Separation Of Church And State

So, I'm going to wade into troubled waters with this post... The hot topic these days is Same Sex Marriage. I've read a lot of opinions on this topic on different social sites, news sources, etc... This is one that people typically feel very strongly about, one way or the other. I've been churning this post in my head for a few days now, not sure how I wanted to write this one up. I came across a FaceBook post from a friend and thought it summed my perspective up rather nicely.

"The total number of places in the Bible where Jesus said homosexuals are bad is zero -- zip, nada, nowhere. The place where those who choose not to accept that others are born differently is in the book of Leviticus. It must be understood that Leviticus is not God's word -- and Jesus didn't exist yet. Lev. is a history book. It contains a list of the laws of one land, in one place, at one time, long ago. Those laws are no longer relevant.

If one is going to accept Leviticus to judge homosexuals, then one must be consistent and not "cherry-pick verses." Leviticus says homosexuality is a sin. Yep. Leviticus also mandates that no one is permitted to wear clothing containing more than one fiber, therefore cotton/polyester blends are also a sin. Lev does not allow people to eat shellfish, so lobster and shrimp are also now taboo. And if a woman is not a virgin on her wedding night, then Lev mandates that she be stoned until death. I'm guessing she wouldn't approve, but if one is going to judge -- which is a sin -- then judge consistently.

But all this is, in reality, a moot point, because gay marriage may be a religious issue within some churches and within the narrow minds of some, but that has nothing to do with the rights of others -- even others whom we might not understand completely. Heck, I don't understand how someone who doesn't even know me judges and hates me. All she is doing is perverting her Bible and her God's words in order to randomly legislate bigotry to hard-working, law-abiding, loving, legal citizens -- who are also children of God."

~ Craig

I've seen other posts that talk about all of the other laws listed in Leviticus (and other parts of the bible) that indicate how people should be put to death. So you want to decide what is right and wrong about the bible but people who go against your belief should be punished. For those of you feeling Same Sex Marriage should not be allowed because of the bible, please let me know what you think about owning slaves? Even Jesus said it was OK as long as you took care of them.

But my point goes beyond the selective choosings of religion. My brother posted a funny statement the other day, "Claiming ones marriage is against your religion is like being angry at someone for eating a donut because your on a diet". The point being that whatever your religion tells you is between you, God and possibly your church. But it has nothing to do with what other people do in their lives. You are free to preach you beliefs on to others. But when it comes to passing laws, we should maintain the separation of religious beliefs within what is right and fair. We were able to do it in regards to slavery, why not this?