The Gauntlet® Opinions - Love is blind, the law should be too

Despite the theoretically secular nature of the Canadian government, religion has been thrust into the parliamentary theatre once again due to recent debates and court decisions on homosexual marriage. Constitutional liberties aside, giving spiritual leverage to any argument in this discussion is not only politically backward, it's downright hypocritical.

Christians have long played the tune of moral superiority when it comes to the acceptance of homosexual relationships, but after years of practiced heterosexual common law, suppressing homosexual marriage is no longer a matter of biblical correctness, it is a matter of legal rights.

Common law couples have existed in abundance since the late 1970s, and have since obtained a legal status of their own. According to the Bible, heterosexual sex outside marriage is as wrong as homosexual sex, yet vociferous Christians hold their tongues on the subject. They practice this kind of relationship and they leave whatever personal opposition they may feel toward common law unions out of governmental debates. When it comes to homosexual rights, marriage becomes a sacred word reserved only for pure, sinless relationships. Christians have somehow imagined their common law activities immune from God's classifications of bad behavior.

Perhaps, they rationalize, God has grown liberal with the rest of the twenty-first century world. Or maybe God included a few duds on the list of sins that were never really meant to be avoided. Common law sex is fine and dandy, but surely homosexuality is still contemptible. It would never occur to them that if God has grown liberal enough to accept common law, He may also accept homosexual marriage, or that if some sins are duds, homosexuality could well be one of them.

There is obviously an element of hypocrisy here, but in spite of the limited perspective religious persons might have, there are other issues at play--not the least of which is the religious tone of political discussions surrounding this debate. Of course, prejudice, hate and personal insecurity are all elements in the argument against homosexual marriage, none of which are legitimate cases to prevent these unions from being legalized, nor are any of them valid cases to present before a government concerned with the freedom of Canadians.

Unfortunately, religion is undoubtedly at the root of many these negative aspects of this debate, an abuse of a belief system held by precious few Canadians these days. If Canadians were generally devout Christians, concerned first and foremost with upholding biblical standards, perhaps the government should then heed God's laws. But it does not.

These days religion is not an important factor in the lives of many of those opposed to homosexual marriage, thus these voices must cease to be heard if religion is all they can base their political opinions on. Religion has no place in the politics of this country, especially if it is as insincerely founded as most advocates of common law have proven it to be. Homosexuals are a minority whose liberties need to be preserved, not prevented by a faith forsaken by the majority.

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Posted: 2003-07-02 18:05:59
#1 - Hey,
Your column brought some thoughts to my mind about the place we give religion in our world. I believe it is important to have moral absolutes in government in order to have stability and consistency in a society. The clock does not, and cannot swing with the pendulum. One of my greatest concerns with legalizing same-sex unions is that many other relationships could then be viewed in the same way. As disgusting as it is (to me at the very least) how would you be able to react to a 40-year old man trying to legalize his relationship with a 6-year old girl when you say that 'love is blind, and the law should be too'? Where does it end?

According to Christian beliefs, it ends with one man and one woman, two adults voluntarily making a life-long committment to each other. Of course our world is all messed up and there are hypocrites and liers creating controversy, but that doesn't change what the Bible says. But even beyond Chrisitianity (which isn't quite as archaic as one would tend to think) a system of steadfast moral absolutes is required for the continual existence that is, lack of crumbling, of any community. I'm beginning to think "religion" can be a valid part of a debate.

Meaghan Nolan

–Meaghan Nolan, Student

Posted: 2003-07-17 11:06:21
#2 - For Meaghan...
Re: One of my greatest concerns with legalizing same-sex unions is that many other relationships could then be viewed in the same way. As disgusting as it is (to me at the very least) how would you be able to react to a 40-year old man trying to legalize his relationship with a 6-year old girl when you say that 'love is blind, and the law should be too'? Where does it end? ....

That's where things like the age of consent, and other laws come in. This law talks about marriage for 2 people (read: ADULTS).

I am tired of hearing people saying that legalizing homosexual marriage is another step on the slippery slope of complete societal immorality. They said the same thing years ago about women obtaining the vote too you know.

–Alyslinn, student

Posted: 2003-09-11 00:14:16
#3 - I put on my nice, tolerant hat on when I'm in mixed crowds. "Yes, yes, I agree that cats and dogs shouldn't marry..." Yadda yadda yadda. Sometimes I donÃt know if I should laugh or cry at the analogies being made. I am so amazed at how people are so threatened by gay marriages, and stating that if we allow gay marriages, then we might as well allow go for pedophilia, necrophilia, incest, and whatever else you want to add to the list.

I actually did walk into the office one day to have a coworker say to me "Ok, I was thinking about our talk yesterday, and what about this. Imagine that there are two species of humans, looking exactly like us, but reproduce their own..." Where in the
hell do people get this? We're talking about two tax-paying, home-owning, someone's daughter or someone's son, individuals, who's favorite flavour of ice cream may be chocolate, or may be vanilla, falling in love and wanting to have the same rights and recognition as others and you jump to some off the wall debate about aliens???? I suppose if those aliens were integrated into our society then we'd allow them to get married, probably before Ralph would support two same-sex lovers to marry.

I mean common here. It's such a tricky way of to hide homophobia. If a society has a value, and they want to install this in life, law, and liberty, it will be done. Aliens don't write our laws, they aren't handed down from God (existent or otherwise), WE make them. And WE can change them as our values change. And I think our culture is ready for this. Whatever human rights issue you're talking about (and no, I don't minimize it by adopting the term 'special rights', these are human rights) society has always taken some time to work it all out. When blacks were segregated back into a unified schooling system there was heaps of revolt. When women were fighting for the right to vote people made the same 'Oh my god' statements. If you wait till every last person is ready grant rights, then you will never ever get them. And if we donÃt stand up for those that are different from us then we can never ask for the same in return. Are you telling me that 10% of the babies born today automatically donÃt have the right to marriage before they even take their first breath? To me if just comes back to the same place, where are your values?

–Lena, student

Posted: 2004-11-23 22:25:22
#4 - I agree with what Meaghan Nolan said in her comments, she has some valid arguments.

My comments on what the writter Esther wrote- "according to the Bible, heterosexual sex outside marriage is as wrong as homosexual sex, yet vociferous Christians hold their tongues on the subject" that is true. We can even add other things as well. I know that Homosexuality is a sin, and yet I know that I sin too, just in other ways. God gave us the law in order to see how we should live and also to see how short we fall from it. The law points us to the one who did obey the law perfectly- Jesus Christ. He took the punishment that we deserve. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgement: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God" (John 3:16-21)

God does not take sin lightly. All kinds sin is serious- lying, greed, unloving to others, not loving God, murder, envy, etc. And we can't erase it by trying to be good or better. This goes for all of us- all humans, whether homosexual or heterosexual. The wages of sin is death. Those who believe in the name of the only Son of God have that debt paid!
It is my request to God that after reading this, you (whoever you are- homosexual or heterosexual) will repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

God's steadfast love is better than life, therefore my lips will praise Him(Ps. 63:3)!!!

–Kendra, student

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