{"id":3146,"date":"2009-01-29T23:33:20","date_gmt":"2009-01-30T04:33:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.orthodoxytoday.org\/blog\/?p=3146"},"modified":"2015-04-26T12:37:26","modified_gmt":"2015-04-26T19:37:26","slug":"the-great-myth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orthodoxytoday.org\/blog\/2009\/01\/the-great-myth\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great Myth"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Traditional<\/a>BreakPoint<\/a> | Allan Dobras | Jan. 7, 2009<\/p>\n

A December issue of Newsweek featured a cover story entitled \u201cOur Mutual Joy\u201d that purported to offer a \u201creligious case\u201d for gay \u201cmarriage.\u201d Author Lisa Miller claimed, \u201cOpponents of gay marriage often cite Scripture. But what the Bible teaches about love argues for the other side.\u201d Really?<\/p>\n

It is interesting that apologists for the homosexual lifestyle typically say, on the one hand, that religious conservatives don\u2019t really understand Scripture; if they did, they would see that there is no prohibition against homosexual love or marriage. On the other hand, they tell us the Bible is not to be trusted as a modern-day commentary when it speaks on moral issues\u2014particularly sexuality. As Miller put it, \u201cthe Bible is a living document, powerful for more than 2000 years because its truths speak to us even as we change through history. In that light, Scriptures give us no good reason why gays and lesbians should not be married.\u201d <\/p>\n

Newsweek editor Jon Meacham was even more direct in his commentary on Miller\u2019s article, saying that \u201cto argue that something is so because it is in the Bible is more than intellectually bankrupt\u2014it is unserious and unworthy of the great Judeo-Christian tradition.\u201d <\/p>\n

In light of these statements, it is obvious that homosexuals do not want to be held to the biblical standards of faith and practice, yet have no trouble embracing some form of religiosity in order to feel sanctified in the eyes of God. As the apostle Paul put it in 2 Timothy 3:1-5:<\/p>\n

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In her attempt to justify what is scripturally unjustifiable, Miller, either consciously or unconsciously, has made a number of grievous errors:<\/p>\n

MARRIAGE IS A HOLY ORDINANCE
\nFirst, marriage is not a triviality, but a holy ordinance ordained by God in the Garden of Eden. He declares to Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:24, \u201cTherefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh,\u201d which is His model for the union of male and female. Although some patriarchs strayed from this model following the Fall, it was not without consequences. David, for example, lost the son that was born as a result of his affair with Bathsheba. <\/p>\n

Jesus is described by Miller as being \u201cindifferent to earthly attachments,\u201d but He reiterates God\u2019s ordinance in Mathew 19:3-5 when questioned by the Pharisees on the matter of divorce:<\/p>\n

\nHave ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, \u2018For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife and they twain [two] shall be one flesh?\u2019 Wherefore, they are no more twain [two], but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Miller further claims that the \u201cfact\u201d that Jesus was single indicates that the Bible has no model for a \u201chow-to\u201d script on marriage. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, Jesus was married\u2014to His church (the community of believers), and His life is an allegory of traditional Hebrew marriage rituals.<\/p>\n

In the Hebrew ritual, the father or his emissary would pick out the bride for his son. Next, a price was established for the bride to be paid by the groom. When the bride accepted the proposal, they were legally betrothed, but the marriage was not yet consummated. Gifts were exchanged between the bride and groom and the groom departed to prepare a place for his bride\u2014often in his father\u2019s house. The groom may have left for an extended period, but eventually he returned to claim his bride, take her to the place he prepared, and consummate the marriage. <\/p>\n

Similarly, God the Father selects the bride (believers) for His Son (\u201cAll that the Father gives me shall come to me and I will in no wise cast out\u201d\u2014John 6:37). Jesus pays for His bride by His sacrificial death on the cross. Believers who accept Christ are sanctified, but not yet in His presence.<\/p>\n

Upon a believer\u2019s commitment to trust in Christ, he or she is given the Holy Spirit, who provides each believer a gift of the Spirit. Jesus leaves His bride (the church) to go to His Father\u2019s house, but prior to His departure, says, \u201cIn my Father\u2019s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also\u201d (John 14:2-3). In the end times, Jesus will return to the earth to gather His church and consummate his relationship with believers, who will then remain in His presence forever.<\/p>\n

. . . more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BreakPoint | Allan Dobras | Jan. 7, 2009 A December issue of Newsweek featured a cover story entitled \u201cOur Mutual Joy\u201d that purported to offer a \u201creligious case\u201d for gay \u201cmarriage.\u201d Author Lisa Miller claimed, \u201cOpponents of gay marriage often cite Scripture. But what the Bible teaches about love argues for the other side.\u201d Really? … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":497,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"generate_page_header":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[68,43,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-family","category-gay-marriage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orthodoxytoday.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orthodoxytoday.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orthodoxytoday.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orthodoxytoday.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/497"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orthodoxytoday.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.orthodoxytoday.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3146\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orthodoxytoday.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orthodoxytoday.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orthodoxytoday.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}