Friday, October 31, 2014

The Gay Marriage Conundrum part 1

Recently I had a discussion with someone about gay marriage and marriage in general which is how the idea came to me to write a blog on this whole hot potato issue.  I know this is a hot topic - this post is just some poor soul's (mine) opinion.  I'm not in any position to affect legislation or make any changes so don't lambast me for my humble opinion... Just making that clear straight off.  I'm willing to debate but only in a civil fashion.

Another parameter I'll make clear from the beginning is that I want the truth to come from God's Word which I believe is clear - no reason to twist anything from the plain, straight word to make it say something obscure. No other writings can supersede God's word in authority.  So if you want to bring in worldly, secular objections, I will always point back to the unerring Word of God.  Pick someone else to fight with if this won't work for you. :)


I mentioned (in the discussion I had) the fact that marriage is symbolized as, and also at least compared to, Christ's relationship with the church (first with the literal Israelite nation, later Spiritual Israel).  Here are several verses that reinforce this idea.

Isaiah 54:5 - "For thy Maker is thine husband;  the Lord of hosts is his name;  and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel;  The God of the whole earth shall he be called."

Isaiah 62:5 - "For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee:  and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee"

(Please excuse this picture if it portrays a particular sect.  I'm choosing it for its simplicity and sincerity in the portrayal of a regular marriage and I'm suspicious but otherwise ignorant of what sect it might portray!)

Jeremiah 2:32 - This can be loosely taken to show the marriage connection but if you don't like it, we can throw this one out:  "Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire?  yet my people have forgotten me days without number."

Jeremiah 3:20 - "Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord."

Ezekiel 16:30, 32. - "How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord God, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;.....But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!" (following after the pagan practices and habits)

Israel is mentioned as an adulterer, even a whore (also see Hosea) who was in effect, being unfaithful to God;  as an adulterous wife to her husband.

Joel 1:8 - "Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth."

Jeremiah 31:32 - "Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt;  which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord."

John 3:29 - Another loose interpretation - take it or leave it.  "He that hath the bride is the bridegroom:  but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice:  this my joy therefore is fulfilled."


(As a side note, Romans 7 compares the law to the covenant of marriage where, when the husband or wife dies, the law of marriage is annulled and a will comes into effect until the time she gets married again when there is a new law.  This was compared to our relationship with the law and Christ and our death to working for salvation etc (?) - I admit I don't yet fully understand Romans 7...)

Ephesians 5:23 - "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church:  and he is the saviour of the body."  A direct comparison.
The person I was discussing this with (who has a very close loved one who is homosexual), thought that earthly marriage was symbolized by the "trinity" (not a word in the Bible, but understood as the three-in-one Godhead).  (In this way, it could then be said that since God and Jesus are male, it shows a "homo"sexual relationship.)   I said I didn't think so - their relationship is portrayed more as a Father and Son relationship.  God the Father, Jesus the Son (and the Holy Spirit as a third entity) show a parent/child representation of perfect trust and dependence.  Nowhere in the whole Bible have I found anything intimating that the Godhead represents the marriage relationship - show me if you know better!  {The "creating man in his own image" in Genesis refers to the physical, spiritual and emotional etc, makeup of humans - we resemble God.  Nothing there infers anything about a marriage union between members of the Godhead.}


Of course there is also the other analogy of a bride being the Holy City, Jerusalem (Rev 21:2 for example).  There are lots of analogies for things but as far as I know, those are the only two for 'bride'.

So this post emphasizes that the homosexual union has NO precedent in God's symbolism.  If it was to become a normative relationship, wouldn't that be symbolized by something?



The Gay Marriage Conundrum part 2

Boy, I'm really getting myself deep into this issue.  This part is looking at homosexuality itself and some issues and questions people have about it. I don't know much so some of these are questions.

I want to make a table here but I don't see any option for one so I'll make the 3 columns different colors to make it easier to see.

Reasons given                             Things I can agree on                      Reasons why I don't agree
 by some why                                                                                      
"gay" is OK.

 _____________________________________________________________

They're born that way                       Yes, some were born with               Doesn't mean you have  
                                                          effeminate propensities to that        to act on it, which is sin.





Not fair to ask they be                                 ----                                         Is there ever a reason to 
celibate                                                                                                         sin? Paul, Jesus and 
                                                                                                                        monks are celibate  
                                                                                                                        etc.  It is possible.


They have to live in sin                    God's design has been                      Marriage is between 
because society won't let                  changed.  It wasn't his                      a man and a woman.  
them marry.                                       original plan to have                        God's design
                                                          gay marriage.                                   from the beginning.







They can adopt kids or                      What kind of role models                If God designed 
have sperm donors -                           will they be?                                   homosexual union, 
just as good parents as                                                                                why can't they pro-
others.                                                                                                            create?  Gay union
                                                                                                                        is a faulty design  
                                                                                                                       and they have              
                                                                                                                       to actively recruit 
                                                                                                                        people into
                                                                                                                        their ranks.





Bible only says you can't                  Craziest reason I've ever                  Bible condemns 
force yourself to be un-                     heard.                                                  having  sex man  
natural.  Thus if you lust                                                                               to man or 
after men but have sex                                                                                  woman to woman. 
with a woman you're                                                                                      Plain and simple.
sinning.                                                                                                           No twist to it.

      ----                                                         ----                                           The Bible condemns the
                                                                                                                    effeminate (which is                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                     obviously men acting
                                                                                                                      like women or femininely)




  The children are just fine                            -----                                         Children are adversely
                                                                                                                    affected by living in a gay
                                                                                                                    household.

Gay unions are just as                                -----                                          Most gay unions are 
strong as heterosexual.                                                                               short-lived which 
                                                                                                                    leads to much
                                                                                                                    heartache, STDs 
                                                                                                                     and drama.

Heterosexuals are                                       really?                                     Live in sin? Whoever 
allowed to live in sin so                                                                             condones that?  
why not homosexuals?                                                                               It is always wrong to live 
                                                                                                                   in sin!


Heterosexuals are so                                  can't agree                              We LOVE the person - 
judgmental.  You hate us                                                                           but not their behavior.  
all.  We feel condemned                                                                            Why is it so hard 
and sad.                                                                                                     to accept that?  
                                                                                                                  Only God can judge 
                                                                                                                   the heart so have 
                                                                                                                   peace about that!






Being gay isn't a problem                            ----                                       Homosexuality is 
so leave them alone.                                                                                a hormonal issue - 
                                                                                                                  so why not address
                                                                                                                  that and fix the 
                                                                                                                 problem?  Society 
                                                                                                                 doesn't see it as 
                                                                                                                 a problem so its 
                                                                                                                 an "insult" to try 
                                                                                                                  to "fix" it, in their 
                                                                                                                  minds. It IS a 
                                                                                                                 problem and many 
                                                                                                                  of them despise 
                                                                                                                  themselves and 
                                                                                                                  way of life.

It's a DNA issue - a                          Back to the "I was born                 Not unfixable if they                  
problem that happens in                   this way" issue.                             really wanted to - 
the womb.                                                                                                 hormones and 
                                                                                                                  Godly counseling 
                                                                                                                  if needed.This 
                                                                                                                  could be done in
                                                                                                                   infancy or 
                                                                                                                  whenever it 
                                                                                                                  manifests  itself.

Am I being too naive?  Too black and white?  Is this the new civil rights movement?  It won't stop until they have what they want and are able to make homosexuality completely and totally mainstream?  What is the true agenda?  And who is really behind the twisting of God's word?  Who in the universe would want to negate God's word and see the institute of marriage trampled, diminished and laughed at? Who would want children to grow up confused and sexually brainwashed and without a mother and father, without a stable home?  I ask you!

Perhaps we should ask which dragon would mastermind that?  Who could possibly want to destabilize society so much that they stand for things that aren't morally upright?  I leave you with those questions to ponder but in case you think their case might be hopeless, it is NOT.  There is hope for every living person.  Here is a number you could contact to text questions. 423-248-5004


And I promise I'm not working for anyone but went to a seminar and got this information so if you're interested, give it a try. I actually wrote this blog before going to the seminar but the slides they had seem to go nicely with what I was saying.

(Since I didn't get the number below, you can surely google these two products for more information. The bottom pic got all but one of the numbers so I posted it below for that but the top pic is clearer.)



PS:  Can someone please, at blogspot, FIX the formatting issue?  Is that possible?  On the editing page, everything lines up beautifully but here there are spaces, double blank lines, big gaps and other unfathomable anomalies....I have to question the sanity and clear-mindedness of those who wrote these formatting programs....I won't say more (in case it's MY stupidity).

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Throw back Photos I

In trying to up date all the old deleted photos from the 2007 and 2008 blogs, I came across a lot of old photos of then and (mostly) before so will make this "Throw back Thursday" on a Friday and post a bunch of old pics here.


Hair being done for the 2008 wedding


Village Chapel Primary class
Our first time to Lake Winnie - 05, 06 or 07!



Yes, close your eyes.  We're all so fat!

Now you can smile cos we're all so thin


Now that C is big enough for the big rides, the bigger version of this ride has turned out to be her favorite.






How quickly they grow up! So cute!



Curlers all ready for tomorrow (Sabbath?)
Another year at Lake Winnie


With her friend R






Looks about 5 here

and here

C took this one

And this one




The next few are from A and M's 2008 wedding







Trying to keep warm