I live in a country where I can voice an opinion without fear, and yet my voice - and that of others - was ignored in Parliament and our voice was not sought in the form of a referendum. We had no voice.
They say that it won't change marriage. And yet, in a subtle way, it has already changed mine. When I wear my wedding ring or talk proudly of my spouse, there will no longer be the understanding that marriage is a complete union - physical, emotional, spiritual, sexual - between a man and a woman. As ridiculous as it sounds, we may even hear the question, "Is your husband a man or a woman?" That complete and complementary union which is the mystery of marriage is impossible between a same-sex couple and yet our politicians fail to grasp this.
When man thinks they can take what God has ordained and improve upon it, he makes a mistake. By redefining marriage we haven't made it better, but have abolished all that it has stood for from the beginning of time and replaced it with something less. Much less.
And although the debate seems to have raged around equality and rights (although the rights of children appear to have been grossly overlooked) it was never about either. It was about the definition of marriage, a definition that we as a society have failed to fully appreciate and protect, and one, that now it's gone, I'm afraid we will never reclaim.
"As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be most aware of change in the air - however slight - lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness." Justice William O. Douglas
Are we, as a nation, experiencing those very last moments of twilight just before the darkness descends? And if we stand by and do nothing will we become not just victims of the darkness but also perpetrators of darkness?
They say that it won't change marriage. And yet, in a subtle way, it has already changed mine. When I wear my wedding ring or talk proudly of my spouse, there will no longer be the understanding that marriage is a complete union - physical, emotional, spiritual, sexual - between a man and a woman. As ridiculous as it sounds, we may even hear the question, "Is your husband a man or a woman?" That complete and complementary union which is the mystery of marriage is impossible between a same-sex couple and yet our politicians fail to grasp this.
When man thinks they can take what God has ordained and improve upon it, he makes a mistake. By redefining marriage we haven't made it better, but have abolished all that it has stood for from the beginning of time and replaced it with something less. Much less.
And although the debate seems to have raged around equality and rights (although the rights of children appear to have been grossly overlooked) it was never about either. It was about the definition of marriage, a definition that we as a society have failed to fully appreciate and protect, and one, that now it's gone, I'm afraid we will never reclaim.
"As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be most aware of change in the air - however slight - lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness." Justice William O. Douglas
Are we, as a nation, experiencing those very last moments of twilight just before the darkness descends? And if we stand by and do nothing will we become not just victims of the darkness but also perpetrators of darkness?
Comments
"since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them."
We look around at our society, and we can see every vile thing that is listed in those verses. It's not confined to same-sex relationships.
The Wanganui Chronicle (Thursday 18th April, 2013) printed that ACT leader John Banks said "he did not believe the God he believed in would think any less of him for voting in favour of the bill."
Sure, God is loving, and will accept any who turn to Him, no matter what life decisions they made in the past. However, I wonder if the God described by John Banks is also righteous and infinitely holy, and will one day judge us all according to His perfect standard.
Praise and thanks be to God who forgives our sins and washes us clean through Jesus Christ!