Just in case you've been hiding under a rock, throngs of people are gathered today and tomorrow in DC as the Supreme Court hears testimony regarding the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8. People across the US are supporting marriage equality, even if only by changing their profile picture on facebook.
I was scrolling through my newsfeed, and saw a link to an article with the 60 best signs from the rally today.
This one caught my eye, because it's something I've been thinking about lately:
Maybe I've been hanging out too hard with my thesis, or ethics class, or certain great people, but the legal case against gay marriage kind of blows. I think we're kidding ourselves if we think it's strong. The issue then comes down to a specific code of morality. Sometimes we have to legislate morality, for example, murder. But I don't think all kinds of morality can be legislated, especially when they have no distinct, compelling universal necessity to them.
I like this sign a whole lot, actually, because divorce is a serious issue both in our society and in the Bible. And it has already been proven to have the possibility of significant ramifications for those whose parents divorce. But if our case against gay marriage is biblical, the biblical case against divorce is even greater. This weekend, my friend Christina said something very poignant about divorce. She said, "If marriage is the gospel, that means you don't quit. You don't stop pursuing". The beauty of the sanctity of marriage rests in the fact that it is a metaphor revealed in the book of Hosea, as well as Isaiah and Revelation for God's great love for us in Christ. Divorce, then, stains the glory of the gospel in our world.
That being said, there aren't serious legal grounds against divorce. If there were, half of this country would be in a pretty crazy limbo right now.
The biblical standard isn't about marriage, it's about purity. Purity is about sanctification. It's about holiness. And it's personal. The Lord convicts each of us differently, and some people never at all. It's a sad truth. If the Supreme Court were debating the legality of divorce right now, that would be insane. Or let's extrapolate further - what if they were debating the legality of premarital sex? Really? Not only would that be impossible to regulate, but it would blatantly undermine the standard for freedom and personal choice we've established in this country.
There are a lot of things I believe go against God's standards, which come from my belief that the Bible is active, inspired, and my base for morality. I don't advocate on their behalf, or necessarily encourage them, but I also don't campaign for them to be illegal. Do you know what I do, do about them though?
I just don't do them.
It's not my business. It's between each individual and God. I am not here to judge, that's simply not my job.
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