Today's ruling has done one thing for sure-it has further polarized our society, showing yet again, how unwilling our species is to charitably consider one another's views.
This post is not an advocation of a particular view, but rather a call to all parties involved to keep an open and charitable mind while debating this issue. If your goal is to "save" the world from certain behaviors, you won't accomplish much hypocritically condemning anyone who disagrees with you. Likewise, if your goal is to enlighten others, you aren't going to achieve that end by thoughtlessly accusing everyone of bigotedness and haphazardly disowning them.
That being said, onto my discussion.
Church, if you wanted to maintain the sanctity of marriage, you should have thought of that long before now. To be completely candid, the church has done an awful job of preserving the purity of this union even within its own walls. With rampant fornication, astronomical divorce rates, adultery, and spousal discontentment, the church has done anything but protect and honor the marriage bed.
So, before we start pointing fingers and ranting about how devastating this new ruling is, why don't we turn our gaze inward and realize that we have done little in regards to marriage besides trivializing it. This may come as a shock to many of you, but we, as the church, are not called to regulate the activity of others, but rather to regulate our OWN behavior (a task we have sorely failed), and by that set an example of how to properly treat one another in love and humility. Unfortunately, our animosity against the actions of others is often to mask and dismiss our own inadequacies.
I will also state something that many progressives won't care for (unless they are thoughtfully progressive). There are arguments and reasons to support traditional marriage that are not religious in any way. Since this is not a advocacy of either side I will not belabor this point, but it will suffice to say that these arguments and viewpoints are pragmatic in nature and have nothing to do with the individuals themselves or their sexual preference, but rather the nature of marriage in general. (If you would like to discuss these arguments, please comment below or fill out our contact form and we will promptly and graciously respond).
Now, before we get carried away, these reasons and arguments don’t necessarily mean that it is immoral to marry someone of the same sex or that same-sex marriage is inherently wrong. However, it does mean that despite what the inflamed rhetoric of the media says (although, unfortunately, that rhetoric is all too often substantiated by ignorant individuals), it is possible to support a traditional view of marriage and not be a bigot.
So, today, I would like to offer a challenge to both sides of this conflict:
Church, have you lived above reproach? Have you loved without faltering? Have you remained steadfast in your commitments? Have you fought sin to the point of shedding your own blood (Hebrews 12:4)? If we can’t even uphold our own standards, how can we blame others for dishonoring something that our own actions have already destroyed?
When considering our role in this issue, I will defer to my sister who so eloquently put it today: "I keep seeing "#lovewins", that's true.. It does.. But not the love they mean, but a much more meaningful kind of love. An undeserved one, the same kind we have been granted. So let's keep our belief strong, but don't let that opinion come before our duty." We are called to love as Christ loved, let that always be our drive.
To the progressive individuals, I would challenge to ask yourself whether you have truly considered your opponent's views and thoughts with an objective and discerning eye? Have you listened with an attentive ear so as to truly understand them? Or have you fallen into the mire of bigoted behavior and painted all those who disagree with you with a single brush?
I am truly honored to live amongst a generation of peers that is actively fighting for equality and justice for all! But let us not forget what it means to love unconditionally and to cherish the diversity that this country so wholeheartedly embraces, even if it means that we don't always agree with one another.
-Thom Schultz
Thom Schultz is a writer/philanthropist/musician from Tampa, Fl. He has a Bachelors in English Literature with a Minor in Philosophy from the University of South Florida. He is currently studying for his Master of the Liberal Arts Degree at the University of South Florida St. Pete. He also plays drums and writes much of the lyrics for his band I Shot the Albatross.
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