First of all, some gays are getting married now in their churches or under God.
I suppose there will always be some churches (even Christian) churches that will allow it, some have allowed gays to become leaders, preachers, etc.
What some believe God believes about homosexuality and/or same sex marriage is not necessarily what others believe God believes about homosexuality and/or same sex marriage.
I have no problem with that statement, if everyone was of one accord there would be no controversy and no reason to be discussing it.
I believe that God has zero problems with either homosexuality or same sex marriages.
Like you said in your previous statement, what some believe God believes about homosexuality is not what others believe God believes about homosexuality. There are scriptures in the Bible (Old Testament) that some would interpret as God detesting homosexuality. (Leviticus 20:13). And the New Testament does not mention it at all except for a passage in Corinthians that claims that male prostitutes and sodomites (along with some others) will not inherit the kingdom of God, and some perceive that to mean homosexuality. So, to make a statement that God has zero problems with either homosexuality/same sex marriage, is like speaking for God without his word to back it up.
I also don't believe God cares at all about a lot of things that could easily be viewed as trivial issues pertaining to sex from a higher power that probably has a lot bigger concerns.
Again, you are claiming what you believe, when you have already stated that not everyone believes the same way. The fact that you believe it does not make it so.
That is why I think churches have the right to decide whether they will marry gays or not, and it cannot be forced upon them, while at the same time, gays should be allowed to have the same benefits that a marriage provides whether you want to call it a marriage or civil union, partnership or whatever.
Second, I'm not sure how many people get married by the JotP, but I bet it is small, especially since there are so many other alternatives, some of which do not have to involve religion at all but still may involve some sort of ceremony. My husband and I would be included in there, since we were wed by a woman who got ordained over the internet to make extra money and didn't care what religion we were or what kind of ceremony we wanted. We made sure to leave out all mention of any higher power, despite both of us believing in one, because neither of us feel that God really cares that much about our ceremony.
Again you are stressing what you believe (did you forget the statement that you made at the beginning, that what some people believe does not necessarily mean others believe also?) as if that is what it should be. I happen to believe that God does care about every aspect of our lives, but I don't expect others to believe what I believe. Getting married in the church for me meant that I was seeking God's blessing on my marriage, that I took my vows seriously and would honor God's take on marriage.
The creation of marriage is recorded in Genesis 2:23-24: "The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called “woman,” for she was taken out of man.’ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." God created man and then made woman to complement him. Marriage is God’s “fix” for the fact that “it is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18).
The word “helper” used to describe Eve in Genesis 2:20 means “to surround, to protect or aid, help.” Eve was created to be alongside Adam as his "other half," to be his aid and his helper. A man and woman, when married, become "one flesh." This oneness is manifested most fully in the physical union of sexual intimacy. The New Testament adds a warning regarding this oneness. "So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate" (Matthew 19:6).
What does the Bible say about marriage?
The fact is that the state uses the word marriage for a civil contract that describes certain relationships and what they mean in law. No matter how much some religions or religious people want to own the word marriage, they don't.
The word "marriage" is only a word, and if they want to call the civil contracts, unions, partnerships or whatever a marriage, doesn't matter to me. However, for those churches and people that belong to those churches that interpret the Bible to mean that God does not look upon homosexuality as okay, I believe they have the right to deny to marry gays. The state, however, cannot use the Bible as their reference for denying it, ergo, they should have to allow it.
And that is how it should be. We have lots of words in the English language that mean more than one thing or that are used differently depending on the group using the word. It would be a complete waste of money to change all marriages to civil unions just to avoid offending some religions, who do not actually own the particular word to begin with.
I have no problem with it, why I said I have no problem with gays being married as long as they don't expect it to be acceptable by everyone especially by churches and people that attend those churches that oppose it. The fact that it is mentioned in the Bible that God created a woman for Adam, signifies that God approves of marriage and it was between a man and a woman, why the word "marriage" may be considered a religious rite, as opposed to just having a contract that grants you certain civil rights.
