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Marriage--Gay, Straight--And The Bible

© Richard Kent Matthews

**Before you read this article, bear in mind that until relatively recently, marriage as we usually think of it, was about property and family alliances, not romance. Women didn't choose their husbands, and often, husbands didn't choose their wives. Families did.

There's been a lot of talk around the nation lately about so-called 'same sex' marriage. And as most of us are aware, the established churches, both Catholic and Protestant, are very much against such unions, whether they be religious or civil. They have several Biblical quotes to support their position.

However, most people are unaware of some of the Biblical edicts concerning heterosexual marriage. I share a few of them with you here:

A. MARRIAGE SHALL CONSIST OF A UNION BETWEEN ONE MAN AND ONE OR MORE WOMEN (GENESIS 29:17-28; II SAMUEL 3:2-5).

B. MARRIAGE SHALL NOT IMPEDE A MAN'S RIGHT TO TAKE CONCUBINES IN ADDITION TO HIS WIFE OR WIVES (II SAMUEL 5:13; I KINGS 11:3; II CHRONICLES 11:21).

C. A MARRIAGE SHALL BE CONSIDERED VALID ONLY IF THE WIFE IS A VIRGIN. IF THE WIFE IS NOT A VIRGIN, SHE SHALL BE EXECUTED (DEUTERONOMY 22:13-21).

D. MARRIAGE OF A BELIEVER AND A NON-BELIEVER SHALL BE FORBIDDEN (GENESIS 24:3;NUMBERS 25:1-9; EZRA 9:12; NEHEMIAH 10:30).

E. SINCE MARRIAGE IS FOR LIFE, NEITHER THE U.S. CONSTITUTION NOR THE CONSTITUTION OF ANY STATE, NOR ANY STATE OR FEDERAL LAW, SHALL BE CONSTRUED TO PERMIT DIVORCE (DEUTERONOMY 22:19; MARK 10:9).

F. IF A MARRIED MAN DIES WITHOUT CHILDREN, HIS BROTHER SHALL MARRY THE WIDOW. IF HE REFUSES TO MARRY HIS BROTHER'S WIDOW OR DELIBERATELY DOES NOT GIVE HER CHILDREN, HE SHALL PAY A FINE OF ONE SHOE AND BE OTHERWISE PUNISHED IN A MANNER TO BE DETERMINED BY LAW (GENESIS 38:6-10; DEUTERONOMY 25:5-10).

G. IN LIEU OF MARRIAGE, IF THERE ARE NO ACCEPTABLE MEN IN YOUR TOWN, IT IS REQUIRED THAT YOU GET YOUR FATHER DRUNK AND HAVE SEX WITH HIM (EVEN IF HE PREVIOUSLY OFFERED YOU UP AS A SEX TOY TO MEN, YOUNG AND OLD,TAG-TEAMING WITH ANY SISTERS YOU MAY HAVE). OF COURSE, THIS RULE APPLIES ONLY IF YOU ARE FEMALE (GENESIS 19:31-36).

As a New Thought minister and teacher, I am often asked about such things as same-sex marriage. Questions like, "Does New Thought accept these marriages as legit?" or "How does New Thought reconcile its liberal views with Scripture?" Hear this:

The Bible, as magnificent as it is, has been translated from language to language for many centuries. Those of the fundamentalist or traditionalist persuasions who believe that the Book is direct dictation from God, no matter what language, are simply misguided. The above selections about marriage sustain my view that the Bible is folklore, human written, perhaps divinely guided, but human written none-the-less. And since it so, the Bible is prone, not so much to mistake, as to bias on the part of the various translators, depending upon the time period in which they work. Even New Thought has found itself supported in Scripture. Ever wonder why there are so many different denominations among Protestants? Each has a slightly different way of interpreting the Bible. Would not a truly creative Creator have taken human bias into consideration when presenting such a document? I think so.