The legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States has caused a conflict between legality and moral-religious normalcy. For one, there are those who believe that that amending the nation’s laws on marriage does not in any way change what God has laid down from the very beginning; that the sacrament of marriage is only between a man and a woman. In this respect, the Bible is replete with teachings and warnings that clearly illustrate God’s attitude about marriage, from the Book of Genesis of the New Testament. As such, this continuity on the norms of marriage throughout the books of the Bible should have been sufficient enough to understand that same-sex marriage will never be acceptable in the eyes of God, regardless of laws that a nation may enact through legislation. Considering all these, this paper will emphasize that same-sex marriage is directly in conflict with Sin and Natural Law on Morality, and on Human Dignity and Participation under the Key Principles of the Catholic Social Teaching.
It is interesting to note about the report made by the New York Times about Senator Marco Rubio’s encounter with a gay man and his husband in Manchester. Rubio is a known antagonist of same-sex marriage in the United States and has always been vocal in expressing his opinions on the matter, so much so that that his reelection bid may suffer greatly from his belief. More so, the gay man, Mr. Timothy Kierstead, challenged Rubio’s stance when the former has stated, “Why do you want to put me back in the closet?They want to take my rights away as a citizen of the United States” (Barbaro 1). This statement by Kierstead was later answered by Rubio when he replied, “No, I just believe marriage is between one man and one woman” (Barbaro 1). This exchange of beliefs on marriage between Rubio and Kierstead exemplifies the social situation whereby the modern way of thinking has brought about an altered way of looking at certain God-given sacraments, such as marriage, even if in truth this newer method is in direct disagreement with God’s teachings on morality.
The Holy Bible is very clear on God’s moral standards regarding marriage. Here, Peter the Apostle instructs the Christians living in Rome during his era: “God gave them up to dishonorable passionsthat are contrary to naturemen committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error” (Romans 1: 26-27), with ‘due penalty’ referring to eternal damnation. Hence, at least from this Biblical point of view, it is very clear that Mr. Kierstead’s marriage with a fellow man is morally wrong, hence is considered a sin by God. This can be further substantiated by the use of the words ‘dishonorable passion’ in the Book of Romans, which is highly implicative of a misplaced or wrong form of romantic love or lust, according to the words used by Peter the Apostle. Hence, the aforementioned verses in Romans make it clear that marriage between a man with another man, or a woman and another woman, is very much immoral to God that it is a sin that would suffice to warrant eternal judgment into the fires of hell.
In the same manner, same-sex marriage greatly contradicts the natural law, as advocated by God and as evidenced in the above-mentioned Bible verses in the Book of Romans. This is especially evident in the lines, “For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women” (Romans 1: 26-27). As such, these verses prove that God only intended marriage and even romantic love to be solely between a man and a woman. This is the natural law by which God intends love relationships to develop, and as such should never be dishonored by man by endeavoring to alter His laws.
Implications of Same-Sex Marriage on Catholic Social Teaching
The Catholic Social Teaching espouses several key principles on the proper attitudes that a Christian must foster in regard to his physical and social environment, in accordance to God’s will. In this regard, two of these principles are appropriate in considering the Christian approach on same-sex marriage, specifically the principles of Human Dignity and Participation. The aspect of Human Dignity is important because it deals with a “world warped by materialism and declining respect for human lifethat the dignity of a person is the foundation of a moral vision for society” (Key Principles 1). Given the importance of morality to a person’s dignity, it is then pertinent to assess Mr. Kierstead’s belief on same-sex marriage as his human right, in that while it has indeed become legal in the United States, it is still nonetheless immoral according to God’s standards. Hence, human dignity then must adhere to the moral good of a person regardless of the existing laws of the land, and here Senator Rubio is biblically correct in holding fast to his stance that marriage is only between a man and a woman.
Another Catholic Social Teaching principle is Participation. This forwards a notion that “it is wrong for a person or a group to be excluded unfairlyTo treat people this way is effectively to say they simply do not count as human beings” (Key Principles 1). However, it must be noted that the refusal to obey God’s command, while not necessarily resulting to social exclusion, is still a sin and can be rightly considered as “shameless acts” (Romans 1: 27). This is especially evident in the case of Kierstead, whereby despite of the legal stature of his marriage with another man, this legality cannot exempt him from the sin of same-sex relations, as specified in the above-mentioned Book of Roman verses. Hence, in accordance with the Catholic Social Teaching, Barbaro’s article seems to forward a notion that the Catholic Church must practice Participation by encouraging those who practice sinful relations to heed God’s teachings and live their lives according to God’s, and not the world’s, standards of good and evil.
Barbaro’s article reveals the society’s tendency to interpret and implement laws, according to its self-centered motives, and not on God’s will. This is especially true in the conflict arising from same-sex marriage, whereby state laws have already legalized this kind of union despite of strong objections from the Bible. Hence, it can be said that same-sex marriage does not only infringe upon Sin and the Natural Law, but also on Human Dignity and Participation, espoused by the Catholic Social Teaching. Same-sex union has always been discouraged and even abhorred in biblical times, and should still be considered as an act of grave sin against God regardless of what the legal says otherwise. Same-sex union is a direct affront against how God intends love to flourish, that is, between a man and a woman, and not towards the same gender.
Works cited
Barbaro, Michael. “Gay Voter to Rubio: Why Do You Want to Put Me Back in the Closet?” The New York Times. 9 Feb. 2016. Web. 6 Apr. 2016. Retrieved from <http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/02/08/gay-voter-to-marco-rubio-why-do-you-want-to-put-me-back-in-the-closet/>.
Key Principles of Catholic Social Teaching. Catholic Charities Office for Social Justice, 2015. Web. 2 Apr. 2016. Retrieved from <https://www.cctwincities.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Key-10-Principles-of-CST_1-pager.pdf>.
The Holy Bible. Biblia.com. 2016. Web. 2 Apr. 2016. Retrieved from <http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Rom%201.26-27>.
