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I think it would be fair to say that many churches around the world aren’t very happy with that same-sex ruling in America. The truth of the matter is that the American Supreme Court really could not have ruled any other way. Now, while the church is raging mad, it also needs to take a reality check.
Morality is not a static phenomenon and the world is constantly changing. Same-sex marriage is increasingly being seen these days are normal — especially in the developed countries of the west. I think that rather than doing all it can to push back the tide, the Church must come to terms with this reality and adapt to it.
One would have hoped that the church would have learned by now the many similar lessons from its own very long history. It has, more or less in many parts of the world, accepted the out-datedness of slavery, the need for racial integration, sex outside of marriage and the equality of women amongst other so-called sins.
The church had demonstrated its mastery of being a good “re-interpreter” of scripture when it accepted these so-called sins. I have no doubt in my mind that church will be able to re-interpret biblical scriptures to enable it to accept gay marriage too.
I know that the objections coming from the church are now in its financial interests; however, time will change that eventually. I am sure that sooner or later, the church will come up with the needed “re-interpreted” scriptures that it will need to enable it to accommodate gay marriage, as it will eventually be in its financial interest and thus very survival to do so.
The church will admit defeat and adapt — eventually.
Michael A. Dingwall,
Kingston, Jamaica
The opinions presented in this content belong to the author and may not necessarily reflect the perspectives or editorial stance of iWitness News. Opinion pieces can be submitted to [email protected].
I believe the inhabitants of this earth (man/woman) has lost the true vision about who God is. It would appear to me that you, Mr. Michael Dingwall, is also implying that gay marriages are right and should be accepted by he church if only for monetary reasons. God made man and woman to be together, I do not hate those people who profess to be gays and lesbians, but I am against the church or any other who has the right to marry 2 people (male/female) together, to indulge in marry 2 males or2 females. Two males cannot become pregnant and the other way around. Read your bible, that’s the main reason God created us male/female. America and all the other nations of the world who support same sex marriage, please go to your bibles and rad and study the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. God is good and sympathizing but he does get vex too and pull back when we start getting greedy and take too much of the rope that he freely gave us. It is believed that the Caribbean nation like to copy the US, please SVG, do not copy the same sex thing…the Creator does not like it.
How the church can object about anything gay I do not know.
It is estimated that at a minimum 33% of Catholic priests are homosexuals.
Millions of little boys over the centuries have been molested by priests.
This is happening all over the world, not just developing countries but developed countries like the US and UK.
Since the mid-1980s Roman Catholic priests in the United States were dying from AIDS-related illnesses at a rate four times higher than that of the general population; with most of the cases contracted through same-sex relations, and the cause often concealed on their death certificates.
See
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_and_Roman_Catholic_priests
I totally agree with this article… Its about time that the church adapt to the changes that are happening in the world! The same sex marriage, the numerous murders that are happening in society, heck why don’t the ministers start to do the act themselves -_-. (i think by now you will realize I am being sarcastic)
What you are asking for a completely Godless society where every single soul is concern about me, myself and I. Sin is sin, wrong is wrong; we as humans sometimes speak out about certain things because of our personal opinion. That does not mean that marriage outside of marriage is right, nor having other people’s husband nor wife, they are all wrong. Instead of looking towards people for the explanation of wrong or right look in the bible! Can you imagine if Christ had “admit defeat and adapt” what kind of world we would have lived in?
Believers in Christ need to realize the upcoming events have already been foretold in the Bible. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (KJV) says “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.”
And Matthew 24:37 says “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
Yes the church cannot do anything but pray….because unlike the world who hates the sinner but loves the sin Christ loves the SINNER but hates the SIN. Stop looking at how SOME CHRISTIANS and NON CHRISTIANS live their lives and look at the life giver who through him we are made perfect.
Luke 21:28 says “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” My dear whether we are Christians or not, the bible is fulfilling right before our eyes, Christ is coming .ready or not! God bless
Peter,
Any scholarly person know that you don’t do your research from Wiki, when in college we are all told that anyone with an account and go to Wiki and edit the work to their liking.
On that note, I would like to know if there are any other sources you can come up with that states Catholic priest were dying at a rate at 4 times higher than the population..
The power is in your hands now. 🙂
1459truth should realize that the bible which was compiled by a roman emperor is a poor example when it comes to defining marriage;
-The father of all religion Abraham had a child with his servant before he had with his wife
-Solomon who supposed to be the wisest man had multiple wives
-Jesus the son of god was never even married and we are supposed to follow his example
What ever was written by the “jews” then, was for that time and place. It has no relevance to us today
“Inspiration faithfully records the faults of good men, those who were distinguished by the favor of God; indeed, their faults are more fully presented than their virtues. This has been a subject of wonder to many, and has given the infidel occasion to scoff at the Bible. But it is one of the strongest evidences of the truth of Scripture, that facts are not glossed over, nor the sins of its chief characters suppressed. The minds of men are so subject to prejudice that it is not possible for human histories to be absolutely impartial. Had the Bible been written by uninspired persons, it would no doubt have presented the character of its honored men in a more flattering light. But as it is, we have a correct record of their experiences.
Men whom God favored, and to whom He entrusted great responsibilities, were sometimes overcome by temptation and committed sin, even as we at the present day strive, waver, and frequently fall into error. Their lives, with all their faults and follies, are open before us, both for our encouragement and warning. If they had been represented as without fault, we, with our sinful nature, might despair at our own mistakes and failures. But seeing where others struggled through discouragements like our own, where they fell under temptations as we have done, and yet took heart again and conquered through the grace of God, we are encouraged in our striving after righteousness. As they, though sometimes beaten back, recovered their ground, and were blessed of God, so we too may be overcomers in the strength of Jesus. On the other hand, the record of their lives may serve as a warning to us. It shows that God will by no means clear the guilty. He sees sin in His most favored ones, and He deals with it in them even more strictly than in those who have less light and responsibility.” Patriarchs and Prophets
We can try our best to deny GOD or the authority of the Bible. Man is like the Ostrich who buries his head in the sand thinking it protects him.
Whether we want to believe it or not the Bible is what God has given man for us to live by. Not merely the Jews. God chose the Jews as His people to reveal himself to all nations (“In thee shall all nations of the earth be blessed Gen 26:4 ).
God always had and has currently a plan for all nations
Yes the Bible shows us the shortfall of man but we never see the Bible endorsing sin. Abraham and Hagar – We see God sent away Hagar and her son Ismael. He was not the son of promise, that is Isaac. God never endorsed Abraham’s sin, on the contrary the Bible reveals to us that sin has consequences as we see in the Bible and up to this day there is conflict between the descendants of Ishmael and Isaac.
Yes Solomon had many wives but we are told in 1 Kings 11:3,4 &9 – He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been…Now the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel who had appeared unto him twice.
Solomon also tells us in Ecclesiastes that all he went after in life besides God was vanity.
Paul says that some persons are not meant to be married. God commands that marriage is between a man and a woman, and that marriage is the only avenue for sexual relations. But if one wants to devote themselves to God and do not desire marriage nothing is wrong with them.
We try to reject God and the Bible because we know He is real and the Bible reveals our sin. There is a standard for life and it is found in the Bible.
If God and the Bible are not real, I have nothing to loose. If they are real then those who reject them have an eternity in hell awaiting them.
There are absolutes.
You took the words out of my mouth. Also fpereira I have a question or you. If the bible was “compiled by a roman emperor ” you think they would have wanted people to have faith in a man that died for our sins and to have hope in him? Wouldn’t it have been better if they portrayed Jesus as a Roman King? There is a God in heaven my dear whether you believe it or not. If the Bible is not true then why follow the commands of the bible? (10 Commandments) Where did the government place their rules on?
Basically what I understand you to be saying is that it should be alrite to go around and “do whatever you want” no matter who or what you hurt? (steal, kill, take your neighbor wife/husband…just to name a few) And you may say those have to do about being moral. If that will be your response I will like to ask. Are we as human loving? The bible states in Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV)”The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
In Acts 5: 30-39 “a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law” told the Pharises of the time (paraphrasing) No to touch Peter and ___ cause if the words they spoke (Christ and his resurrection) were false that as time goes by people will stop listening (he then went on to give an example of a man Theudas.
As we read down these words are what we need to remember for even today. Verse 38 &39 ” And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: BUT IF IT BE OF GOD, YE CANNOT OVERTHROW IT; LEST HAPLY YE BE FOUND EVEN TO FIGHT AGAINST GOD.” -emp added-
For thousands of years people have been following the words of Christ and although we are not perfect. Hebrews 10:14 (KJV)” For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”For only through Christ we are made perfect), there is a difference in us.
There is a God in heaven dear…..whether you believe it or not.”
This is my problem reasoning with “church people” They just recite the scripture but the creator gave all of us the ability to reason and that includes questioning religion; no matter what shape or form. This take it or leave it attitude is the breeding ground for cults which allowed Jim Jones to convince over 400 followers to commit suicide. I didn’t say the bible was written by a roman emperor. The books were being used by different sects and just as we are doing now there was a lot of conflict in beliefs so Emperor Constantine chose some of the books and compiled it into the bible hoping to bring unity. The books of the bible were not written by god. they were written by men who you believe were inspired by god; the same way the Indians and Chinese and muslims and jews and the thousands of religions believe their writings were inspired by a higher power. Christians are 30% of the world population and “born again Christians ” are less than 1% so according to these writers 99 the world is in real trouble. Christianity was exported from the middle east to the Americas and west indies so that’s all we know; it’s not the only religion and the bible is only one of the holy books, the muslims have their Koran, The jews who totally dismiss the new testament that is the center of Christianity have the torah; J D still thinks of them as chosen though and I am the doomed non believer. if islam were exported to the west indies instead of Christianity people like 1459truth would be bombarding me with verses from the Koran. You all are small time retailers in the business of religion. The wholesalers are The Creflo Dollars , and Billy Grahams who use you to buy their private jets and build mega churches while you live in poverty. Remember :”its easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven” . Stay righteous and poor my friends
fpereira, I love you and more importantly God loves you. which is why He sent His son to die for my sins and yours. He is the only way to heaven.
I will be praying that God would help you to see Him for who He is and trust in Him before time changes into eternity.
I did not and do not preach religion, I simply take The Bible for what it is The Word of God.
My righteousness is based on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. I have no problem if it is God’s will for me to be poor, as long as I am walking in His ways.
OK JD I love you too and the creator loves us all equally; Christians, Jews, muslims, bhuddists, gay, straight, black, white, Chinese you name it. He has no chosen people and I don’t believe he chose any one individual to be his son. The jews share the same view so you cant condemn me for my belief the same way I wont condemn you. Most important , lets respect each other’s beliefs and not allow religion to divide us. once again love you and may be we will meet some day
I understand you may see us quoting scriptures as reciting but its far from that. Its different for each person and their personal relationship with God (or whoever you believe in, which you rightly said)
Matthew 19:24-its easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven Please at least f you want to quote a verse, at least take the verses into context 🙂 That verse was said because a rich young ruler came to speak to Jesus and because he “went away sad” after Christ told him to give up all that he had to help the poor. What the verse isnt telling you is that we are to remain poor! We see many examples in the bible who were rich and give their money to help the poor (its a choice of being rich and hoarding or rich and helping) The Rich (like the rich young ruler) will have it hard to enter the Kingdom because they do not love their neighbors.
Anywho it’s all good……… God is love