When Will it Stop

It has happened.  I will have to say I am not surprised.  But it is happened.  With all the news about legalizing "gay marriage" someone has finally brought a suit to legalize polygamy.  Suit Legalizing Polygamy.  After all if marriage is only about the happiness and well being of the individual, if it is only about my personal freedom, why not.  If someone chooses more than one wife, why should he not be free to marry as many women (or a woman marry as many men) as he wants.  After all this is America.   If a man wants to marry his dog, why should we prohibit him?

But the truth of the matter is that marriage is more than about individual freedom and the desires of one person.  From a cultural standpoint, even though polygamy has been practiced by cultures throughout history, a lifelong marriage between one man and one woman was seen as what was best for the society as a whole.  A stable family would lead to a stable society.  Marriage was not just about individual freedom but the good of the nation.

For the Christian, the Bible teaches us that marriage becomes a symbol of God's relationship with his people.  Paul in speaking about marriage references Christ's love for the church.  Ephesians 5:22-33  Paul quotes God's pronouncement about marriage from the book of Genesis and then says that this mystery refers to Christ and his church.  What Paul is saying is that marriage between one man and one woman was to be a picture of Christ's love for us.  Obviously, we as sinful human beings can never completely love one another that much, but in our limited love for each other our marriages were to be a sign pointing to a greater reality.

Will our nation as a whole support gay marriage or polygamy.  If we continue in the direction we are heading, it may not be now but some day our nation will.  Some rejoice at that thought, others weep.  If you weep over that thought, the answer is found in the gospel.  We need to proclaim through our lives, through our marriages, through our homes and through our witness the truth that God does love this world and their is hope in the gospel of Christ.  Think about it.