But what's now bugging the pro and con crowds of gay marriage is the result of California's vote on Proposition 8. The vote to change the state's constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman removed the right for same-sex couples to marry. As we all know, California is a liberal state and such a ban on gay marriage came as a shock to many. Immediately supporters organized mass protests and other campaigns in hopes to reverse the results.
First, onto Miller's article. She opens with examples from the Bible, the source of reference for many religious conservatives in their anti-gay marriage stance:
Let's try for a minute to take the religious conservatives at their word and define marriage as the Bible does. Shall we look to Abraham, the great patriarch, who slept with his servant when he discovered his beloved wife Sarah was infertile? Or to Jacob, who fathered children with four different women (two sisters and their servants)? Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon and the kings of Judah and Israel—all these fathers and heroes were polygamists. The New Testament model of marriage is hardly better. Jesus himself was single and preached an indifference to earthly attachments—especially family. The apostle Paul (also single) regarded marriage as an act of last resort for those unable to contain their animal lust. "It is better to marry than to burn with passion," says the apostle, in one of the most lukewarm endorsements of a treasured institution ever uttered. Would any contemporary heterosexual married couple—who likely woke up on their wedding day harboring some optimistic and newfangled ideas about gender equality and romantic love—turn to the Bible as a how-to script?Yet she fails to mention God's first creation in His own image: Adam. Knowing Adam's longing for companionship, did He create another man? No, Eve was made to be with Adam. Then God instructed them to be fruitful and multiply. So since Creation, God intended a male and female to form a family, the basic element of human society. (And even if you don't believe Creationism in the Bible and insist that there exists many interpretations, how can you not interpret Genesis as the basis for man-woman marriage?)
Miller reasonably points out Biblical examples of Abraham, Jacob, etc. from the Old Testament. In the case of Abraham (Abram), it wasn't the Lord that encouraged him to sleep with his wife Sarai (Sarah)'s maidservant, Hagar. The Scripture clearly says that it was Sarai's idea. What the author fails to realize is that the Bible records many things and events, many of which are sins and tragedies, but that does not mean they're condoned by God. That's why there's Jesus and the New Testament. He came to wipe the slate clean and allow a fresh start. And in the New Testament Jesus and the Apostles preach several times on marriage and family.
By merely pulling verses from the Scriptures out of context without fully understanding them, Miller presents a weak argument against the anti-gay marriage, religious conservatives. Furthermore, it does nothing to advance the support of gay marriage.
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