Gay marriage in church

Are Gay Church Weddings Okay?

People have equally strong opinions for or against gay people getting married in church. Those who see homosexuality as something natural think it's obvious that traditional church weddings are a given, while many religious groups cry out that it is an outright sacrilege.

For the "grey mass" in between the opposite camps it is difficult to take sides in this, as both sides have arguments that many in general feel they should honor and respect. Let's go over the basic situation, and then I'd love to hear your opinion on the subject by using the comment form below.

This is a somewhat controversial subject for an otherwise "easy going" site like this, but I felt like writing something on the subject so here you go.

Equal legal rights should be a given

To begin with, one can establish the fact that homosexuality is treated very differently in various countries. In some countries it is considered illegal and those found "guilty" receive harsh punishment. Other countries, like Sweden for example, have come quite a long way and there the discussion is now about gay couple's rights to adopt children and to get married in church.

Personally I think there really isn't any point to discussing things that have to do with basic human rights. Of course gay people should be equal members of society, of course they should have all the same legal rights as other couples living together have, and so on.

But should gay people be allowed to be married in church? Here, like many others, I honestly can't answer 100% yes or 100% no.

Who should we respect?

There are many gay people to whom religion, and hence the church, is very important. If they do not feel accepted in their congregation, it makes them feel harshly rejected and as a result they are miserable on a very fundamental level.

For this reason it is perfectly understandable that gay people feel church should be just as obvious a choice as it is for straight people getting married.

On the other hand, in most western countries we have large religious groups who consider getting married in front of God an institution that by its very definition can be granted only to a man and a woman. It is an integral part of the map/model these people have of the world, and they feel offended when someone talks about bending the rules. Moreover they often feel unjustly accused, when more moderate Christians think they are overly conservative.

Like I said earlier, I haven't been able to make up my mind on this point. On the one hand, I think it is really narrow minded to literally hold on to every word that is mentioned in the bible - that furthermore often can be interpreted in many different ways. Why would good Christians have to feel offended by gay weddings, when it really is none of their business? They don't loose any of their own rights just because gay people get married in Church.

On the other hand, I am sometimes inclined to think that some of the more outspoken gay organizations in western society have outdone themselves in their quest for equal acceptance. It sometimes almost turns into kind of a "it's hip to be gay so we really think you should be gay too" attitude.

This can easily get on people's nerves, and for that reason I think some have come to consider church somewhat of the last bastion that haven't been "conquered" by the gay way of life. And is it really an absolute must to get accepted in in an organization that doesn't accept who you are?

So what are we to do? Isn't there a solution that everybody could be happy with and accept?

What do you think?

Your opinion - Leave A Comment!

Julie	Tuesday, May 13, 2008
I think small minorities are the ones who need protecting the most. Julie


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