President Obama on same sex marriage

President Obama on same sex marriage-God is in the Mix.

“I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman,” Obama told Rick Warren. “Now, for me as a Christian, it’s also a sacred union. You know, God’s in the mix.”

Obama on Wednesday said his views on same-sex marriage have evolved and he openly offered his support for lesbians and gays to enter into that “sacred union” where “God’s in the mix.”

Obama set off a firestorm on Wednesday when he told ABC News, “It is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.”

President Obama's position on the issue of marriage became an issue earlier this week after Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan each stated their support for same-sex marriage. The comments were applauded by advocates for same-sex marriage who hoped that the President would also speak out in favour of it.

The Word of God is not evolving.  Its already been settled in heaven for eternity!. You can take scripture out of context and make it say anything you want to.  No where in the Bible does it even address "same sex marriage" - it addresses the sin of homosexuality that wants this.  Jesus settled this issue in Matthew 19:4-6 "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."  Jesus is saying marriage is between a man and a woman.  You can't take that out of context Mr. President, judges, Democrats and Republicans and distort it.

 Jim Campbell, litigation staff counsel at the Alliance Defence fund, said the about-face shows that the Obama administration doesn’t understand the public purpose of marriage. “Marriage—the lifelong, faithful union of one man and one woman—is the building block of a thriving society. It’s not something that politicians should attempt to redefine for political purposes,” Campbell said. “The president has spoken eloquently about how fatherless homes often hurt children and society. [His] statement is a tragic contradiction that promotes the creation of even more fatherless and motherless homes.”

Question: "What does the Bible say about gay marriage / same sex marriage?"

Answer: While the Bible does address homosexuality, it does not explicitly mention gay marriage/same-sex marriage. It is clear, however, that the Bible condemns homosexuality as an immoral and unnatural sin. Leviticus 18:22 identifies homosexual sex as an abomination, a detestable sin. Romans 1:26-27 declares homosexual desires and actions to be shameful, unnatural, lustful, and indecent. First Corinthians 6:9 states that homosexuals are unrighteous and will not inherit the kingdom of God. Since both homosexual desires and actions are condemned in the Bible, it is clear that homosexuals “marrying” is not God’s will, and would be, in fact, sinful.

Whenever the Bible mentions marriage, it is between a male and a female. The first mention of marriage, Genesis 2:24, describes it as a man leaving his parents and being united to his wife. In passages that contain instructions regarding marriage, such as 1 Corinthians 7:2-16 and Ephesians 5:23-33, the Bible clearly identifies marriage as being between a man and a woman. Biblically speaking, marriage is the lifetime union of a man and a woman, primarily for the purpose of building a family and providing a stable environment for that family.

The Bible alone, however, does not have to be used to demonstrate this understanding of marriage. The biblical viewpoint of marriage has been the universal understanding of marriage in every human civilization in world history. History argues against gay marriage. Modern secular psychology recognizes that men and women are psychologically and emotionally designed to complement one another. In regard to the family, psychologists contend that a union between a man and woman in which both spouses serve as good gender role models is the best environment in which to raise well-adjusted children. Psychology argues against gay marriage. In nature/physicality, clearly, men and women were designed to “fit” together sexually. With the “natural” purpose of sexual intercourse being procreation, clearly only a sexual relationship between a man and a woman can fulfill this purpose. Nature argues against gay marriage.

So, if the Bible, history, psychology, and nature all argue for marriage being between a man and a woman—why is there such a controversy today? Why are those who are opposed to gay marriage/same-sex marriage labelled as hateful, intolerant bigots, no matter how respectfully the opposition is presented? Why is the gay rights movement so aggressively pushing for gay marriage/same-sex marriage when most people, religious and non-religious, are supportive of—or at least far less opposed to—gay couples having all the same legal rights as married couples with some form of civil union?

The answer, according to the Bible, is that everyone inherently knows that homosexuality is immoral and unnatural, and the only way to suppress this inherent knowledge is by normalizing homosexuality and attacking any and all opposition to it. The best way to normalize homosexuality is by placing gay marriage/same-sex marriage on an equal plane with traditional opposite-gender marriage. Romans 1:18-32 illustrates this. The truth is known because God has made it plain. The truth is rejected and replaced with a lie. The lie is then promoted and the truth suppressed and attacked. The vehemence and anger expressed by many in the gay rights movement to any who oppose them is, in fact, an indication that they know their position is indefensible. Trying to overcome a weak position by raising your voice is the oldest trick in the debating book. There is perhaps no more accurate description of the modern gay rights agenda than Romans 1:31, “they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.”

To give sanction to gay marriage/same-sex marriage would be to give approval to the homosexual lifestyle, which the Bible clearly and consistently condemns as sinful. Christians should stand firmly against the idea of gay marriage/same-sex marriage. Further, there are strong and logical arguments against gay marriage/same-sex marriage from contexts completely separated from the Bible. One does not have to be an evangelical Christian to recognize that marriage is between a man and a woman.

According to the Bible, marriage is ordained by God to be between a man and a woman (Genesis 2:21-24; Matthew 19:4-6). Gay marriage/same-sex marriage is a perversion of the institution of marriage and an offense to the God who created marriage. As Christians, we are not to condone or ignore sin. Rather, we are to share the love of God and the forgiveness of sins that is available to all, including homosexuals, through Jesus Christ. We are to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) and contend for truth with “gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). As Christians, when we make a stand for truth and the result is personal attacks, insults, and persecution, we should remember the words of Jesus: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15:18-19).

Our life in Christ is constituted by repentance.  If we are to be faithful Christians, we must be constantly turning toward God, away from our sins and passions, realizing the seriousness of our sin in a spirit of repentance, and striving to change our lives.  We cannot approach the Holy Mysteries without living a life of repentance, and examining our consciences and confessing our sins. When we have fallen, we repent, and try to stop our sinful behaviour. Otherwise, we risk communing unto judgment and condemnation. This discipline of the Christian life leads to salvation, enlightenment and the healing of our souls. We must be faithful to that discipline of life, if we are to call ourselves Orthodox Christians.

We are all called as Christians to live a life of chastity, pleasing to the Lord, married or single.  If we are Christians we are all called, whatever our attractions or past habits, to the same saving discipline that will heal our souls.  Otherwise we are living in hypocrisy, a living death; just as when we judge others struggling with their sins.  This has been delivered to us from the Apostles and Holy Fathers, and remains unchanged to this day. The Orthodox teaching on chastity and Christian marriage is a fundamental element in Christian life and discipline.  We are called to conform our lives to the Church and its disciplines, not alter the teachings of the Church to fit either a cultural fad or our own passions.  Where we stand against the prevailing cultural trends, we must stand fast, because we know that obedience to the Church’s teaching leads us to communion with God and eternal life; and disobedience leads to alienation from God, spiritual death.

The Lord says that regarding any sinful behaviour (including homosexuality), practicing Christians should speak the truth in love, God's Word the only truth there is. What homosexuals are failing to realize is that when a Christian points them to the truth of God's Word and how they must confess and abandon their sin or suffer the eternal consequence of their rebellion and disobedience, those pointing the way of salvation are the only ones who truly love them. It may take lots of time, prayer and witnessing, even while those who desperately need deliverance act out, become angry, accuse, shout and call names, etc., although staying in the fight and steadfastly continuing to speak the truth in love regardless of anything else is what Christians must continue to do, the church and all the angels of Heaven rejoicing over a single rescued sinner who finally sees the light and comes into the fold. God give us strength to daily fight the good fight of faith!

Dr Michael Youssef from the Apostolic Church in Atlanta says but although I love them enough to appeal for their repentance so they can be restored in fellowship with God, they trample this type of love underfoot. They say, “You cannot accept me without accepting, approving, and even celebrating my sin.”

If we want to please the Lord, and if we believe that obeying His Word is a matter of life and death, then we must not fall for that trap.

Like our Christian forbearers, we must ask: Do we obey God or Caesar? Do we sell our birthright in exchange for acceptance by those who reject the authority of God? Do we abandon our convictions (at our immeasurable cost) for the approval of society?

The deliberate and definitive answer to those questions must always be: God’s Word must be obeyed over the trends of culture and the perceived need to give Christianity a “good” image.

If anyone insists that we must accept their argument or else be called names, the answer is found in Matthew 5:11: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”

We must stand on the solid rock of Jesus Christ and not the sinking sand of the world. For those who are faithful to the Word of God, we can say with Martin Luther, “Here we stand. We can do no other.”

Blessings!

Raj Kosaraju