One Christian's View on The Virginia Marriage Amendment

There will be on the November ballot an amendment proposal to insure that gays and lesbians in Virgina will NEVER EVER be granted equal citizenship rights in Virginia. And there are in the blogosphere ongoing debates about this proposed amendment by both sides of the argument. I direct you to one crusading Virginian who anonymously runs a blog called Virginia Conservative Analysis and let you, the reader, make your own conclusions. But the following is my response to his insistence that he knows "that marriage is a sacred institution bestowed by God, and I know what it was meant for".

This is too important a matter for the voting public not to be informed and I suggest readers share this post with Christian associates who may find that there is even very little Biblical basis for such outrageous legislation

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hr_conservative, I appreciate the verses you supplied. As a fellow Christian, I too read my Bible and I would like to share a verse or two with you. For example, from the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 14 33-35:

33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law.

35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

Now if we are to take the Bible as our basis for how we live our lives, then we must give credence to the Pauline epistles.

As a student at the University of Richmond, I was privy to the Virginia Baptist Historical Society that is located there, and which, among other things, is a repository of many of the historical sermon texts used by Virginia Baptists, including sermons that used this aforementioned text to preach against the advisability of women’s suffrage. I could go on to illustrate many sermons in their collection that gave Biblical defense to slavery and sermons that reviled mixed marriages.

This does not invalidate the Bible for me, for I believe that God gave me a mind and that He gave it to me for a reason – and that reason is that I could be responsible for my life, to take responsibility for my spiritual and moral decisions, and to read the scripture in concert with my reason.

I appreciate that you have stated that ‘By the way, why would I even start a blog if I wanted to be in a place "that only your views are respected."???”,’ as a response on your blog to someone who suggested that you are not particularly open on your blog to debate or to responding to opposing arguments. Certainly I respect that you want to be reasonable and open to truth and that there may be other points of view that you are willing to consider. Even earlier Christians eventually accepted that the Earth is not the center of the universe nor is it flat.

And in the spirit of your availability to discussion I would like to suggest this online video which, while it is a bit unconventional and does not represent my point of view, does suggest by its unconventionality, a view held by many of the “Vote NO” advocates and so you may want to view it in order to defend against it.

And finally I will share with you a theological take on Biblical homosexuality admonition, from a Doctor of Theology from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY, 1968. Southern Baptist Pastor from 1953 to 1973, Professor of Religion at Baptist College of Charleston, SC, 1973-1981. I suspect none of this will change your view or your crusade against homosexual marriage amendments but it may suggest to others who follow you that there is another Christian path also traveled.