Clear

Well, gay marriage is in the news yet again: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/minnesota-lawmaker%E2%80%99s-gay-marriage-defense-goes-viral.html

This is like the Quebec referendums; the issue isn't going to go away until there's a yes vote. Then it will go away.

Let me be crystal clear about how I feel, if I haven't already. I believe in God. I don't believe that Jesus was just a good man and teacher that instigated a lifestyle philosophy. The Bible says it's wrong (gay marriage). For that reason alone, I feel it is wrong. You can't pick and choose what you like from the Bible. If you're going to bother being a Christian in today's world, why bother to do it half ass. Do I think gay marriage is wrong in society? No, I do not. I can't see a reason to stand against it. Although, permitting it causes a ton of trouble for the Church; it wouldn't be an issue in the Church if it was illegal anyway. Gay people, all people, should be equal under the law. In a democracy, nobody should be oppressed and gay people should have the same rights and privileges as anybody else. Do I hate gays? No, I do not--no matter how many hate filled liberals accuse me of being a bigot. I have no problem with gay people. I will not refuse to work with them. I will not refuse to speak with them. I will not refuse to befriend them. Although, I probably wouldn't speak to them about gay marriage, and not just because they'd viciously attack me for my views; because also, I don't want to put a stumbling block before them. I have no desire to place a millstone around my neck. If it is wrong, is it wrong for everybody? That's between the individual and God; I have no idea. Some people can't eat pork. Some people can't hold Holy Days. Some people can't have images or symbols present in a Church, even a cross. Some people can't consume blood. St. Paul said he had to be all things to all men and also any prohibited food eaten to honour God was acceptable in His sight. He said that a special day was wrong to some, but acceptable to those who honour God with it. Jesus released us from the law. St. Paul said that everything was permitted and that we are not to set up stumbling blocks for our brothers.

All that having been said, liberals are making my life difficult. Their agenda being pushed forward in society--including the Church in North America--is changing values (right and wrong). For a Church to preach gay is good is too much. In a way, they're setting up a stumbling block for me.

When I first was introduced to the issue, I thought it was all about gay rights vs. conservative religious views. Then, a friend of mine--who's a member of Essentials--said that it was just the tip of the iceberg. And, I thought, "Well, that's the only thing I've been hearing about." For the Anglican Church of Canada, gay marriage was both the tip of the iceberg and the straw that broke the camel's back. It was the symptom of a school of thought and it was too much for right wing Christians to accept. It, along with a lot of other "wrong" doctrine, was the product of a liberal system of scriptural exegeses: St. Mary wasn't really a virgin, she was a young woman; it wasn't a "miracle" that the disciples caught fish on the other side of the boat--on the angle He was on Jesus was able to see the fish through the water; scripture is not literal--it is to be interpreted through the filter of how it is relevant to the modern age; the Bible writers were living in a different society, influenced by that society, and speaking to that society; plus, they are human and flawed; Jesus may not have risen from the grave (probably didn't) so much as resurrection is a metaphor for the new life we live as Christians once we choose that lifestyle philosophy to live by; demons are not real and the disciples as well as people of that age didn't understand mental illness; the story of creation is just that, a story; Jesus is not the way--He is a way; Jesus was a good man and teacher who was put to death by conservatives (who were most likely bigots too); God is relative.

As far as my Church and I are concerned, I have two questions: First, can it move too far to the left for me to tolerate it? Second, will there be room in the developing Anglican Church in years to come for me and my orthodox views?