Recently married in the state of Connecticut, my partner and I spent hours with family, friends, clergy, and liturgical experts crafting a service that would express out commitment to one another and also be a holyspace of joy and celebration. We combined our cultures -- Black and White -- in a service of welcome to those gathered to the world we are committed to cherishing and growing as a space of Spirit and justice wrapped in love and passion. Our service, without our thinking about it consciously, did not look like a traditional wedding service. Yes, we had some of the traditional elements, but we wanted to invite those gathered into our understanding of the sacred, our values, our hopes, our sense of how justice can and must have loving and celebratory leaning. And although both of us were surprised, to varying extents, to find that the relationship we seek to acknowledge we are building is that of marriage, we could find no other name for it so we have set out to live into our vows and vision for ourselves. We are both clear that we do not to conform to the standard text of marriage, but we want to find ways to breath new air and life into what it means to be married not only by the state, but even more so in the eyes of the Holy Spirit; to be committed for a life time; and to grow old and be those kind of old ladies that we so admired when we were children -- truth tellers, wise, independent, but fiercely engaged in the communities they were a part of.
Folks approach gay marriage from a variety of perspectives -- moral, theological, social, political. As a Christian social ethicist with womanist leanings, I am clear that the Bible says precious little about same sex relationships, though it appears to have a bit more to say about acts but even that is muddled. I am also clear that although God judges our acts, God does so out of love and mercy and would much rather spend holy time applauding our attempts at humanity than smiting our behavior. The acceptance of gay marriage (even gays who do not believe in marriage) was evident at our ceremony -- both of our families, a variety of racial ethnic groups and nationalities, differing sexualities, same sex couples who are married -- some with children, others not, children, traditional nuclear families, the list went on and on. The sanctuary and the dinner and dancing that followed was one of joy and celebration -- not so much for us as a same-sex couple, but because of our love for one another and trying to share that with others. Politically, it is disheartening to see out love, care, compassion and commitment to one another be made into a political football by the right and the left. The bottom line for me is not "gay marriage" but "marriage." When folks, whoever they may be, find that the only word that expresses the commitment they make to one another is marriage -- we should celebrate this and give them all the support we can for it is no small thing to live out vows that are marked by "forever."
Yes, there is so much more to it when two people make a life long commitment to love each other and stand by one another. It takes attention, care, respect, and a willingness to make mistakes and atone for them. As we have, many times now, remembered parts of our wedding ceremony and the days before it as family gathered around us and the days after it as family and friends began to leave; one of the many emotions I carry with me about my marriage ceremony and the marriage we arebuilding as two people who are also lesbians in a mixed race couple is joy. Joy filled the sanctuary, the space of dinner and dancing, our home we are building together, and it now fills the dailyness of our lives.
Steven Cohen: Obama's Small but Powerful Push for Immigration Reform
Rev. Kent H. Little, senior minister College Hill UMC Wichita, Kansas.
You can do all the things you dream of even if it turns out there really is no "Holy Spirit."
Since the bible thumpers are strong in numbers and are going to fight gay marriage or same-sex unions --- by whatever name -- for a long time to come, and, in doing so, delay national recognition of the equality of those same-sex unions, and
Since other words in the English language (supposedly) have "equal" but gender-specific meaning (he, she; him, her; man, woman) and
As long as the words meaning a union between two people were backed up with laws guaranteeing EQUAL rights for the two kinds of unions,
Would it be acceptable to the gay community to the use the terms:
"marriage" as a union between a man and a woman; and
"marriaje" between any two people of the same gender?
or some other term w/EQUAL right under law?
But, as things stand now, your 'proposal' re: "marriaje" is more like a 'mirage'.
What would be the purpose of dreaming up a separate institution that, in efffect, provides exactly the same thing ("guaranteeing EQUAL rights") that what we have now - marriage - already provides???
What a waste of the Legislatures that would be.
A very good observation but you did not follow through in the context of Jesus’ mission.
He also said, ““Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Voicing her humble pleading for mercy and her belief in Him as the Savior of sinners, Jesus spoke His words of absolution. Neither would He condemn her, although He, the Sinless One, might well have done so; not the death, but the life of sinners, was the object of Christ's work. But He adds an emphatic warning that she should go, and leave her life of sin. Those who sin after receiving the grace of the Savior, that willfully and deliberately persist in spurning the merciful love of the Redeemer of which He once became the partaker, has only himself to blame for the eternal consequences.
God is just a concept. You're in charge of your mind. Please realize this, and we can all focus on the world we live in now, and forget about the world our many thousands of year old dead ancestors lived in.
It's because scripture is weapon and shield. And you can use it to do good, or to hurt. And frankly, lazy and narrow-minded people like you only know how to wield it for the latter purpose.
For ONE second, forget scripture. forget what some rich, well-fed priest told you and think. THINK!! If a god created us, if a god loves us. Would he not wish for us to be happy, to treat each other as we would wish to be treated? Or would he want you to kill all that do not agree with us? Because it's the latter, well... We might as well blow up the planet and call it a day.
Forget sin. Forget unholiness. BE HUMAN for ONE SECOND!
I suspect you are lying; I believe you delight in gossiping about others; 'sin' behind their backs.
Besides, others lives are none of your business.
Acts 5:3-4 But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land? While it remained, was it not your own? and after it was sold, was it not in your own power? why have you conceived this thing in your heart? you have not lied unto men, but unto God.
America is NOT a theocracy. And you judgemental Christianists just seem to hate that.
Some states allow it, but your attempts with the Holy Spirit will certainly fall on deaf ears.
Before and after the turn of the 2000 century marriage was mainly to secure and maintain propertry, prestige and to produce heirs. Men were to be the bread winners leaving the wife souly responsible for raising children. Many had seperate bedchambers since the husband was often away and the wife busy pregnant, nursing and rearing children. In fact it was quite common and expected for married couples to have lovers and mistresses. Very often bastard children were produced yet they were not usually acknowledged as legitimate heirs, leaving them and their parent to fend for themselves. Orphanages were usualy filled with these bastard offspring. Yet the Church and society was quite okay with this arrangement for that is how society functioned. They just never completely openly admited it.
Compared to that, quite frankly I think god would approve on a geniune loving married couple regardless of gender.
Yep.
And various popes produced a lot of those bastard children.
---"There is a way that APPEARS to be right...[even yours] but in the end it leads to death"
I am all for the fight for marriage equality. I am bored however of the attempts to pretend Christianity is welcoming of loving same sex relationships by vague reference to one of the bits of the bible that doesn't preach hatred or intolerance.
I know you are painfully aware there is so much more at stake than the word"marriage". There is an almost criminal lack in legal rights for the gay couple when it comes to medical, legal, child and financial matters. Without full legal rights a gay couple stands to lose their home, children and financial security if a catastrophic event happens. As a hospice provider I saw committed, long term partners lose everything they had worked and saved for when their partner died of AIDS because the law favors extended family. In one case, the family who got the house, car and even the dog- hadn't spoken to the deceased in 15 years because they disowned him when he came out!
Rights are being violated, families and lives destroyed and it horrifies me that we stand by and let it happen in the name of religion.
Just my opinion.
Same-sex marriage is not just a right. It acknowledges the love and commitment of two people, regardless of sex.
As to the silence on gay marriage in the Bible, this is true, but I think both Jesus and Paul support marriage equality, which makes gender irrelevant and love the point. Here's my unpacking of their positions:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rita-nakashima-brock-ph-d/judge-walker-and-the-bibl_b_682595.html
For someone who claims to be a theologian and educator and not see that Paul was not a misogynistic character defies reality.