A few days ago I read one of the more absurd articles I’ve read in recent times. The article was entitled “Churches Ban Gay Marriage”. This article was in response to South Africa’s recent legalization of same-sex marriage. The gay community is now lamenting the fact that some denominations, churches, and pastors refuse to officiate same-sex weddings, even though the recent legislation in South Africa provides for ministers to exercise their conscience on the issue.
The gist of the article was that, in light of some refusing to perform same-sex unions, now the issue had advanced from one of “gay rights” to one “human rights”. The letter below is my response to this absurd notion of marriage being a “human right”:
Dear Editor;
As a pastor I found the comments of Vista Kalipa (Churches ban gay marriage 17-05-07) telling. According to Kalipa and Triangle Project, marriage is now a "human rights issue".
I have always approached marriage as a God-given privilege. As such, there are a host of reasons why I won't marry some couples--being same-sex is but one.
If I don't think a couple is ready, or prepared, or fails to meet other biblical criteria, my policy is simple: I am not obligated to marry them. To date none of those I have turned away have ever died, gone hungry, suffered from lack of shelter, or been psychologically harmed as a result of my policy.
Since marriage is now a "human rights" issue, what about the following scenarios? :
- Refusing to marry polygamists, which is technically legal here?
- A case of pedogamy, whereby an intergenerational couple, ages 12 and 50, wish to marry. They are both consenting, loving, and the 12 year old has a signed permission slip from his or her parents. Am I obligated to marry them?
- In the UK, animal rights activists have filed a court case on behalf of a chimp, to accord the chimp "human rights" status. If chimps are granted "human rights", would their human rights be violated if I refused to marry them?
In the end, Kalipa's absurd statement has more to do with trying to legislate opposing thought than human rights. For this reason I urge all truly God-fearing pastors and denominations to lovingly, yet firmly, stand true to their God-given convictions, and to obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29)!
Rev. Mark Christopher
The paper did print the letter and I did not receive any responses, either positively or negatively. What the original article underscored was the fact that the gay community isn’t interested in equal rights. Rather, they desire special rights whereby their “rights” trump everyone else’s. This is about them holding Bible-believing Christianity hostage with their transvalued logic. I have read enough of their own literature to know their goal is to destroy traditional Christianity and all of its institutions like marriage and family, which is all seen as the progenitor of their plight.
What I find interesting in this whole debate is that it is always Christianity that is the target of the gay lobby’s attacks. My questions is, what about Islam? As this debate has raged here in South Africa for the last several years, not one word or peep from the Islamic community or the Muslim Judicial Council—Why? Why hasn’t one of these avante-garde, postmodern journalists investigated Islam’s position on the whole homosexual, same-sex issue? For some inexplicable reason Islam has slid under the radar here. While the papers printed the names of churches and pastors that will marry same-sex couples, why didn’t they print the names of Imams and Mosques where same-sex couples could exchange their vows? –PROBABLY BECAUSE THERE ARE NONE!
Though I don’t pretend to know why Islam has been so silent on the subject here, I do have a theory. Could their silence be because they know this watershed event, of same-sex marriage, heralds the demise of western civilization as we know it? Is their silence part of their strategy to win the ultimate victory over the perverse infidels? Or is it because they hope the sanctioning of same-sex unions will lend greater credence and acceptance to the polygamous marriages they endorse? At this point I can only surmise, because the media is conspicuous by its silence toward Islam on this matter.
What I do know is, if the media were to pursue Islam on this topic the way they have Christianity, they would find themselves in a similar situation to that of Salmon Rushdie, after he wrote “Satanic Verses” a few years ago. Quite frankly, the modern day media doesn’t have the courage or the stomach for such an investigation. So it is that the gay community and its obedient lap-dog, the media, will content themselves with relentlessly attacking Bible-believing Christianity and making the true Church out to be the villain. This, of course, will ultimately fail, as Jesus Christ has built His Church and the gates of hell will not prevail!
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