The news has been flooded recently about the win for gay marriage in New York. New York is now one in six states where gay marriage is legal. Through listening to some of the many news stories about this new development, I've noticed that (like most big issues) people are either strongly for or strongly against gay marriage. I, myself, am for gay marriage. Not so gung-ho that I'm going to go to a protest and wave signs, but if you want to get married and have babies (and are financially stable enough to do so), I say go for it. I could really care less who you are or who you choose for your partner in life. I don't want someone telling me who I can or can't marry, so why would I do the same for anyone else?
It's gotten me thinking though. Most people who are against gay marriage say they don't believe in it because of the Bible. They say the Bible says that marriage is between a man and a woman (which it does, granted), so therefore allowing gays to legally marry would somehow be tarnishing the sanctity of marriage. OK, I'm a Christian. I believe in God. But I wonder when was the last time all these anti-gay marriage, Bible quoter's really read the Old Testament. I by no means claim to be an expert on the Bible. I've never read it from cover to cover. But here are two things I know are in there (in my own words, of course).
1- The Bible says that a husband has the right to beat his wife with any object that is smaller in diameter than his thumb (hence...the "rule of thumb").
2- The Bible says that the husband is head of the household, that a woman should be subservient to her husband, that he is "boss".
Now, I don't know about the men out there. I'm sure there are a few who would say they agree with those above conditions and would love nothing more than to have a wife that actually believes them too. BUT...you can't tell me that this political women who are against gay marriage would also agree with the two excerpts above. I can picture it now. Mighty Congresswoman (who shouldn't be working anyway) comes home after a long day only to slip on her pearls, mix her husband a drink, cook him a lovely dinner, and then massage his feet while taking her nightly beating with his switch. Yes, this is an exaggeration. But if you take the Bible literally (as the anti-gay marriage people tend to do) you would get some version of this on a nightly basis with your husband. I'm sure those same people who use the Bible to combat gay marriage would also tell you they were against spousal abuse (which is in the Bible). That's the part that makes me so mad. People who use things when it's to their benefit, but want to turn on their heels when it doesn't work for them anymore. If you're going to be a "Bible-beater" you have to beat the whole thing.
For me, I think the Old Testament should be taken with a grain of salt. There are some good things in there, but you have to remember how long ago it was written. Things change, society changes, people change. It should be used as an outline, not the iron clad law of your life. Would be an interesting topic on John Stewart though...
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