Marriage and Interpretation of Christian Values
Marriage is an important aspect when it comes to development of humanity in the world. Most religious and cultural beliefs pay more attention to the institution of marriage since it is the basis for development of future generation. Christianity explains marriage to be a sacred union of a man and a woman as explained in Genesis 2:24- 'for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh'. From this, we draw that Christianity hold on the belief that marriage is only supposed to be between a man and a woman. However, there have been development of other versions of marriages as people continue to explore the free space that has been created in the world of democracy and freedoms. The freedom has allowed people to develop interpretations of Christian values and guidelines to suit their needs and feelings. This has created conflicts in the Christianity world between those who feel that the bible should be interpreted directly as it is without any additions or manipulation of the loopholes and those who feel that interpretation of the bible should be done in a way that they can manipulate the spaces left. In this paper we are going to look on how the freedom in today’s society has allowed people to express themselves by manipulating all the available spaces.
Redefining Marriage and Same-Sex Unions
In today's world, there has been a general drive to redefine marriage in order to accommodate various people desires. People have come up with arguments to suggest that the bible does not explain clearly what marriage is and therefore various definitions have been developed to suite marriage and people's desires. Many organizations that support same sex marriages have come up with ideas to push the church to accept and accommodate the new and modern ways of life (Kanamori). Most of these arguments are normally based on several Old Testament laws which applicable in various distinct periods of times. The reality in the bible is hat marriage has been defined as a union between a man and a woman. Those who Oppose of same sex marriages have heavily relied on the biblical stories of man ever since creation where it is clearly indicated that God created a man and later a woman and in the later stages, the union between Adam and Eve gave rise to other human beings through procreation. Same sex unions however cannot support procreation and as such it can only serve the desires of the interested parties but it cannot serve the will of God. On the other hand, Christianity and the church have been pushed to allow all people regardless of their sexuality on the basis of human rights and open society.
Biblical Interpretations: Sodomy and Leviticus
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 is where the term sodomy originated. Sodomy is used to describe a sexual union between men. The story of Sodom is about men who seek to rape two visitors who had visited Lot but they were given Lots daughters who were virgins to rape in place the two visitors who were angles. Supporters of same sex marriages use this incident to argue that same sex was never the issue but the condemnation related to the incident was the intent to rape the two angles. From the story, it is evident that people of Sodom and Gomorrah practiced same sex unions. Leviticus 18:22 and 20:30 is another biblical stand that is normally used by people who support same sex unions (Kanamori). This verse warns that a man lying with another man instead of his wife is abominable. This has been used by many Christians to mean that same sex union is wrong and ungodly. However supporters of same sex unions have argued that this verse only targets those committing extra marital affairs and not same sex unions in that it addresses a person having a sexual relation with another person who is not the marriage partner or wife (olson,cadge&Harrison). In the New Testament, Apostle Paul clearly puts it that homosexuals shall not inherit the kingdom of god if they do not change their ways.
Clarity in the Bible and Acceptance of Same-Sex Unions
From all these scenarios we can conclude that the bible doesn't give a clear direction of what same sex union is and whether it should be condemned or not. This is what the supporters of same sex have used to claim their position in the church. The bible majorly addresses issues to do with justice, equality and fair treatment of other people. Arguments have been fronted that biblical marriage is meant to promote sexual morality in the society and as such it cannot be used as the basis of condemning homosexuality.
The Church and the Acceptance of Same-Sex Unions
In today's society, the church has been pushed to accept people who practice same sex unions on the basis of observing the aspect of human rights. Various organizations have emerged to support the wellbeing of the homosexuals' against harassment from the rest of the society. In the United States of America, majority of the population are Christians and therefore people who practice same sex marriages have been facing discrimination from various quotas in a manner that affects their humanity. Supporters of same sex marriages have even pursued legal institutions to legalize their sexuality and cement their place in the society (Bramlett). The aspect of humanity and the support of legal structures have pushed religious to somehow support and embrace same sex marriages. There are also some churches that have even gone to the extent of appointing people in same sex marriages as priests and pastors and this has opened doors for other people who ascribe to same sex marriages to come out in the open since they no longer live in fear of discrimination. Today, churches have begun to accept all people regardless of sexuality based on the argument that all people embrace Christianity to seek the grace of god and therefore the church should be open for all (Bramlett).The bible has got so many rules and most of them are not adhered to by Christians for example, shaving of beards, eating pork among others. Homosexuality however has not been directly condemned by the bible and this has enabled the homosexuals to develop a good foundation in protecting their space in the society. The bible has got many gaps when it comes to same sex unions and as such it has allowed people to navigate their arguments and create space for their interests.
The Church's Teachings and Homosexuality
The church's teachings are based on the natural law in that marriage should be between a man and a woman as designed by God. According to Christianity, sexuality is meant to unite two people of the opposite sex and give room for procreation. The church, however has accepted homosexuals as a way of trying to teach them the will of God. The teachings of the bible do not condone homosexuality and therefore there is no room for the church to normalize and support it. However churches have been pulling and accepting the homosexuals into the church in order to reduce instances of discrimination that may push them further away from the will of God.
References
Dormor, D. J. (2017) ‘“Like Gender, Organised Religion Is a Complex Matter”: The Growing Acceptance of Transgender People in Protestant Christianity’, Modern Believing, 58(4), pp. 373–391. doi: 10.3828/mb.2017.25.
Kanamori, Y., Cornelius-white, J., Pegors, T. K., Daniel, T., & Hulgus, J. (2017). Development and validation of the transgender attitudes and beliefs scale.Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46(5), 1503-1515. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.regent.edu:2048/10.1007/s10508-016-0840-1
Landsittel, S. (2010). STRANGE BEDFELLOWS? SEX, RELIGION, AND TRANSGENDER IDENTITY UNDER TITLE VII. Northwestern University Law Review, 104(3), 1147-1177. Retrieved from http://eres.regent.edu:2048/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.regent.edu/docview/840558711?accountid=13479
BRAMLETT, B. H. (2012) ‘The Cross-Pressures of Religion and Contact with Gays and Lesbians, and Their Impact on Same-Sex Marriage Opinion’, Politics & Policy, 40(1), pp. 13–42. doi: 10.1111/j.1747-1346.2011.00337.x.
Olson, L., Cadge, W., & Harrison, J. (2006). Religion and Public Opinion about Same-Sex Marriage. Social Science Quarterly,87(2), 340-360. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.regent.edu:2048/stable/42956127
