Let me get right to the point.
You cannot discuss marriage, regardless the persuasion (e.g. heterosexual, homosexual, etc.) without integrating God into the debate. You cannot. Why? Because marriage is not a man-made concept to begin with. This is underscored by the fact that arguments are being made today before the United States Supreme Court on whether or not two people of the same sex should be allowed to marry and be legally recognized as such in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
The truth is that the nature of mankind is such that he would never conceive of such an institution as marriage in the first place because, by definition, it would prohibit him from engaging in the very behavioral practices in which he himself desires to engage. If anything, he would simply choose to mimic the behavior of those who are married, albeit without the legal requisites that accompany it – as millions of couples already do today. In other words, “free love.” Or, as the old song goes, “love the one you’re with.”
It wasn’t that Adam “preferred” Eve. Their coming together as husband and wife was God’s idea, not Adam’s.
In the debate over homosexual marriage, you cannot separate God’s purpose for marriage from that of man’s preference for marriage.
Regardless of one’s preference of whom to marry, a primary reason why couples desire to marry in the first place is because they recognize that there is some purpose in it, one that goes far beyond that of simply “being in love” or cohabitating for reasons of convenience (i.e. financial considerations), either of which could easily be accomplished without entering into a formal marriage relationship. But, our problem is that, because we refuse to accept the parameters by which God has defined and structured the marital union, we’ve chosen to exalt preference above purpose and, consequently, made the latter to now be of greater significance than the former.
That marriage is defined by the God of the Bible as an earthly union between one heterosexual man and one heterosexual woman (that I even have to stipulate ‘heterosexual’ is a sad commentary on how far we’ve fallen as a society) is not a definition predicated on preference, but purpose. God’s purpose. Remember, it wasn’t Adam’s “preference” of Eve that brought them together. Their coming together as husband and wife was God’s idea, not Adam’s.
To say the Supreme Court would be setting a dangerous precedent by ruling that homosexual marriage has the same legal standing as traditional (heterosexual) marriage would be the understatement of the year, because it would be a decision based solely on preference, and in that context, how could you then refuse the individual who desires to “marry” anyone – or anything – he or she chooses?
The answer is, you can’t.
May God have mercy on us!
DBH
