Example of research paper on christian views on gay marriage

Marriage is defined as a social union between two consenting adults to make public their decision to be together as husband and wife. The two people in such a union are called spouses and they hence forth become members of one family. The union is legally recognized by the state in which the spouses marry. Traditionally marriage was between a man and woman. In consummating the union the couple would be able to bear children. This was seen as a fruit of their union.

Homosexuality is defined as the unswerving physical and emotional appeal, to someone of similar sex. A homosexual union is therefore a binding relationship between two men or two women. The two persons in such a union are called partners. They come together mainly for self gratification.

Introduction

Before God, marriage is recognized after a formal celebration to legalized the said marriage and a physical union between the spouses takes place to consummate the relationship. There is a variety of consistent evidence if this in the Bible with the most common example being that of Jesus at the Wedding in Cana where He performed His first miracle – turning water into wine. Such wedlock is evidently a celebration not only to the people on earth but in Heaven. Christians believe that in addition to the two spouses, God is an important part of matrimony and he forms the third and most important link in a marriage. According to the Late Pope John Paul II, the love between two spouses in wedlock is symbolic of the love Christ has for his Church.

The Church had control over marriages. In the earlier years, it was unheard of to question the authority of the Church. Whereas a Church ceremony was not considered a necessity, the Church had in place court systems that would officiate over wedding ceremonies. It is this same structure that was utilized to adjudicate whenever conflict arose in martial unions.

Traditionally, a man once married was considered to have say over his wife. He spoke on behalf on her. The man’s role was to fend for his family whereas the woman was tasked with bearing her husband children and ensuring that the home was well kept. The woman once married lost all her identity to her husband and was considered similar to property. While this has drastically changed, some indigenous African communities still consider women as property and young girls as assets that could be sold to men soliciting for wives.

Homosexuality though found in the Bible, can clearly be traced to Greece in the as the first place in Western civilization to adapt it. However unlike now, it was mainly between men and young boys. Many of the great men of the time such as Plato, Leonardo Di Vinci, Michealangelo were thought to be gay. The Chinese and Japanese have historical records of homosexuality within their various communities from as early as 600 B. C. Women in these early years rarely practiced lesbianism.

Proponents of homosexuality argue that whereas the tradition has been for opposite sex couples to get married, this tradition has been forced upon a society so that even those who do not believe in Christianity are forced to practice its teachings.

In an attempt to save Marriages, Bill Clinton came to the rescue by assenting to the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. The Act prevents federal recognition of the homosexual unions in States that do not recognize homosexual union.

Gay rights activism begun in the late 1960’s in tertiary schools advocating for equal treatment and recognition. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) from 1973, no longer considered homosexuality as a mental disorder. Their main goal was to legitimize homosexual unions and ensure that they would enjoy rights similar to those enjoyed by their counter parts in heterosexual unions. Their very first victory came in the case of Lawrence versus Texas where the United States Supreme Court overturned all the laws against sodomy in June 2003. In the same year, Canada legitimized homosexual unions.

Why Homosexuality should be Banned

Biblically Forbidden – Marriage is symbolic of Christ’s love for his Church. Homosexuality is the very opposite of the selfless nature of the reciprocal love intended for marriage. Homosexuality gratifies adult bodily pleasures. As such the Bible in seven different passages throughout the Old and New Testaments describes homosexuality as a detestable and an abomination before God.

Marriage is Sacred – Whereas it seems today the world no longer reveres the God and His word, it is important to note that God is part of Holy Matrimony. In fact in the Catholic Church, Matrimony is a sacrament. God is part and parcel of any marital union. For homosexuals to attempt to have a matrimonial union that is explicitly regarded as shameful, wrong and disgusting to the Lord is to disregard and disrespect Him. The sacredness of marriage inspire a lot the vehemence with which couples invite the Lord to their relationships.

Unnatural – The very nature in which human beings were created dictates that it is only natural for a man and woman to come together as one. As such this union is blest with fruit of the woman’s womb by their union bearing fruit and bringing forth children. It is otherwise unnatural for two men or women to pretend that their union is a normal.

Illegal – the hypothesis where it is illegal to sodomize a child would still hold water in the case of two consenting adults. If at all, we find it foul to sodomize a child, is the very same act considered moral in view of two adults. In the same way that one cannot tolerate the thought of a child be sodomized, a normal person cannot view as normal a relationship where sodomy is used as an expression of one’s love.

Children – Children are a blessing to society. They require parents of both sexes to be able to learn attributes that would make them human. A mother’s role in the life of a child or maternal love can never be replaced by the love shown to the same child by two men attempting to take the role of mother and father. There are those roles that only a female in her capacity as a mother can inherently teach a child and these roles are not inherent in a man however feminine he or his body may be. Likewise, the reverse is true.

Studies conducted by Prof. Bruce J. Ellis and Prof. Eleanor MacCoby from the University of Canterbury and Stanford University respectively have both conducted research on the absence of either parent in the home. In the case of a girl growing up without a father, she is likely to participate in sexual relations in her adolescence and could consequently become pregnant. Professor MacCoby states that maternal parenting instincts are higher than that of men. It therefore goes to show that a child would be inherently lacking if they missed out on maternal love. As the evidence shows, one would have to wonder whether we should ignore the safety of the child for the sake of making two homosexuals happy.

Moral Decadence – Practicing homosexuality degrades the moral fibre of society. As it is clear this union is abnormal and unnatural the fact that it has gotten this far has already eroded the morals of society. Unfortunately, while the church lost its power on the people, the courts became compromised. It is to this end that today we hear judges, setting precedence to allow civil unions. The state is no better with several States in the United States of America changing their constitutions to allow and acknowledge gay rights.

Slippery Slope – Once homosexuality is accepted as a norm, there is no telling what next will be pursued. Whereas the freedom of choice is right that should be respected, a check should be in place to ensure that these choices are in line with societal norms. If we continue to allow this freedom without checking the excess we may soon be faced by siblings deciding that they are free to marry one another or worse still people deciding to marry their pets.

Self- Defeating – Unless they want the world to end, the purpose of Homosexual unions is self defeating. This is because it is by procreation that we propagate ourselves as a species on this planet. However given the unfruitful nature of homosexuality, this propagation will continue to diminish because as more people freely became gay, less children will be born. Homosexuality is therefore a threats society.

Conclusion

God, in the Bible is very clear about homosexuality. It is immoral, detestable, abominable that a man should lie down with another man in the same way that a man and woman do. God is so repelled by the very act of homosexuality that he put the blood of homosexuals upon their own selves.

Homosexuality is a selfish act. It serves to gratify adult physical desires and nothing else. It serves only for the pleasure of the partners. It does not even given back to the society that is bend over backwards to accommodate it by changing traditions that have been practiced by generations for eons.

Despite the fact that there is strength in numbers if a whole class of children scream because they wanted to disobey their teacher, their action would be wrong irrespective of their numbers. Similarly, irrespective of how many people, civil society organizations, gay rights advocates and activists come together; homosexuality can never change the fact that it is wrong. Neither can it be natural. The multitude may decide that it should become a norm but it will only degrade society.

It is indeed so sad that today being pro-heterosexuality is increasingly stigmatized.

REFERENCES

Cline, A. (2011). Common Arguments Against Gay Marriage: Moral and Religious Arguments. Retrieved from About. Com: http://atheism. about. com/od/gaymarriage/p/ContraGayMarria. htm
Devlin, P. (2010). The Enforcement of Morals. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund Incorporated.
Encylopedia of Childrens health. (2010). Homosexuality and Bisecuality. Retrieved from Encylopedia of Childrens health: http://www. healthofchildren. com/G-H/Homosexuality-and-Bisexuality. html#b
Marriage and Religious Research Institute. (2011, August 27). Non-Marriage Reduces U. S. Labor Participation: The Abandonment of Marriage puts America at risk of a Depression. Retrieved from MARRI Research: http://downloads. frc. org/EF/EF12H57. pdf
Normandin, R. (2011, July 6). Opinion: Gay marriage should not be made legal. Retrieved from The Tech Online Edition: http://tech. mit. edu/V131/N29/normandin_cp. html
Paul II, P. J. (1982, August 18). A Deeper Understanding of the Church and Marriage. St. Peter’s Square, Rome, Italy.
Witherspoon Institute. (2008). Marriage and the Public Good: Ten Principles. Witherspoon: Witherspoon Institute.