Where should we, as Christians, stand on gay marriage? What is a Christian rponse to the same-sex marriage bate?
Contents:
- WHERE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, OTHER RELIGNS STAND ON GAY MARRIAGE
- SAME BIBLE, DIFFERENT VERDICT ON GAY MARRIAGE
- GAY MARRIAGE: THEOLOGIL AND MORAL ARGUMENTS
- SECTN 2: KNOWG GAYS AND LBIANS, RELIG CONFLICTS, BELIEFS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALY
- WHERE SHOULD WE, AS CHRISTIANS, STAND ON GAY MARRIAGE?
WHERE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, OTHER RELIGNS STAND ON GAY MARRIAGE
The Supreme Court lg earlier this year legalizg same-sex marriage natnwi has ntued to raise qutns about how the cisn will affect relig groups – pecially those that rema opposed to allowg gay and lbian upl to wed. ) (not to be nfed wh the Prbyterian Church Ameri, which oppos same-sex marriage) and the Epispal Church have wrtled wh the issue for years, often as part of a larger bate on the role of gays and lbians the church.
Schaefer’s se has spl the church, wh some clergy floutg the l and marryg same-sex upl and other, more nservative members threateng to leave if the church do not hold to s current l prohibg gay marriage. Overall, a solid majory of whe male Prottants (62%) now favor allowg gays and lbians to wed, wh jt 33% opposed, acrdg to a 2015 Pew Rearch Center survey. In 2003, when Massachetts beme the first state to legalize same-sex marriage, nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of religly unaffiliated Amerins supported same-sex marriage, but there were no major relig groups which a majory favored allowg gay and lbian upl to marry.
And while the Catholic Church officially oppos the legalizatn of same-sex marriage, about six ten whe (61 percent), Hispanic (60 percent), and other non-whe Catholics (60 percent) support allowg gay and lbian upl to marry legally.
SAME BIBLE, DIFFERENT VERDICT ON GAY MARRIAGE
On the other si of the bate, majori of Jehovah’s Wns (75 percent), Mormons (68 percent), whe evangelil Prottants (66 percent), Hispanic Prottants (58 percent), and black Prottants (54 percent) oppose allowg gay and lbian upl to marry legally. Pope Francis ma news recently by voicg his support for same-sex civil unns – legal arrangements that give gay and lbian upl many of the same rights as married oppose-sex upl. The statement stck many observers as a shift for the Vatin – which 2003 me out agast any “legal regnn of homosexual unns” – even as Francis did not change his long-standg opposn to gay marriage.
GAY MARRIAGE: THEOLOGIL AND MORAL ARGUMENTS
Around the world, Catholics vary their support for same-sex marriage and their acceptance of homosexualy general, acrdg to Pew Rearch Center surveys nducted recent years.
In the wake of Pope Francis’ recent ment about same-sex civil unns, Pew Rearch Center nducted this analysis to better unrstand what Catholics around the world thk about legal regnn for same-sex upl and homosexualy general. The term “homosexualy, ” while sometim nsired anachronistic the current era, is the most applible and easily translatable term to e when askg this qutn across societi and languag and has been ed other cross-natnal studi, cludg the World Valu Survey. In Swzerland and Italy – which allow civil unns but not marriage for gay upl – 76% and 57% of Catholics, rpectively, said 2017 that they support gay marriage.
SECTN 2: KNOWG GAYS AND LBIANS, RELIG CONFLICTS, BELIEFS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALY
Other untri around the world where most Catholics said society should be acceptg of homosexualy clud Spa (91%), Atralia (81%), the Philipp (80%) and South Ai (62%). In Eastern Europe, acceptance was weaker, wh roughly half or fewer of Catholics sayg that homosexualy should be accepted by society Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Lhuania. In Argenta, Brazil, Germany, Mexi and the Philipp, Catholics are somewhat more likely than non-Catholics to say that homosexualy should be accepted by society.
The Catholic Church teach that “homosexual acts are trsilly disorred” and lls on gay people to practice “chasty, ” though also lls on Catholics to treat gay men and women wh “rpect, passn and sensivy.
In 2005, the erng body of the Amerin Baptist Church USA affirmed that “God’s sign for sexual timacy plac wh the ntext of marriage between one man and one woman” and that “homosexualy is patible wh Biblil teachg.
WHERE SHOULD WE, AS CHRISTIANS, STAND ON GAY MARRIAGE?
” In 2006, the church’s Pacific Southwt regnal board (which clus church California, Hawaii, Nevada and Arizona) spl om the nomatn bee the nomatn’s natnal learship cled to penalize ngregatns that weled openly gay members.
” In 2003, the nference stated that “what are lled ‘homosexual unns’ [nnot be given the stat of marriage] bee they do not exprs full human plementary and bee they are herently nonprocreative. In 2006 the church stated s “support of gay and lbian persons and [opposn to] any state or feral nstutnal amendment” prohibg same-sex marriag or civil unns (Rolutn A095). ” At s 2010 natnal nventn, the LCMS rpond to the Evangelil Lutheran Church Ameri’s 2009 cisn (which gave ELCA ngregatns the optn to support lifelong, monogamo, same-sex relatnships) by rtatg the LCMS posn that homosexualy is a s “ any and all suatns” and by enuragg the ELCA to rensir s cisn.
It lled on “Southern Baptists not only to stand agast same-sex unns but to monstrate our love for those practicg homosexualy by sharg wh them the fivg and transformg power of the gospel of J Christ (1 Corthians 6:9-11). ” In 2012, at s annual nventn, church reprentativ passed a rolutn once aga affirmg s opposn to same-sex marriage and statg that gay marriage is not “a civil rights issue.