I want to do my best as a Christian and as an American citizen to explain why people in the Christian community are upset with the Supreme Court decisions on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and Proposition 8 in California. I want to hopefully answer some questions for people who don’t understand our position on the Word of God as believers.
Here is what happened. The portion of the DOMA that has been ruled unconstitutional is a provision that denies benefits to legally-married, same-gender couples. Same-gender couples, under federal law, will now be considered “married”.
Regarding Proposition 8, the Supreme Court threw out the appeal—meaning they refused to hear the case—thereby telling the voters in the state of California that their votes do not matter. Same-gender marriages will now go forward in the state of California, regardless of what the voters wanted. This will now open the door for same-gender marriage in all states. I have several things to say about this, so here we go.
What’s the big deal, you ask? Let me answer that first as a Bible-believing Christian. DOMA legislation was passed to define marriage as existing only between one man and one woman. That is a view that has been held in American since its conception, and this is a Biblically accurate definition of marriage. This is God’s definition for marriage. He gave us that definition and He did so for our own benefit.
We are upset because this nation—despite what you hear from liberals who have hijacked America’s history—was founded by men who believed in God and held fast to the principles laid out in scripture. In George Washington’s Inaugural Address as the first U.S. President, he declared that God was involved in the formation of this country; and if we walked by God’s principles, His blessing would remain upon us.
We believe that America will rise or fall based upon our obedience to God and His Word, because we are a nation that made a covenant with God in the very beginning. We know that everyone has different opinions about the way in which things should be done in this nation. But if you are going to call yourself a Christian, you must stand for truth when America begins to legalize whatever God calls an abomination.
Our objective is not to hate people who disagree with us, or judge people and point a finger at them. Our motivation for standing on truth and purity is to please God, to have His blessing and favor rest upon our nation, and most importantly, to point lost souls to the truth so that they might spend eternity with Jesus, who is Truth.
As an American, I believe everyone has rights and that we are a free people. We are free to be godly or free to be non-religious. Free to be a Christian or free to be a Hindu. Free to pray whenever and wherever we want, or free to not pray at all. Free to be straight or free to be gay. Everyone has rights, and even God Himself gives us free will. My personal opinion, which is shared by at least half of America, is that the government needs to stay out of our lives, marriages, finances, and personal property. The government should be here to protect our rights and freedoms; not to take them away and order us to do things that are contrary to our beliefs or harmful to us as a nation. Our government is in a place to make sure people and their rights are protected.
However, as a Christian, I understand that we established our nation upon Biblical principles. Our laws were created and enforced based on God’s Word. We had a covenant with God, and once we break that covenant, judgment is inevitable.
What is judgment? It is simply God lifting His hand of protective covering over this nation, which leaves us open to attacks of the adversary. As long as we remain in God’s covenant, we are promised protection and national security. Yes, we live in a fallen world and people have free will to do evil things, which means that bad things can happen in a nation because of bad people. Nevertheless, overall the nation that remains under covenant would be protected, and we would enjoy the blessings of God.
We all know that the Word of God warns us that these things will happen in the last days. We are told that things will be as they were in the days of Noah and Lot. Both men warned people of what was coming and nobody believed them. I don’t expect everyone to agree with what I believe, but I hope to help you understand why the Christian community is upset. We know that God’s will is better for us than our own ideas and agendas. We want this nation to experience the peace and joy that only God can give. We have lived under God’s touch and blessing, and we want the entire world to have that same experience.
Why are we upset with the President? There was a day when we had Presidents who believed the Word of God. They might not have always lived a holy life as a Christian should, but they knew right from wrong. If you read the Word of God, you know that abortion, homosexuality, and idolatry are called abominations in the eyes of God. Even though the President has claimed to be a Christian, he seems to not know that he is celebrating the legalization of abominations according to the Bible, which we Christians know as the Word of God. Here is his statement regarding the results of the court decision:
“I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act…So we welcome today’s decision, and I’ve directed the Attorney General to work with other members of my cabinet to review all relevant federal statutes to ensure this decision, including its implications for Federal benefits and obligations, is implemented swiftly and smoothly.” (partial statement only)
Mr. President, if you are going to call yourself a Christian, then it is important to live according to what God says is right and wrong. This is why people don’t know what to believe anymore. They see us claim the name, yet they hear us agreeing with sins that God abhors. Leaders are supposed to live what they claim to believe.
As an American, I am disgusted with the amount of effort the President is exerting to show his support to the gay community. When a true American Navy Seal like Chris Kyle dies in a despicable act of violence, the widow never gets a letter, phone call, or anything else from the country’s leader. But here we have people crying out for more government benefits, yet a man who risked his life to secure our freedom to even make a decision like we witnessed is ignored as though he were nobody. I believe our priorities are mixed up, when a war hero doesn’t get acknowledged, but another person receives special treatment, just because they want to marry someone of the same gender and receive benefits.
As a Christian, I must stand for the Bible. As an American, I must stand for freedom. One must outshine the other, and so I will conclude with this statement. If we forsake our Christian values, we will no longer have an America where we can be called an American. We must stand for freedom, but freedom only comes from truth.
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)
We are Christians first!
Guest Article – Mark Casto
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