Hello Syn:

That just makes TOO much sense...

But, the right isn't trying to make it equal. It's about MORALS - not equality. Good for tom for saying it outright.

excon

"There is nothing divine about morality; it is purely a human affair"

Albert Einstein, 1954

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To make it COMPLETELY equal would require that ONLY marriages made by the state be recognized as legal for any kind of legal/state benefit--like seeing your spouse in the hospital, or inheritance upon death, or legal decisions when they are incapacitated, or tax breaks.

All religious marriages would then be ONLY recognized by the church.

If you want recognition from both, then you have to get married in both.

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Exactly... except for legal purposes the word "marriage " would be scrubbed . Leave marriage as the religious institution it was intended as.

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Originally Posted by tomder55

exactly ...except for legal purposes the word "marriage " would be scrubbed . Leave marriage as the religious institution it was intended as.

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Some Christian denominations marry Gay people willingly as their interpretation of the Bible is different from more fundamental Christian Churches. Do we not have freedom of religion?

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Originally Posted by tomder55

exactly ...except for legal purposes the word "marriage " would be scrubbed . Leave marriage as the religious institution it was intended as.

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Hello again, tom:

You're getting real close... but you still want a legal distinction...

What if we just called religious marriage - marriage - but call every union that has RIGHTS attached to it, governmentified?

excon

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Originally Posted by excon

Hello again, pass:.

But no..... Because gays are going to hell, so they don't deserve ANYTHING... Come on, pass. You can tell us how you REALLY feel.

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oh come on ex that is unfair. I love how you asked for our opinions and then answer it yourself.

Christians believe that the LORD instituted marriage and that it is between a man and a woman. He made adam and eve ( not adam and steve... bad joke) In the bible homosexuality is considered a sin... but so is lying, cheating, fornication etc. As a Christain woman, I do not think homosexuality is any worse than any other sin. There isn't a sin that man commits that isn't forgivable.. except of course rejection of Christ. So to say that we think all Gays are headed for hell is BOGUS.

Because I am a Christian I believe marriage should STAY between a man and a woman. That is NOT UN christian. What WOULD be un-Christian is to hate someone just because they are gay.

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Originally Posted by classyT

What WOULD be un-Christian is to hate someone just because they are gay.

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Hello T:

You know what?? I'll bet the gays would be OK if you hated them, but let them marry?

Denying them the rights that you yourself enjoy, is pretty un-Christianlike, in my view. But, I'm not a Christian, so I can only guess what IS Christianlike and what isn't. I hear about loving your neighbor as yourself. I hear about not doing something to somebody that you don't want done to yourselves...

I don't know. Maybe I'm not hearing you Christians correctly. Set me straight.

excon

I'd like to know where in the Bible God gave the definition of marriage, actually.

So we're back to this again? No surprise, I agree entirely with tom. I still have this nagging question though, how CAN gay "marriage" be "equal" to heterosexual "marriage?" It can't, plain and simple. We can bestow all of the same rights and privileges and the two can never be "equal" so why can't we all be happy with civil "unions" and keeping "marriage" the religious institution it has been? I know, you're going to tell me it can be equal, but how? I thought we were supposed to celebrate our differences anyway, so why can't folks be happy with the obvious differences between gay unions and heterosexual marriages if the same rights and privileges apply?

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Originally Posted by excon

Hello T:

You know what??? I'll bet the gays would be ok if you hated them, but let them marry?

Denying them the rights that you yourself enjoy, is pretty un-Christianlike, in my view. But, I'm not a Christian, so I can only guess what IS Christianlike and what isn't. I hear about loving your neighbor as yourself. I hear about not doing something to somebody that you don't want done to yourselves....

I dunno. Maybe I'm not hearing you Christians correctly. Set me straight.

excon

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Ex,

HEY... homosexual activity is a sin according to the BIBLE... not according to me. I am so far from God's standard of right that it isn't even funny! But for me to vote for something that I know God has said no to IS WORNG. We should love our neighbor as ourselves and we should do unto to others... but all of that has to line up with what God has set as right and wrong. I can love my neighbor but if he asked me to drive the get away car when he robs a bank.. I got to say no.

The problem today is that people in general don't want God's standard. They don't WANT right and wrong and God FORBID you be polically incorrect and be a "CHRISTIAN" and stand for God's WORD. I can't count the times I have been called intolerant because I believe in right and wrong. I am NOT intolerant... I just believe God's word. I don't hate Gay's I don't hate people who have abortions... I don't hate anyone. I just couldn't VOTE for something that I know God said... don't do.


Synn-

Genesis 2:24 Therfore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh. That is the biblical definition of marriage.

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Originally Posted by Synnen

I'd like to know where in the Bible God gave the definition of marriage, actually.

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Synnen, that's one of the earliest things found in the bible and affirmed later.

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Gen 2:24

"But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.' "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." Mark 10:6-9

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Originally Posted by speechlesstx

So we're back to this again? No surprise, I agree entirely with tom. I still have this nagging question though, how CAN gay "marriage" be "equal" to heterosexual "marriage?" It can't, plain and simple. We can bestow all of the same rights and privileges and the two can never be "equal" so why can't we all be happy with civil "unions" and keeping "marriage" the religious institution it has been? I know, you're going to tell me it can be equal, but how? I thought we were supposed to celebrate our differences anyway, so why can't folks be happy with the obvious differences between gay unions and heterosexual marriages if the same rights and privileges apply?

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I will assume that your authority on what constitutes marriage is from the Bible. Yet, there are some Christian Churches who interpret the Bible differently and allow the marriage of two people of the same sex.

Tell me, who amongst Christianity settles what is truth and what isn't? The majority? Now that would be a slippery slope.

Obviously each church is subject to their own authority . People are free to go to whatever denomination they are most comfortable in .

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Originally Posted by TexasParent

I will assume that your authority on what constitutes marriage is from the Bible. Yet, there are some Christian Churches who interpret the Bible differently and allow the marriage of two people of the same sex.

Tell me, who amongst Christianity settles what is truth and what isn't? The majority? Now that would be a slippery slope.

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God's word is the final authority... not a Church and not the majority. If you look hard enough you can find a CHRUCH to stand for whatever you want it to. Doesn't make it right.

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Originally Posted by tomder55

Obviously each church is subject to their own authority . People are free to go to whatever denomination they are most comfortable in .

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Then why are you supporting the Government getting involved in telling those Churches who are OK with gay marriage that they can't marry gay couples? I thought right wingers didn't like Government involvement in people's lives?

Great answer, classy! So true.

Anyway, I have to say how I can't believe how nasty the OP has been through this topic. He asked for opinions, called on Christians to answer, and then slams everyone with a differing opinion.

I don 't think gays should be allowed to marry. Not even just from a Christian perspective, I just think it's unnatural. I also think the practice of gay marriage, if legal, would be greatly abused for financial gains. Being gay is a defect, obviously. All living things have one purpose-to reproduce. Just because the times we live in now, where a person can be a productive member of society without having kids, doesn't make being gay not a defect. Obviously, if you're attracted to the same sex, you can't reproduce, and therefore, in the natural world, you are useless.

And that is my opinion, and I think YOU are wrong, excon. What, did you fall in love with your cellie or something? Is this why you are asking?

If it is about morals and religion why am I allowed to get married? My wife and I are both flaming atheists.
In fact we purposely scrubbed the word god out of all of our marriage vows.
I guarantee that my marriage does more to frown on your religion then any couple that happens to be gay.

Or is that next on the agenda? First make sure marriage gets defined in the state as a religious contract. Then continue to narrow who can get married till only Christians of a certain type can get the benefits of marriage.

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Then why are you supporting the Government getting involved in telling those Churches who are OK with gay marriage that they can't marry gay couples?

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Did I say that ? No I did not . I made no opinion on churches that marry gay couples at all. What I did say was that marriage is a religious institution and that the state should not be involved in sanctioning them . I said the state instead should be certifiying unions of couples and calling it that.

Thank you for that definition.

I could get into the whole whose god's word is the final authority there are so many and where does that word come from and how do you verify that it is gods will. That's probably a topic for another thread though.