My 2 Cents on Pope Francis’ view on Same-Sex Civil Unions
I'm sure I'm not a
primary source of information for you regarding this news. Nor have I ever
thought of myself to be an authoritative guy for anyone especially on news such
as this. So, if you're reading this, I will assume that you've read from
primary and authoritative sources already. Or you can watch the documentary when it is out. I'd like to tackle
this issue differently as I often do, to give 2 cents on some current issues
for my regular and random blog readers. (Actually, I have posted this article on
some WhatsApp groups already. This is just a blog version with minor edits and inclusion
of links for further reading or watching.)
This month, I've
been watching some recommended mathematical movies to appreciate better the contributions
of Mathematicians to our society. Yesterday, I watched The Imitation Game, a Benedict
Cumberbatch starrer biographical movie of Cambridge Mathematician, Alan Turing.
Nobel Prize of Computer Science is named after him as "Turing
Award."
The movie is about
how he and his team decoded the German Enigma, which helped the Allied forces
won the 2nd World War. The
movie also presented the other side of Alan Turing, his homosexual struggle.
While I don't know much about the British Law on homosexuality in the early
1900s, the movie presented Alan Turing to be a victim of unenlightened
discrimination, which the 21st Century world should condemn.
It makes the
movie-goers to ponder, "Why can't we allow homosexuals to live a normal
life, they deserve it!" That's what Hollywood Media wants everyone to
believe. Well, we need to define what "normal" is and its
ramification before anyone advocates that position.
Let's recall some
major events in the history of America. By the late 1980s, same-sex
"marriage" has become a very hot political issue in America.
Republican politicians sponsored a Defense of Marriage Acts bill and eventually signed it into law by a Democratic
president, Bill Clinton in 1996. Bill Clinton was not happy about it, but he couldn't go against it because the
Congress and the Senate had passed the bill. That bill clearly defines marriage
as the union of a man and a woman in section 3.
Perhaps the adage
"Laws were made to be broken" is practically true. San Francisco
Mayor Gavin Newsom (presently the governor of California, who restricts church
services in this era of Covid19) defied the marriage law of California, in
issuing a marriage license to same-sex couples. Over3000 homosexual couples had been "married," and the court refused
to intervene it.
This prompted a
Republican president, George Bush to favor the Federal Marriage Amendment Bill
in the February of 2004. That amendment bill is a call to protect the
institution of marriage as a union of one man and one woman. It was introduced
in the Congress from 2002 till 2015, but unfortunately, it was never
passed.
Following the
endorsement of that bill to protect the institution of marriage by George Bush
were attacks and criticism from same-sex activists. Larry King invited Mayor
Newsom and an actor Chad to represent their views on CNN. He also invited
pastor John MacArthur and a Colorado Congresswoman for a debate against them.
You can watch that exchange on YouTube. In that debate, they wanted not only a Same-sex
Civil Union but more, they wanted it to be called "marriage," which
they got it by 2013 known as the Windsor decision. It struck down Section 3 of
the Defense of Marriage Acts which was signed into law in 1996 as
unconstitutional.
Then, by 2015,
which we all remember, "same-sex marriage" has become legal in
America through the Obergefell decision, which struck down section 2
of Defense of Marriage Acts 1996 as superseded and unenforceable.
On 6 September
2018, the Supreme Court of India has made homosexuality legal in India. According to that decision, it is not a crime to practice
homosexuality. Before that decision, it was punishable by up to 10 years of imprisonment.
I don't know much about Indian Marriage Law. Last time, I called up a lawyer
friend of mine to talk about Marriage Law in India, and I am told India doesn't
have a unified marriage law.
In India, Same-Sex
Marriage or Same-Sex Civil Union is still not recognized. In 2017, the UniformCivil Code was drafted which would recognize same-sex marriages. BJP became
the first political party to support it. However, neither the Code nor same-sex
marriages have been legalized until now. In fact, in February of 2020,
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad replied,"Presently, there is no proposal to legalize same-sex marriage."
Even in India that
has no Judeo-Christian worldview, a same-sex civil union is not recognized.
Even in the fallen whole wide world, the term civil union has become popular only by the late 1990s. The Roman Catholic Church
over the centuries does not recognize a same-sex civil union. It is not even to
be mentioned as a normal acceptable thing. The Bible condemns homosexuality as a
sin. It is not normal behavior, but an abnormal one (Romans 1:18-32). For Pope
Francis to endorse Same-Sex Civil Union, in saying "They are children of God and have a right to be in a family" is an
embarrassment for Conservative Roman Catholics.
Every human being
including homosexuals, drunkards, rapists, liars, down syndrome, the fetus in
wombs, etc, are created in the image of God. Therefore we can be called children
of God, and one another as brothers and sisters. However, the Bible makes a
clear biblical distinction between the children of God and the children of the Devil
(1John 3:10). For a religious leader like Pope Francis to say "children of
God" loosely in such a setting is very telling.
Furthermore, what
kind of right is he talking about by "right to be in a family"? A
political right? A God-given right? It is in our DNA, and everything around us
shows that only a union of male and female brings forth a baby which
constitutes a family, which in turn creates a society, a nation, and a human
race. Male-Male or Female-Female doesn't bring forth a baby. It doesn't make a
family.
Despite this
indictment, it doesn't mean that homosexuals are beyond salvation. It doesn't
mean they are more sinful than you and me. It just means we must call sin a
sin, and not celebrate it. As much as adultery, fornication, debauchery, and
polygamy are sinful, homosexuality is. Jesus came to earth not to condemn
sinners but to call sinners to repentance. That's the good news, the gospel,
that He came to save us from the penalty, power, and the practice of sins. We
must turn away from sins and follow Him. Many early Christians were such
(homosexuals, fornicators, drunkards, thieves etc), but they turn away from such
and followed Christ (1Cor.6:9-11).
In fact, everyone
is a sinner including Abraham, Paul, Peter, John, and Mary. Everyone is called
to repent and be His life-long disciples. None of us who are Christians now can
look at any sinner including a homosexual and say, "You are more sinful
than us!" Genuine Christians are more loathful of their own sins than the
sins of others. Thanks be to God, Jesus is our propitiation! (Romans 3:25). If
you want to know what and how Jesus becomes our propitiation, I would suggest
you read the book of Romans.
[The cultural revolution
has invaded all form of institutions, including the church. The sexual revolution
of Romans 1:18-32 is highly on display. The view of Pope Francis on this is not
a biblically-based conviction. It has nothing to do with the Bible, but a conformation
with the dictates of the reprobate minds of the world. Christians are not to be
conformed to this world, but be a transforming light and salt to the world. And
to talk about the presidential election of USA, Christians are to vote for the
party and candidate that align most to the Christian values.]
Thanks for reading
and thinking through! You are welcome to post a rejoinder!
