Same Sex Marriage

I am going to say this once. It will irritate many people on both sides - all sides - of the argument. So be it. I am not noted for wishing to please....necessarily.

The blame for the current cultural kerfuffle over same sex marriage lies squarely in the lap of the Church. Oh yes it does. Somewhere in history, maybe the 14th century, the Church in the west allowed the state to take control of who could marry whom.

This is the tragedy. As a Christian Libertarian, it is repugnant to me that the Church, any church, would allow the state to control any covenental cultural institution - especially one as important as marriage. If we, as Christians, strive for anything in the political arena regarding the same sex marriage issue, it should be the revocation of state control and licensing of marriage. The state should have NO PART in saying who can marry and who cannot marry. They should not be allowed to license it. Marriage is a covenant between two people in the eyes of God (or whatever they worship, be it themselves or some false god) and their respective families. It is none of the state's business!!!

Some will raise hands pawing the air, "...but Ghog, how would divorce be handled then?". First, as a Christian, let me advise that God hates divorce, so you really should rethink any contemplation of that act. Beyond that, I am a realist and I know divorce is always a possibility, mostly due to the hardness of people's hearts, but there is an answer here.

Marriage is convenental....contractual if you will, and I know many believe there is a difference, but not in the eyes of the state. So if divorce becomes necessary, the state must treat those divorcing as contractors and sort out how the contract should be ended. If the state does not control or license marriage, I would imagine that prenuptial contracts would become very popular for the protection of everyone involved. I do not care. As long as the state is out of the mix, I do not care.

My Christian brethren will say, "but Ghog, how will that help? It will not stop gay marriage."

To which I say, that is correct. It will not stop same sex marriage.  It is not for us to say whether they can or cannot marry if they are not Christian and not a part of our church. Again, as with the case of the state, it is none of the church's business....unless these people are part of the church.

Same sex attracted people live in difficult times. If they are part of the church, they must walk a fine line of chastity and purity to remain within the correct definitions of God's will. If they are not part of the church, they can do as they please and face the same Judge we all will face on the great and terrible Day of the Lord. Either way, dependence on God's grace will be required. My view is that resistance to the urge is necessary. Sex is always a choice whether you are married, straight or gay or something in between like Bruce Jenner.

As a single man, I can tell you that you will not die if you do not have sex. I'm 57 and have avoided it since I was 23 years old. It was a rough ride, but it can be done.

All that aside, for us Christians, marriage is a sacred thing and it should be treated as such. Others have different views. If they are not a part of the faith, then we must let them live as they wish until such time that they receive a call by God and are convicted of their disobedience. 

One more thing. The state should not subsidize marriage or the production of children. They need to stay out of our families as much as possible. No one should be penalized or rewarded for marrying or reproducing. No more tax rewards for people that can't control themselves....(that last bit was me having a joke at the expense of all you breeders out there).

So there you have it. Do with it what you like. I will always opt to keep out the state. They should have as little control in these personal issues as possible in my view.