The article below by Greg Carey, Professor for New Testiment, Lancaster Theological Seminary really hits the target! The other stuff is just my opinion!
I know it is said that the Bible is the word of GOD,
but it was written by men over hundreds of years that reflected their beliefs
at the time. We must remember the Old Testament is written from a Jewish
perspective and primarily deals with living by the laws that Moses brought down
from Mt. Sinai and maintaining the lineage of Abraham. It appears that the only
thing God approved and supported was any copulation that maintained that lineage
such as the story Abraham, Sarah and Hagar! This begets Isaac and Ishmael! And
we all know what happens after that! Along
comes (Saul) Paul who was not even one of the twelve apostles but was going to Rome
to assassinate Peter when Jesus appeared to him (why I can’t figure!) and told
him he was to be his instrument to convert all of the Gentiles to Christianity!
Here is where the split starts between
the Jews from the Old Testament and Christians in the New Testament primarily
because Christians worshipped Jesus as their savior and Jews did not! Also to
convert Gentiles Paul and others changed, ignored or removed many of the laws
brought down from Mt. Sanai such as things like circumcision! When Emperor Constantine
converted to Christianity is when we saw many of the rules of marriage inserted
into the New Testament! If we listened to Jesus and Paul we would all be celibate!!
The new testament has so many quotes about marriage and so many interpretations
that each and every one based on his or her upbringing an prejudices can find
what they need to support their position. One thing I have gleaned from the
Bible is that Scripture is clear about marriage being a holy
and divinely established covenant. It is equally clear about our obligation to
honor and obey the laws of our earthly governments. Remember what Jesus said, "Render unto Caesar
the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's"! What
this could mean is if our government decides that is it legal for a man to
marry a man then that is a marriage in the eyes of the law! So be it! Most of
these marriages are performed in civil ceremonies which is just a quick way of engaging
into a legal partnership! Even when men and women get married in civil
ceremonies it’s just a quick way for them to engage in a legal partnership
governed by the laws of the state in which they are married. Will they now be
able to move on and get married in the eyes of God is another issue that will
be debated for a very long time. It is currently apparent that most traditional
religions will not perform a wedding ceremony for same sex couples! Do they
need that to be married in the eyes of God? For many these unions will never be
sanctioned in the eyes of God, but the fight now is just to be sanctioned in
the eyes of the law! Like I said earlier, “So be it!”
What
Does the Bible Actually Say About Marriage?
From Greg Carey,
Professor for New Testiment, Lancaster Theological Seminary
Let's Be Honest
Unfortunately, many Christians use the
Bible to support their own prejudices and bigotry. They talk about
"biblical family values" as if the Bible had a clear message on
marriage and sexuality. Let's be clear: There's no such thing as "biblical
family values" because the Bible does not speak to the topic clearly and
consistently.
It's high time people came clean about how
we use the Bible. When Christians try to resolve difficult ethical and theological
matters, they typically appeal to the Gospels and Paul's letters as keys to the
question. But what about marriage? Not only did Jesus choose not to marry, he
encouraged his disciples to abandon household and domestic concerns in order to
follow him (Matthew 19:29; Mark 10:28-30; Luke 9:57-62). He even refers to
those "who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of
heaven" (Matthew 19:10-13). Whatever that means, it's certainly not an
endorsement of marriage. Paul likewise encourages male believers: "Do not
seek a wife" (1 Corinthians 7:27, my translation) -- advice Paul took for
himself. If neither Jesus nor Paul preferred marriage for their followers, why
do some Christians maintain that the Bible enshrines 19th-century Victorian family
values?
Let's not even go into some of the Bible's
most chilling teachings regarding marriage, such as a man's obligation to keep
a new wife who displeases him on the wedding night (Deuteronomy 22:13-21), his
obligation to marry a woman he has raped (Deuteronomy 22:28-30) or the
unquestioned right of heroes like Abraham to exploit their slaves sexually. I
wonder: Have the "biblical family values advocates" actually read
their Bibles?
Christians will always turn to the Bible
for guidance -- and we should. If the Bible does not promote a clear or
redemptive teaching about slavery, that doesn't mean we have nothing to learn
from Scripture about the topic. The same values that guide all our
relationships apply to marriage: unselfish concern for the other; honesty,
integrity and fidelity; and sacrificial -- but not victimized -- love. That's a
high standard, far higher than a morality determined by anachronistic and
restrictive rules that largely reflect our cultural biases. Rules make up the
lowest common denominator for morality. Love, as Paul said, never finds an end.
