Same Sex Marriage in New York State August 2011
Q. Pastor, how do you feel about NYS’s new law allowing same sex marriages?
A, I am 100% in favor of this law. Marriage is a civil right granted by the government for the ordering of society regarding taxes, inheritances, legal heirs etc. The meaning of a marriage is for the couple to decide; it can be a practical arrangement, a romantic or sentimental one and or it can have spiritual meaning...
The church’s participation in marriage through its clergy is as an agent of the state. The clergy perform this ceremony in the name of the state and secondly in the name of the church or God...
Couples wanting to marry in the church with clergy officiating are usually seeking the blessing of the church and God to enrich their lives with God’s love even as we pledge to love our spouse.
For Protestant Christians marriage is not a sacrament. It is considered a rite. For Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians marriage is a sacrament and a priest must be present to celebrate the liturgy for the sacrament to be effective. Civil ceremonies are not marriages in the eyes of the Roman Catholic or Orthodox churches. Since both Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches consider gay relations beyond God’s approval they can not officiate or even bless such unions.
Can Protestant clergy bless same sex unions? Why not? There is nothing in the Bible that forbids such unions. In the middle ages the church blessed same sex unions between monks. In the libraries of Europe there are liturgies from the middle ages for such union ceremonies. DR John Boswell of Yale University wrote “Same Sex Unions in Premodern Europe”, Villard Press, New York 1994. Some editions of this book actually contain photographs of these ancient liturgies of same sex marriages.
Also there are two canonized Saints in the Roman Catholic Church who were a gay couple, St Serge and St Bacchus from the 4th century AD. See John Boswell book,” Same Sex Unions” to discover more about these saints. Boswells other relevant book on this topic is titled “Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality” in 14th and 15th century Spain.
Almost all the Old testament passages about homosexuality are about violence, rape , and temple prostitution and such behavior is also forbidden in heterosexual relations too but this does not mean that healthy, loving sexual relationship are forbidden to people just because some corrupt them. There is also the Levitical text dealing with purity issues which are mixed in with many antiquated laws which we no longer consider binding.
There is one same sex love story in I Samuel 18 between Jonathan, the prince, and David the up and coming young man at court. Then in II Samuel 1 after Jonathan is killed we read of David’s reflections about their love.
In the New Testament neither Jesus nor any of the original apostles mention the issue of homosexuality even though it was a common practice among Roman and Greek society. Only the apostle Paul mentions the subject in 3 texts .These text need to be understood in terms of how the original Greek words were meant to be interpreted. The English translations that have been used were prejudicial making gay people the object of God’s rejection. The church has aided in developing homophobia in society by using these anti gay texts as a weapons. The Rev DR Peter Gomes former chaplain of Harvard University wrote an excellent book called “The Good Book” which helps us understand the Bible verses in their context and in the original language which was Greek.
The church’s reaction to this subject is way out of proportion to what the Bible says. There are two verses in the Old Testament written in the 12th century BC and then the next mention of the subject is 1200 years later by St Paul in New Testament times.
How important is this subject? Why has the church made it the sin of sins? Why has it become the litmus test about whether one is a true believer?
Marriage is the action between two people who want to declare their love for one another and want to live as a couple, Who has the right to say their love is not legitimate or not real? Who has the right to say they can not be a couple or a family? Shouldn’t the church bless any couple who wants to live in a loving relationship as a married couple.
Today the State of NewYork recognizes same sex marriages as do 5 other states and at least a dozen countries in the world . The US military now allows gay people to openly serve as a homosexual person. Society has gay people in every walk of life serving with excellence. When will the church recognize that gay people are also children of God and welcomed by God for the blessings he wants to bestow including the blessing of marriage? Pastor Carl Rosenblum
Same Sex Marriage in New York State August 2011
Q. Pastor, how do you feel about NYS’s new law allowing same sex marriages?
A, I am 100% in favor of this law. Marriage is a civil right granted by the government for the ordering of society regarding taxes, inheritances, legal heirs etc. The meaning of a marriage is for the couple to decide; it can be a practical arrangement, a romantic or sentimental one and or it can have spiritual meaning...
The church’s participation in marriage through its clergy is as an agent of the state. The clergy perform this ceremony in the name of the state and secondly in the name of the church or God...
Couples wanting to marry in the church with clergy officiating are usually seeking the blessing of the church and God to enrich their lives with God’s love even as we pledge to love our spouse.
For Protestant Christians marriage is not a sacrament. It is considered a rite. For Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians marriage is a sacrament and a priest must be present to celebrate the liturgy for the sacrament to be effective. Civil ceremonies are not marriages in the eyes of the Roman Catholic or Orthodox churches. Since both Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches consider gay relations beyond God’s approval they can not officiate or even bless such unions.
Can Protestant clergy bless same sex unions? Why not? There is nothing in the Bible that forbids such unions. In the middle ages the church blessed same sex unions between monks. In the libraries of Europe there are liturgies from the middle ages for such union ceremonies. DR John Boswell of Yale University wrote “Same Sex Unions in Premodern Europe”, Villard Press, New York 1994. Some editions of this book actually contain photographs of these ancient liturgies of same sex marriages.
Also there are two canonized Saints in the Roman Catholic Church who were a gay couple, St Serge and St Bacchus from the 4th century AD. See John Boswell book,” Same Sex Unions” to discover more about these saints. Boswells other relevant book on this topic is titled “Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality” in 14th and 15th century Spain.
Almost all the Old testament passages about homosexuality are about violence, rape , and temple prostitution and such behavior is also forbidden in heterosexual relations too but this does not mean that healthy, loving sexual relationship are forbidden to people just because some corrupt them. There is also the Levitical text dealing with purity issues which are mixed in with many antiquated laws which we no longer consider binding.
There is one same sex love story in I Samuel 18 between Jonathan, the prince, and David the up and coming young man at court. Then in II Samuel 1 after Jonathan is killed we read of David’s reflections about their love.
In the New Testament neither Jesus nor any of the original apostles mention the issue of homosexuality even though it was a common practice among Roman and Greek society. Only the apostle Paul mentions the subject in 3 texts .These text need to be understood in terms of how the original Greek words were meant to be interpreted. The English translations that have been used were prejudicial making gay people the object of God’s rejection. The church has aided in developing homophobia in society by using these anti gay texts as a weapons. The Rev DR Peter Gomes former chaplain of Harvard University wrote an excellent book called “The Good Book” which helps us understand the Bible verses in their context and in the original language which was Greek.
The church’s reaction to this subject is way out of proportion to what the Bible says. There are two verses in the Old Testament written in the 12th century BC and then the next mention of the subject is 1200 years later by St Paul in New Testament times.
How important is this subject? Why has the church made it the sin of sins? Why has it become the litmus test about whether one is a true believer?
Marriage is the action between two people who want to declare their love for one another and want to live as a couple, Who has the right to say their love is not legitimate or not real? Who has the right to say they can not be a couple or a family? Shouldn’t the church bless any couple who wants to live in a loving relationship as a married couple.
Today the State of NewYork recognizes same sex marriages as do 5 other states and at least a dozen countries in the world . The US military now allows gay people to openly serve as a homosexual person. Society has gay people in every walk of life serving with excellence. When will the church recognize that gay people are also children of God and welcomed by God for the blessings he wants to bestow including the blessing of marriage? Pastor Carl Rosenblum
Same Sex Marriage in New York State August 2011
