In all my time here blogging as a Christian liberty-minded individual, I’ve never seriously addressed one of the major societal issues (or not): homosexuality. This is one of those bogeymen that cause liberty-minded like me to be targeted by the anointed right-wing as some kind of monster. When I say that marriage is of no business to the state, suddenly I am a supporter of gay marriage, polygamy, and some obscure ritual involving Odin, a muskrat, and Michael Jackson (yeah, it’s that horrible).
On the other side, because I am a Christian, I am a bigot for not accepting behaviors that are clearly outlined as sinful in the Bible. Needless to say, I am a firm believer that the political spectrum is not a fine line, but much more complex than that. The gay Left is probably one of the more frightening wing of the Left-wing only because they have a huge chip on their shoulder, lots of disposable income, and enough friends in high places to cause some real damage through the state.
So I find myself having to explain how I view the world over and over again. Unfortunately, I may be somewhat of a debate masochist here as these people don’t giving a flying rat’s butt about my opinions. But I guess that’s what blogging is for.
The truth is, I don’t care all that much for gay men and women. At least not the ones who have rejected the salvation of Jesus. Those without Jesus can live the way they desire for all I care, provided that it is honest and peaceful. This includes people of all sinful persuasions, not just the gay ones, and I have no desire to force my standards on anyone who doesn’t claim that Jesus is Lord. There is no point in doing so because they are not under His Grace and therefore should not be fought on those grounds.
When you talk with true-believing Christians, you almost never find a testimony having to do with conversion because of the rules and standards that Christians live by. It’s always about the transforming power of Jesus and has absolutely nothing to do with some Pharisee telling them that they can’t do that.
So for all you gay marriage supporters, understand that I oppose all government intrusion into this sacred and private contract between individuals. This includes all other forms of marriage as well. As a Christian, I believe that marriage is a union between a woman and a man in order to enrich each other by sharing each other’s lives. And frankly, I don’t see why I have to swear an oath before the government first and not to God. Isn’t that a little insulting to Him and presumptive for the state to demand an oath before you voluntarily submit one to God?
For all you Christians out there who support these pointless social causes, isn’t a little much to demand that the state impose your sense of values? A much better solution would be to demonstrate that your values are superior in the marketplace of ideas, not though the force of the state. C.S. Lewis did say in Mere Christianity that the state should have separate rules for these matters anyway because the state does not operate with the same moral code that God does.
I think the problem with both sides of these issues is that they can’t conceive of a world where the government doesn’t impose values on everyone else. Either that or they both simply are afraid of what the other will do once the government finally says it’s had enough. For some reason, many people seem to be unable of imagining the alternates. It won’t be perfect, but it could be much better.
Let’s all take that risk.