Oh boy, a discussion about gay marriage on the Internet! This can't possibly go awry!
Lear said:
DVS BSTrD said:
Did God HIMSELF ever actually say that in the bible?
No he did not. In fact, the one line anti-gay Christian groups fall back on only counts towards gay men, says nothing about marriage, and Jesus completely invalidated Leviticus, the book of the Bible that contains that line. Plus hating people is against Jesus's teachings, too.
There are multiple passages from the Bible which denounce homosexual activities. There's the passage in Leviticus (Leviticus 18), Romans 2, and 1 Corinthians 6 (I think). I won't quote them on you, but there is much more than a single passage.
And no, Jesus did not completely invalidate Leviticus. What he did is make the
ceremonial law from Leviticus unnecessary -- stuff like sacrifices, ritual cleansing, dietary law, etc. He did not invalidate the
moral law -- stuff like laws against murder, incest, bestiality, and yes, homosexuality. Heck, Jesus actually explicitly states in Matthew 5 that he has
not come to abolish the law (5:17-19):
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
And opposition to gay marriage is not hate, per se. Opposition to any sin is not hate. It can become hateful, but it doesn't have to be. Are people who oppose allowing medical marijuana hateful? Are people who oppose stem cell research hateful? No, because it has nothing to do with the people involved. It is simply a moral line that conservative Christians do not want to cross.
Avaholic03 said:
I was under the impression that Chick-fil-a was a Mormon-based company, which is why they're closed on Sundays. Why is this surprising...or even news? I never ate there because their food sucks. I guess I'll continue to "boycott".
No, the founder, Truett Cathy, was Southern Baptist.
And really, it isn't surprising at all for the owner of Chick-fil-A to speak out against gay marriage and support organizations that work against it. Chick-fil-A wears its traditional Christianity on its sleeve -- they're closed on Sunday, and (at least the ones near me) play Christian music in the restaurants. This is utterly unsurprising to me, and as a conservative Christian myself (one who believes homosexuality to be immoral, but does not actually oppose allowing gay marriage) it doesn't bother me one bit.
I'm a little impressed with this thread, though. Most posters are being reasonable. Either you guys are saying "I don't agree, but it doesn't really matter" or "Since Chick-fil-A gives money to organizations which I oppose, I don't want to give my money to them". Both of which are reasonable.