photo credit: jakebouma via photopin cc
Great Britain recently became legal in Engnland and Wales. The story below from last week notes that the legislation hadn't yet been signed off on by the Queen, but she has approved it by now.
Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom, David Cameron
England's Gay Marriage Law To Become Legal After Lower House Approval
Gay marriage is to become legal in England and Wales after the lower house of the British parliament approved the final changes on Tuesday to a law that had Prime Minister David Cameron's backing but split his ruling Conservative party. The law had the support of both Labour and the Liberal Democrats, Britain's two other main political parties, but damaged Cameron's standing within his own party with many of his own lawmakers criticising him for being too liberal. ... After a two-hour debate, the House of Commons passed the bill, meaning it now only needs to be approved by Queen Elizabeth, a formality.
Prime Minister Cameron had promised that though homosexual marriage would become legal, churches would not be forced to perform them if it went against their beliefs.
However, this did not deter the gay lobby. They are now suing the Church of England to force them to perform gay marriages. As one gay man said, "I'm still not getting what I want."
And isn't that exactly what sin is all about. Pursuing your ungodly lusts no matter the cost to yourself or others. Jude 1:16a says, "These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts;"
Barrie Drewitt-Barlow, left,
with boyfriend Tony. (source)
"Less than two weeks after the coalition government’s gay “marriage” bill was signed into law, a homosexual man has launched a lawsuit against a Church of England parish in Maldon for refusing him and his civil partner the lavish church wedding of their dreams. Barrie Drewitt-Barlow told the Essex Chronicle that he has launched the suit because, despite the law, “I am still not getting what I want.” Section 9 of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, which comes into effect next year, grants anyone in a civil partnership the ability to convert that partnership into a “marriage.” But the law contains measures specifically to preclude unwilling churches from being forced to participate."
Other articles say that the courts will decide...
You know that satan never stops and he never sleeps. He was given an inch and he is taking a mile. Give him a mile and he will take the city.
Let's go back to Genesis 1-
Michaelangelo, Sistine Chapel Painting, God creating Adam
In the Creation account, God created the universe and everything in it in 6 days. Each time as the day ended (24-hour day) God surveyed His work and declared it good. (Genesis 1:4, 8, 10, 12, 21, 25).When He created man, it is the first time we read of the Holy Executive Council together, all three intimately participating in the creation. Until that point we read ,"And God said, And God said, And God said." But with man, it is recorded, "Let Us make man..." It is an important moment.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." (Genesis 1:26)
After He made man, he said it was "very good."
So from this we gather that man is the most important of His creations, because he is the only one made in His image. And it was the only creation that God declared 'very good.'
Now, think for a moment. What was the first thing we read of in the bible that was 'not-good'? No, it wasn't the serpent of chapter 3. It is in Genesis 2:18:
"Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him."
The first thing that was not-good was that man was lonely. He was alone with no society to commune with except God. Then God caused the beasts to come before the man to see what he would name them. And still, the man was alone. We often focus on the helper part of the verse in 2:18. But look at the part that says "fit for him." Dogs are man's best friend. An animal could have become a nice companion for the man, as they have done today. But no. Monkeys are funny and sort of look like humans, they are sociable animals, they have opposable thumbs...why wasn't a monkey a good helper? Because he was not fit for the man. ("The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him." Genesis 2:20).
God made a woman.
Michaelangelo, Sistine Chapel painting, Creation of Eve
"And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." (Genesis 2:22-24).
One flesh. That is one reason why divorce is such a violent act, it is literally a ripping apart of flesh.
As an aside, notice the comment at the last part; there were no parents yet. No one had a mother and a father. God had just created Adam and Eve. They had no clue about procreation and parents yet. God was ordaining society!
This is the foundation upon which the first society is built. Here we have one man, and it was not good for him to be alone. And all the beasts were brought, and still none helper was found "fit for him." So God created woman. God then ordained future generations of society and of sexual conduct by declaring how society was to continue: through the man and woman as one flesh. They come together as one flesh and they leave the parents and they build another foundational block of society through their marriage. That is how it works, and it is beautiful.
