Gay Marriage

By G. E. Shuman

This is a subject I have not mentioned in this column in the past. There is a reason for that. My writing, hopefully, is something that people enjoy reading, and look forward to. That is the purpose of what I do here in the paper. It is meant to be nothing more than that. I am certainly no expert on the subject of gay marriage or gay anything else. That being the case, broaching a subject like this one is probably not a wise thing to do here, but I do have strong opinions about it, and feel compelled to share them. I do this sharing knowing that what I say will change not even one reader’s opinion on that subject. People have very strong feelings in this area, and taking on the job of writing about it is sort of like running for political office. Even if you win, you lose, as you know that about half of the people who voted, disagreed with you, and your stands.
Having said that, I will now express my opinion of gay marriage. My opinion is, simply, that gay marriage is not possible. That is, that it is not possible without changing the accepted meaning of the word ‘marriage’. My further opinion is that changing that meaning is something we should not do.

If you have read this column religiously at all, you know that, along with being a social and political conservative, I am a religious conservative. As such, I was raised to believe that a homosexual lifestyle, although none of my business, and not a crime, is wrong. (Try saying that five times fast, in Vermont, and see where it gets you. Remember, this is an opinion column.) No, I do not believe in the existence of a gay gene. Sorry. Yes, I do believe that the gay lifestyle is inconsistent, to say the least, with what God intended for humanity. But I also was taught, from childhood, that I am no man’s (or woman’s) judge. How a person, and I mean any person, lives, is entirely their concern, and I am to respect that. What gay people do in their homes is nothing at all of my business, and I wish it to stay that way.

I could go on here to say that gay people have precisely the same rights that I have, and that includes marital rights, as that is a true statement. I have the right to marry someone of the opposite sex, and only someone of the opposite sex. Gay people have that same right. I said that I could say that. My problem is that I do not want to seem uncaring, as I am truly not uncaring. I am not homophobic, and have not one thing against any gay person. I just do not believe that marriage is something for two people of the same sex. Why does it have to be? Why are we being asked to accept it?

I have known many Christian pastors over the years. Some have been more conservative than others. Some have been more charismatic than others. None I have known would ever consider presiding over the marriage of a gay couple. There is a very good reason for this. The reason is that it requires an ultra-liberal church leader to go totally against the teachings of the Bible, and marry two people of the same sex, no matter what the laws of the state say. Just because something is legal, does not necessarily make it right. I’m not much into defiance, but I do defy any minister to study the story of God’s judgment on Sodom, and still, in good conscience, facilitate same sex marriage. I also wonder why gay people care at all about being accepted, as married, by the church in the first place.

If you are someone considering gay marriage when, (not if) our state condones that practice and upholds it by law, I am not here to judge you. As a Christian, I am here to love you. Please just don’t ask me to agree with you.