There’s been a lot of coverage of the New York legislature’s decision to redefine marriage in their state. Whenever marriage is discussed in the media, there are a lot fundamental misunderstandings about why so many stand for the true definition of marriage.
We’re going to be publishing a series of posts here on the Foundations blog about why it’s critical for our culture for marriage to remain the union of one man and one woman.
We’ll look at the scriptural basis for God’s design for marriage, whether this debate is truly a question of civil rights, and the implications of same-sex “marriage” for children and our religious liberty.
I’ll start by answering this basic question with two simple points: why protect marriage?
Protecting marriage is vital to protecting our religious freedom.
Many (but not all) who stand for marriage do so because God’s inspired word – the Holy Bible – tells us that He has a specific design and purpose for marriage between one man and one woman. This argument doesn’t mean much to the non-believer, but that doesn’t mean it’s an illegitimate basis for your vote or a public policy.
I’ll put it like this: non-believers call the little voice inside their head that helps them determine right from wrong their “conscience.” Those who know the Lord call that voice the Holy Spirit. In the public policy arena, both ways of making decisions are equally valid under the U.S. Constitution. This means that I, and every other religious person in the country, have the right to vote our values.
What does this have to do with marriage? Well, opponents of protecting marriage like to use this debate to force religion out of the public square and stifle our religious liberty. It’s very important, though, to never allow ourselves to be bullied into abandoning our faith in this discussion.
Marriage between a man and a woman plays an essential role in society.
At its core, marriage is critical for any thriving society. The studies repeatedly find that children (a.k.a. our future) do best when raised by a married mother and father. Each parent brings something unique to a child’s life that cannot be found anywhere else.
Admittedly, we as a culture haven’t done a great job of protecting marriage on other fronts – divorce and adultery are too common today. But to say that failures in implementing the model somehow invalidate the whole design is a complete fallacy.
Over the next few days, we’ll expand on these and others ideas. Do you have questions or thoughts about the importance of protecting marriage? Post your thoughts below.
While we want to encourage discussion and debate in the comments section, please note that personal attacks and inappropriate comments will be deleted.