PRIMARY REASONING

Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?

In order for me to indicate no to the question, I need to be satisfied both that:
1. Biblical marriage is between a woman and a man; and
2. Christians should seek to oppose any change that moves the legal definition of
marriage further away from the biblical definition marriage.
In order for me to indicate yes to the question, I need to be satisfied either that:
1. Biblical marriage extends to same-sex couples; or
2. Christians should not seek to restrict the legal definition of marriage.
Whilst it must be noted that there are some things for me to consider about the first point, I
have not found any compelling reason to abandon the traditional Christian teaching regarding
same-sex relationships. Hence, my decision hinges on the second point about whether
Christians should seek to enforce the biblical standards on marriage through legislation.
I believe it is very hard for me as a Christian to determine what to do when I have law-making
power as I do not feel there is a clear biblical example. In the Old Testament, the church and
state were melded together as the single entity of Israel, which I believe is a far cry from the
separate institutions of church and state that we have today. In the New Testament, Jesus
and the early church were persecuted by the Jewish leaders and the Roman state.
It would seem that forcing our doctrine onto others would run counterintuitive to the notion
that our love and obedience of Jesus is a choice that we, at least at some point, have had
some part in making. I do not believe that a change in the definition of legal marriage will
directly affect the rights of others; hence, I feel opposition to same-sex marriage does not fall
into the same church-state relations category as ending slavery or helping asylum seekers.
Also, I am ambivalent about whether biblical marriage was intended for broader society.
My predisposition from a secular mindset is to support a strict separation of church and state.
Politically, my foundational philosophy in social matters rests upon classical liberal values
concerning the freedom of individuals. The interference of the church in state matters seems
to be unreasonable from my secular perspective. This is not an overriding factor, but does
contribute to the same line of thinking I have detailed above.
Ultimately, I feel the Bible is largely silent on the matter of what Christians should do when
they have law-making power. I also believe that the freedom God endows us with in order to
choose or reject him seems to suggest that we shouldnt enforce biblical doctrine onto others.
Additionally, my own secular viewpoint supports non-interference from the church in matters
such as marriage. Hence, unless I am presented with convincing reasons to the contrary, I
believe I will be indicating yes to the question on the survey.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
I feel that biblical and legal marriage are already very separate institutions. Biblical marriage
involves a woman and a man under God selflessly giving themselves to each other. In this day
and age, legal marriage very much seems to be a contractoften entered into without any
thought of Godthat recognises an already-existent coupling. By permitting legal marriage to
be extended to same-sex couples, I think the distinction between biblical and legal marriage
may perhaps become clearer to all. However, I can also see that trying to keep legal marriage
close to biblical marriage may possibly be beneficial to society as biblical marriage is Gods
intended union for couples.
I am wary of denying a number of congregations in the Uniting Church the ability to legally
solemnise same-sex marriages. These congregations believe that same-sex marriage fits
within the biblical definition of marriage. However, looking from the other side, it is already
possible for these congregations to solemnise same-sex unions as marriages under their own
religious definition, it is just not a legal marriage.
For this present generation of young people, the fight for LGBTIQ+ rights seems to be of a
similar importance as previous generations fight for the rights of non-whites, slaves, and
women. It is my fear that we may end up losing an entire generation if we fail to approach
the issue of same-sex marriage in the correct manner. Hence, I feel we should examine how
we convey the biblical teachings on marriage and sexuality and also consider whether or not
the biblical teachings on marriage and sexuality are intended for non-Christians as well as
Christians. However, it must be noted that I do not think we should change our doctrine or
silence ourselves just because a group in society disagrees with the position of the Bible on a
certain issue. I also believe it is possible for people to come to know God even if they begin
their journey opposed to Christianity.
It would appear that the next federal Labor government will change the legal definition of
marriage to incorporate same-sex couples. It would also seem that a federal Labor
government will likely be returned at the next election or at one very soon thereafter. Hence,
I suspect changing the legal definition of marriage under a more conservative Liberal
government will see additional protections for churches that would not be under Labors
legislation. I think it may be in Christians best interests to approve same-sex marriage now
whilst many protections are on the table. This consideration is not entirely convincing,
however, as I believe God can intervene in any situation if He so desires.
The ABC recently reported that several people who had received additional surveys in the
mail intended for past occupants or deceased persons were returning those surveys with a
yes vote, despite sometimes not knowing the wishes of the addressee. This makes me feel as
if I should indicate no on the survey so as to counteract these fraudulent activities. However,
I suspect that there are likely similar cases occurring for the other side also, meaning that I
may well be punishing one campaign and not the other.