Thursday, 26 March 2009

Is this ok or acceptable marriage ?

"What does the Bible say about sex before marriage / premarital sex?"
There is no Hebrew or Greek word used in the Bible that is precisely defined to refer to sex before marriage. The Bible undeniably condemns adultery and sexual immorality, but the question arises, is sex before marriage considered sexually immoral? According to 1 Corinthians 7:2, “yes” is the clear answer, “But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.” In this verse, Paul states that marriage is the “cure” for sexual immorality. First Corinthians 7:2 is essentially saying because people cannot control themselves and so many people are having immoral sex outside of marriage, people should get married, so they can fulfill their passions in a moral way.



So, since 1 Corinthians 7:2 clearly includes sex before marriage in the definition of sexual immorality, all of the Bible verses that condemn sexual immorality as being sinful also condemn sex before marriage as sinful. Sex before marriage is included in the biblical definition of sexual immorality. There are numerous Scriptures that declare sex before marriage to be a sin (Acts 15:20; 1 Corinthians 5:1, 6:13,18, 10:8; 2 Corinthians 12:21; Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Jude 7). The Bible promotes complete abstinence before marriage. Sex between a husband and his wife is the only form of sexual relations of which God approves (Hebrews 13:4).

Far too often we focus on the “recreation” aspect of sex without recognizing that there is another aspect – “procreation.” Sex within marriage is pleasurable, and God designed it that way. God wants men and women to enjoy sexual activity within the confines of marriage. Song of Solomon and several other Bible passages (such as Proverbs 5:19) clearly describe the pleasure aspect of sex. However, the couple must understand that God’s intent for sex includes producing children. Thus, for a couple to engage in sex before marriage is doubly wrong—they are enjoying pleasures not intended for them, and they are taking a chance of creating a human life outside of the family structure God intended for every child.

While practicality does not determine right from wrong, if the Bible's message on sex before marriage was obeyed there would be far fewer sexually transmitted diseases, far fewer abortions, far fewer un-wed mothers / unwanted pregnancies, and far fewer children growing up without both parents in their lives. Abstinence is God’s only policy when it comes to sex before marriage. Abstinence saves lives, protects babies, gives sexual relations the proper value, and most importantly, honors God.

Purity seems archaic; abstinence impossible. Why wait when everyone else is getting the goods now? It’s just sex — the subject of nearly every movie and primetime show, even magazine ads. What’s so special about it? In a sex-saturated culture, waiting till marriage seems outdated and prudish. Pleasure is the name of the game. But that’s not the whole story. In addition to the risk of contracting STDs and AIDS or getting pregnant, premarital sex leads to emotional distress, distrust, regret and emptiness. That’s because sex connects two people in body and spirit; it’s impossible to separate the two. If you’re planning to give away your virginity, or are hurting from past sexual experiences, read on for a different view of sex

Same-Sex Marriage
Some diverse quotations:
"Each individual's journey through life is unique. Some will make this journey alone, others in loving relationships - maybe in marriage or other forms of commitment. We need to ponder our own choices and try to understand the choices of others. Love has many shapes and colors and is not finite. It can not be measured or defined in terms of sexual orientation." From the Statement of Affirmation and Reconciliation by the Quaker meeting in Aotearoa.
"Hey if you don't believe in gay marriage then don't marry a gay person!" Whoopi Goldberg, on the TV program The View.
A curse that we received from a conservative Christian. (Grammar, punctuation and spelling corrected to make it legible):



"Because marriage is a basic human right and an individual personal choice, RESOLVED, the State should not interfere with same-gender couples who choose to marry and share fully an equally in the rights, responsibilities, and commitment of civil marriage." The Marriage Resolution, by the Marriage Project of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. 3
"If marriage means everything, it means absolutely nothing. It will mean nothing to same-sex as well as opposite-sex couples. The current decline of the institution of marriage will be accelerated. Increasing numbers of couples will elect to simply 'live together'." Dr. James C. Dobson, of Focus on the Family, a fundamentalist Christian group.
"Then hugs. And kisses. Love was being expressed. Love that finally had found a tiny crack from which to shine." Rev. Ed Evans is the pastor of First Congregational United Church of Christ in Vancouver, WA, commenting on same-sex marriage ceremonies he was performing in Multnomah County, OR.
"This sort of marriage is not in the best interest of children." "God has a plan for marriage and this isn't it." "Allowing this kind of marriage will pave the way for all sorts of moral depravity." Comments from the 1960s on the interracial marriage of one man and one woman -- Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving.
"Promoting hatred and bigotry in the name of God is what destroys society, not the marriage of two loving people of the same gender." Raymond Miller. 4
"Gay people deserve the same right to marry that everybody else does. And God cares about our relationships the same way God cares about heterosexual relationships. We're making the same commitments to each other. We have the same responsibilities to each other, and we deserve the same rights and responsibilities under the law that everyone else has." Harry Knox of the Human Rights Campaign. 5
"I believe that others have the right to live as they choose, free from discrimination. But I don't believe that this acceptance, that this tolerance should lead to a radical redefinition of marriage." Senator Bill Frist (R-TN), Senate majority leader. 5
Seen on the Pardon My Planet comic strip for 2007-APR-24: A media person is interviewing a political candidate. The latter says: "I've got no problem with gay marriage --even though I don't understand why a gay man and a lesbian would wanna tie the knot in the first place."
"[Their relationship] is essentially different from that of man and wife joined in lawful wedlock." A North Carolina judge, 1858, referring to a marriage between two African American slaves, unrecognized by the state because of their race.