempt to undermine even marginally liberal views. It would be the same as my referring to your religion as "Death-worshipping," or as Wallace Stevens said, the "dominion of blood and sepulchre."
"or how about really weak biblical references?"
Do you really need even more passages from Sacred Scripture that speak to the inherent immorality of homosexuality? If so, here are some more:
Romans 1:26-27
1 Corinthians 6:9
Leviticus 18:22
"Do you really believe any divinity would share your hatred for anything speaking against your provincial Catholic, and probably more or less uneducated (not a stab at your personal education, but an acknowledgement [sic] that you probably have not attended divinity school) views?"
Well, I am certainly glad you mentioned -- albeit in a convoluted and tortured sentence -- both the church Christ himself founded, The Holy Catholic Church, and the subject of divinity schools. With respect to the former, if Sacred Scripture has taught us anything, it is that The Catholic Church -- and the Catholic Church alone, mind you -- possesses the teaching authority of Christ. We Catholics call that authority "The Magisterium" and support for such a claim in Sacred Scripture can be found here:
Matthew 28:18-20
Matthew 16:18-20
John 14:16-18
John 14:26
For more detailed information on The Magisterium (Teaching Authority) of the Catholic Church, please see the following link:
The Holy Catholic Church: The Very Pillar and Foundation of Truth
Now with respect to divinity schools, I would submit that they, in and of themselves, are of little value when discerning the Word of God, particularly when contrasted with the infallible, inerrant authority that is the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. Riley, after all, is a graduate of a Baptist seminary. His opinions on gays and gay marriages (aka gay civil unions) are in sharp contrast to what even most other Baptist preachers would have to say on the subject. Are we to assume that Michael Riley received the teaching authority that Christ spoke of in John 14:26? Of course not! Again, Christ gave that authority only to his church, The Holy Catholic Church. He didn't give that authority to some church founded 1,500 + years after the Resurrection.
With respect to your claims that I "hate," please know that I don't hate anyone. I most certainly don't hate non-Catholic Christians, who are, after all, my brothers and sisters in Christ. I do, however, think it is regrettable that they do not share in the fullness of the Catholic faith, as is evidenced by their rejection of the Catholic Church's Magisterium. While I think they are foolish for doing just that, I certainly don't hate them for their ignorance. Indeed, I pray for them often.
intolerance and ignorance are but a footstep away from hatred..hey, anonymous, you can hide behind your "nom de plume" on this blog, but you cannot hide behind your narrow-mindedness..
Post a Comment
<< Home