In defense of marriage

I can’t speak for any other Christian conservative. But as for me, I am sick and tired of being labeled an evil hate-monger, bigot and homophobe just because I believe that homosexuality is a sin according to the Word of God, and that marriage should be preserved as a moral and a civil institution; not sanctioned or regulated by the government.
There is homosexuality within my own family.
Now, I don’t shun the family member. I treat them with love and respect just as I would do for anyone else. This family member can feel safe in my own home, knowing that they are accepted as family and as a human being, even though I have made it clear to them my opinion about their lifestyle. But I also don’t tell them how to live their life, either.
I was once confronted by this family member about their lifestyle choice, and I was asked how I felt about it.
I was honest with them, but I made it clear that their choice did not change how I felt about them as a person or as family. No issue has ever been made of my stand since.
Why?
Because I believe I was respectful of the person, while at the same time honest and firm in my convictions. Am I a homophobe in this person’s eyes? I don’t know. I hope not, but I have no control over the opinions formed by others.
What I do know is that I am not a homophobic bigot, because the proof has been in the pudding. I do not hate homosexuals. And just because I believe marriage should be preserved as a heterosexual institution shouldn’t make me a hate-monger, either.
In some states, there exist civil unions for partners of the same sex to express their vows and be able to live together in the kind of commitment that married couples do. Civil unions allow for recognition and distinction as a legal couple.
Fine.
I have no problem with civil unions per se. If legal status is important to the gay community, then let them have civil unions.
But, please, leave marriage alone. It has a purpose beyond just romantic love.
Marriage represents spiritual commitment, moral devotion and obedience. Marriage carries with it a high degree of religious importance to the vast majority of belief systems around the world, thereby transcending political and legal definitions. It is the primary means of replenishing the gene pool in human societies. And marriage is a proven method of raising generations of young people to eventually take the place of present adult generations.
Marriage is an institution that has a practical function in society: That being the procreation of future generations of residents and citizens, who are brought up in a stable, balanced home with a mother and a father, who, in turn, prepare these future generations to become productive, responsible members of society.
Some will say that gays can provide stable, loving homes, too.
I’ve no doubt.
But can gays give children the balance between feminine nurturing and masculine strength that they need as a crucial part of their personal development? There is something to be said—yes, something special and unique—about the union between a man and a woman. Since the beginning of time, heterosexual marriage has been a proven institution for not only ensuring the continuance of the human race, but also the assurance that younger individuals will carry on civilization through the kind of preparation that only a mother and father can provide together.
Are there bad marriages and good civil unions? Of course there are. But that’s not the point here.
Rather, the point is to offer a reasonable and logical argument for the preservation of marriage as the traditional union between a man and a woman. Marriage is divinely ordained. It transcends any human definition. Therefore, it cannot and it should not be redefined by secular human society or by government simply because to do so is politically expedient or prudent.
If the gay community wants its unions to be recognized, then follow the democratic process: Draft a measure, collect signatures, get it put on the election ballot and have the people of respective states vote either for or against it. That is the fair and the right thing to do.
What isn’t right is the government attempting to redefine for political purposes the nature and purpose of marriage.
That is God’s domain, and in God’s hands it ought to remain.