Maine and California are both dealing the possible overturning of gay marriage laws. In California everyone waits to see if the state supreme court will overturn a popularly passed ban on same-sex marriage. In Maine we wait to see if enough signatures are gathered to put a people's veto of the new same-sex marriage bill on the fall ballot.
As a church, we have really struggled with this whole issue. In a few weeks we are going to be looking in depth at how we relate to this culture. In the meantime, I thought I would share a few thoughts.
- It is entirely appropriate as American citizens for us to express our beliefs including ones that were considered mainstream for most of this country's history.
- Why do we think that the state can define marriage? Marriage was created by God and sanctioned by the church. Many governments over the years have chosen to recognize marriage and grant it benefits. The state can grant those same rights to other groups of people but it can't change what it did not create.
When I, as a minister of the gospel, join two people in marriage, it is before God. The fact that the state recognizes that is besides the point. I don't accept the state's definition of many things; why should marriage be any different?
