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I think we should discuss some of the more thorny religious issues even though they are somewhat controversial.
In one of the local groups in my area which discuss religious issues, they have been discussing this topic and whether God is inclusive of all or not.
Some people believe that they want their relationship to be recognised and approved by the Church but many in the Church feel that the term 'Marriage' has a specific meaning of 'Union between a man and a woman'. This means that other terms have to be found by the Church and the word 'Marriage' is not to be used in the ceremony. Or..else the relationship is 'blessed' and not officially recognised as 'Marriage', as is that of a man to a woman.
From the Church's point of view they find it politically difficult to come down on any side of the fence and so they are probably going to fudge it yet again. Either way, they will attract criticism from the congregation, particularly the older and more traditional people.
I understand that there are some Churches which have decided to allow this marriage of same-sex couples, but on an individual level, how does everyone feel about this?
Not if they care about what Scripture actually says. But then, it seems less and less churches in America really care about being faithful to God's Word.
I guess what I'm curious about is, why does it matter what a church thinks about one's relationship? Remember when it was supposedly all about "We just want to be equal?" Now it's about forcing others to endorse it.
That is the secular definition and it invokes a series of secular privileges and benefits that are not trivial. Whether or not a church recognizes it as "Holy Matrimony" invoking God's approval is a separate issue that has to be addressed by each church and their beliefs about God, IMO.
Marriage is between a man and a woman, a husband and a wife. Same sex couples need a new word that describes their union, like "coupling".
I see no reason by churches should not perform "coupling" ceremonies between same sex couples. If they want to get "coupled" in church, who are they to judge the people requesting a "coupling".
Hate the sin, love the sinner. Not that I think same sex people are sinning, but most churches do.
Not if they care about what Scripture actually says. But then, it seems less and less churches in America really care about being faithful to God's Word.
I guess what I'm curious about is, why does it matter what a church thinks about one's relationship? Remember when it was supposedly all about "We just want to be equal?" Now it's about forcing others to endorse it.
Who's being forced to endorse it? The question was should the church marry same sex people, not the church MUST marry same sex people.
I'm talking about the overall premise behind the concept. It is either changing or unchanging.
It changes in the Bible itself. Polygamy was an accepted form of "marriage" in the OT and there are actually a few "rules" mentioned concerning it's practice. If it wasn't acceptable then there would not have been "rules".
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