Will the Marriage Amendment Protect Marriage?

On May 8^th North Carolina citizens will have the opportunity to pass an amendment to the state constitution stating that “Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State.”

When I started blogging my plan was to sort of wade in slowly from the shallow end of the pool.  But here I am, diving head first into the deep end.

So here goes.  As a person who recognizes and accepts the authority of the sacred scriptures I must acknowledge that the practice of homosexuality is condemned in those scriptures as an “abomination.”  I must also admit that the sins with which I struggle almost daily like lust, greed, oppression of the poor, pride, jealously… the list goes on and on… are soundly condemned in the same way by the same scriptures.  To quote the apostle Paul, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 2:23)

So when I acknowledge that the practice of homosexuality is a sin I do not do so condescendingly.  I could write a hundred blogs on my sins alone and just be warming up.

The question is, will the marriage amendment protect marriage?  If the amendment is passed will it help make marriage a more healthy institution?  I’m not an expert, but I’m guessing the answer is no.  Let me give you a few reasons why…

1.      Statistics vary, but the population of gay individuals in the U.S. is currently around 3.5%.  So I have to wonder why some people (many of whom are my friends who I greatly respect) are putting so much effort into passing an amendment that targets such a small segment of the population.

Why not channel those efforts (and the millions of dollars being spent) toward some really proactive, constructive ways to reduce the divorce rate?  It’s at 50% right now – among non-Christians and Christians alike.  Why not pour our energies into combating child sexual abuse?  According to the National Resource Center on Child Sexual Abuse, 27 percent of women and 16 percent of men have been sexually abused (some by ordained clergy).  

If we need an amendment to reinforce the law on same sex marriage (if you didn’t know, there is already a law about same sex marriage) then why not an amendment to address problems that are much more prevalent?  How about an amendment designed to curtail an economic system that tends to nurture and reward rampant greed (a sin addressed in scripture many more times than same sex relationships)? The only reason I can think of is fear.  We are afraid of losing control.

2.      Which leads me to the next reason the amendment won’t protect marriage.  By our own admission, the movement to get the marriage amendment passed is driven by fear.  The gay community is perceived as a “threat” to the “traditional family” (as if there were such a thing).  In our religious world we tend to become afraid of certain perceived “threats” on the stability of the family or the church and, driven by that fear, we react.  Instead of “acting” in faith we “react” out of fear.  We forget that the instruction Jesus gave more often than any other was “fear not.”  I would argue that anything we do motivated by fear will not produce the desired results.

3.      Which leads me to the next reason the amendment won’t protect marriage.  Inevitably, our efforts to get legislation passed or get certain people elected grow out of the conviction that it is our job to “reclaim” America.  But I think we would be hard pressed to find any teaching of Jesus instructing or even allowing his followers to lean toward nationalism.  We are not called to “reclaim” our nation for Christ.  We are called to “proclaim” the gospel of Christ.  As much as I love and respect those who feel obligated to promote some form of nationalistic Christianity, I believe that those efforts are misguided and frankly, destructive.  

4.      Which leads me to the last reason the amendment won’t protect marriage.  (I think the list could get really long.)  Simply stated, the effort to pass the amendment does not reflect the way of Jesus.  The way of Jesus is the way of transformation, not the way of legislation.  Jesus came to give us new birth that leads to new life, not new laws or amendments.  Christians around the world just celebrated the Resurrection of Christ.  What is absolutely central to our faith is that the world needs the power of the Resurrection, not the power of legislation.  The world needs transformation in the hearts of men and women, not transactions in the halls of congress.  The world needs Jesus!   

Thanks for reading with an open mind.