In Australia, the current status of marriage laws state that marriage is "the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life" – Marriage Act 1961, and that same-sex marriages entered into under the law of another country will not be recognised in Australia – Marriage Amendment Bill 2004. However, the pressure on Australia to recognise and allow same-sex marriages is becoming increasingly great.
The issue continues to be hotly debated within the general public. Arguments for and against same-sex marriage are exchanged. However, we often fail to identify the root cause of the disagreement. The issue is in fact quite complex.
This article will focus on Christian objections to same-sex marriage.
Emotional Level
Arguments often have an emotional level of objection to the other side. This is no doubt the case in the same-sex marriage debate where exchanges often result in outbursts of emotion leading to personal attacks and accusations of homophobia and bigotry.
Emotional objections vary due to their personal nature and because they are based on the individual.
Examples of emotional objections:
- Objecting to the current marriage laws because the individual identifies with the homosexual community.
- Objecting to the same-sex marriage because the individual identifies with the Christian community.
- Objecting to current marriage laws because the individual dislikes the church.
- Objecting to same-sex marriage because the individual dislikes homosexual culture.
It is evident from the above examples that emotional objections do not contribute to the objective discussion of whether same-sex marriage should be allowed or not.
Surface Arguments
The surface arguments are reasons directly for or against same-sex marriage. This is the level where most of the discussion is currently taking place. Examples:
Arguments FOR Same-Sex Marriage: It is a Right. It is the right for all humans regardless of sexual orientation to be able to marry. The traditional definition of marriage is discriminatory. Practising Homosexuality is Not Wrong. Apart from conservative religious objections, it's hard to see how anyone could object to someone practising homosexuality.
Arguments AGAINST Same-Sex Marriage: Definition: The definition of marriage is discriminatory by nature – not only that it should be between a "man and woman" but also that they can't be related, need to be over 18, and that it is to the exclusion of others.
One cannot argue for same-sex marriage by arguing against the discriminatory nature of the definition of marriage. Since, with the same logic one can also argue for polygamy, incest, and under-age marriages.
Practising Homosexuality is Wrong: There are arguments based on natural law, biological complementarity, and the Bible. Discussion on this level is often futile as both sides bring in prior assumptions which they believe is true.
Assumptions
The assumptions are the presuppositions of the surface arguments – some form of background belief which a side holds to be true. These assumptions encompass the reality of morality, the reality of marriage, and the design of marriage. Just a brief note on objectivity/subjectivity: When something is subjective, it is dependent on people's opinions. When something is objective, it is independent of people's opinions. So to say that moral values and duties are objective is to say that something is good or bad no matter what people think about it.
Assumptions of Arguments FOR Same-Sex Marriage
Reality of Morality: Supporters of same-sex marriage can take three views on morality:
a) Morality is subjective and is relative to individuals and societies.
b) Morality is objective but God and the Bible do not determine objective moral values and duties.
c) Morality is objective, God and the Bible determine objective moral values and duties but they have been interpreted incorrectly by objectors to same-sex marriage.
These are the assumptions behind the surface argument Practising Homosexuality is Not Wrong.
Reality of Marriage: There is nothing intrinsic to marriage. Marriage is a social convention. This means that it is descriptive but not prescriptive and is subjective to individuals and societies. It is temporary and changes with each society, across cultures and across time.
Design of Marriage: Marriage is designed for love and intimacy alone.
Assumptions of Arguments AGAINST Same-Sex Marriage
Reality of Morality: Morality is not subjective; it is objective and is grounded in the character of God and made known in the Bible. Christian objectors to same-sex marriage also assume that their interpretation of the Bible is correct. This is the assumption behind the surface argument Practising Homosexuality is Wrong.
Reality of Marriage: There is something intrinsic to marriage. Marriage is not a social convention. It is real, absolute, and transcendent to society and the individual because it is created by God. It is prescriptive, as well as descriptive. It is permanent and applies for all cultures and people.
The Design of Marriage: Marriage is designed for love, intimacy, the expression of sexual desire and for children to be born and raised. It can be clearly seen that surface arguments are the result of a deeper disagreement at the assumptions level.
Worldview
The root level of the disagreement concerning same-sex marriage is at the assumption of the assumptions level – the worldview level. The worldview is the individual's most important beliefs about the nature of the world and reality which they hold to be true. An individual's worldview affects which assumptions concerning same-sex marriage they will hold to be true.
Those who support same-sex marriage will no doubt display a wide range of worldviews. They may range from Christians who disagree with interpretation to postmodernist relativists. This is also the case for those who are against same-sex marriage. For example, a supporter of same-sex marriage may believe that there is no objective truth and that everybody has their own truth. This base belief may lead to assumptions such as: religion is a lifestyle choice, religion should be kept private, everyone determines their own purpose of life, morality is subjective, marriage is a social convention etc.
A Christian objector (most) to same-sex marriage will believe that the objective truth is that God exists and that Christianity and the Bible are true. This base belief may lead to assumptions such as: Christianity should be shared with others, the purpose of life is to love God and each other, morality is objective, marriage is not a social convention etc. These assumptions will then in turn determine surface arguments.
Disagreements are often very complex. This is clearly the case with regards to same-sex marriage. It is dangerous to have a simplistic view of the same-sex marriage disagreement. The disagreement is emotionally-fuelled, may be potentially deeply personal, and it also involves an individual's core beliefs.
It is for this reason that those who wish to make a defence of their view should do so with sensitivity, gentleness, and respect.
Anton Zhang is studying aeronautics and arts at the University of Sydney, he is part of a family of four, his hobbies include music, hiking and fencing. He is an active part of the Christian youth work at the Padstow Chinese Congregational Church.
Anton Zhang's previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/anton-zhang.html
