“Christian” marriage is outlawed by the Bible. I’m not exaggerating. You’ll find all of the stunning details, along with citations to the Bible, at Dwindling in Unbelief. How does the Bible outlaw traditional “Christian” marriages? Here are some of the Bible rules listed:
- The Bible says that Christians should not marry.
- But if a Christian man decides to get married (which he shouldn’t), he can have more than one wife.
- And if he doesn’t like one of his wives (like if she’s unclean or ugly or something), he can divorce her.
- If a Christian man gets married and then discovers on his wedding night that his new wife is not a virgin, then he and the other Christian men must stone her to death.
- Christians shouldn’t have sex (even if they are married, which they shouldn’t be).
- Christian parents must beat their children (which they shouldn’t have, since they shouldn’t get married or have sex).
- Good Christians must hate their families.
(If they abandon them for Jesus, he’ll give them a big reward.)
This list list only includes the first seven rules. Go to Dwindling in Unbelief for the details and the pinpoint citations. Don’t just trust me on these rules. Go read the Bible. These rules are all there, clearly stated.
Conclusion: We need to march to America’s heartland and start picketing traditional Christian marriage because it is clear that traditional Christian marriage contravenes the clear teachings of the Bible.
There is a reason why religious fanatics (like Karl, but also like the Taliban and Boko Haram) want to use the power of the state to shove their religious beliefs down every else’s throats: because coercion is much easier than persuasion. When they can legislate their god onto public coinage, into public schools, into pledges of public allegiance, onto the walls of public courtrooms, etc., it avoids the problem of actually convincing anyone that their god exists. The more they seek to do the former, the more they reveal their desperation at being unable to do the latter.
They don’t want to produce believers, they want to produce captives, just as the Romans did when they plastered their gods all over public structures. Fanatical Christians, once they gained state power in the fourth century, merely stole the play book from their predecessors. They’ve been abusing it, or trying to, ever since.
What astounds me is that these same Christians miss the entire point of their religion. Christianity is about *individual* salvation by a *personal* god. It is not about coercion, and it is certainly not about public idols like coins, pledges and displays of the Ten Commandments. Jesus said, “I stand at the door and knock.” He didn’t say, “I smash down your door and force it down your throat until you choke on it.”
With reference to the original topic, I don’t know if I would have used the word, “outlawed,” but the Bible certainly doesn’t require the sort of theater that we usually associate with a traditional, in-church “Christian” marriage. To the contrary, the requirement of a church ceremony apparently didn’t exist until the Council of Trent “decreed in 1563 that marriages should be celebrated in the presence of a priest and at least two witnesses.” (See http://marriage.about.com/cs/generalhistory/a/marriagehistory.htm/. See also: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-17351133/.) According to the latter site, marriage was as much about strategic alliances — for economic and political advantage — as it was for love, for at least 1000 years after Jesus died (and arguably still so today). And until the last 150 years or so, the practice of large church weddings was just for royalty and the wealthy; weddings for everyone else were typically performed in the home. Only when the middle classes decided they wanted big church weddings did they start having them, too…which, of course, the big churches were happy to provide. For churches, weddings are great, free publicity.
“Roger: Where are your verse references? Your statements lack merit, unless you can prove it. You must be reading the atheist bible. These lies and distortions are easily defended. You attack because you are angry that the bible actually calls homosexuality a sin. Sorry friend, we should be protesting your meetings which are based on a lie.”
Hi Roger. I can’t speak for Erich but I have read the Atheist Bible from cover to cover.
In the Atheist Bible it clearly states that “Homosexuality is a common trait in the Animal Kingdom”.
The bonobo is popularly known for its high levels of sexual behavior. Sex functions in conflict appeasement, affection, social status, excitement, and stress reduction. It occurs in virtually all partner combinations and in a variety of positions. This is a factor in the lower levels of aggression seen in the bonobo when compared to the common chimpanzee and other apes. Bonobos are perceived to be matriarchal and a male’s rank in the social hierarchy is often determined by his mother’s rank.
Along with the common chimpanzee, the bonobo is the closest extant relative to humans.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonobo