Christianity relies on biblical scripture for a variety of traditions and rule-making. Christians have taken definitive stances on the issue of same-sex marriage, charged by concepts of heteronormativity and family values. In Canada, these divisive beliefs are rooted in political and social organizations. In this paper, I will first examine Christians’ responses and reactions to same-sex marriage and rights for gay and lesbian individuals in Canadian law. Then, I will discuss conservative Christian opposition to same-sex marriage, as well as the Vatican’s and official Church leaders’ stances on the topic. Lastly, this essay will analyze liberal Christian stances on same-sex marriage, namely concerning the concept of procreative sexual intercourse
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This conservative mindset rooted in biblical tradition thus presents arguments against same-sex marriage, the complementarity of men and women (Jelen, 2011), and the Vatican’s stance on homosexuality. Adherence to traditional values, as interpreted from the Bible, centralizes many Christians’ concepts of morality, comprising of “traditional views on marriage and condemned contraception, abortion, and homosexuality as grave sins” (Warner, 2010, p. 8). Moreover, conservative Christians often interpret the Bible as condoning homosexuality and is thus against same-sex marriage. For example, some Christians will justify their stance on same-sex marriage by crediting “biblical proscriptions on homosexual behaviour and liberally conjured dark and threatening images of homosexuals as proselytizes and corruptors of children” (Warner, 2010, p. 12). In particular, in order to emphasize the complementarity of men and women, conservative Christians identify a number of passages that bolster their stance against same-sex …show more content…
Marriage is a ‘divine institution established in Eden and affirmed by Christ to be monogamous and heterosexual and a lifelong union of loving companionship between a man and a woman’ (Seventh Day Adventist Church). The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said that the story of Creation from Genesis: ‘proclaims the beauty of the relationship between a man and a woman, who are created in the image of God. In their communing love, the couple becomes a sign of the very love of God’” (Dickey Young, 2010, p.
This conservative mindset rooted in biblical tradition thus presents arguments against same-sex marriage, the complementarity of men and women (Jelen, 2011), and the Vatican’s stance on homosexuality. Adherence to traditional values, as interpreted from the Bible, centralizes many Christians’ concepts of morality, comprising of “traditional views on marriage and condemned contraception, abortion, and homosexuality as grave sins” (Warner, 2010, p. 8). Moreover, conservative Christians often interpret the Bible as condoning homosexuality and is thus against same-sex marriage. For example, some Christians will justify their stance on same-sex marriage by crediting “biblical proscriptions on homosexual behaviour and liberally conjured dark and threatening images of homosexuals as proselytizes and corruptors of children” (Warner, 2010, p. 12). In particular, in order to emphasize the complementarity of men and women, conservative Christians identify a number of passages that bolster their stance against same-sex …show more content…
Marriage is a ‘divine institution established in Eden and affirmed by Christ to be monogamous and heterosexual and a lifelong union of loving companionship between a man and a woman’ (Seventh Day Adventist Church). The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said that the story of Creation from Genesis: ‘proclaims the beauty of the relationship between a man and a woman, who are created in the image of God. In their communing love, the couple becomes a sign of the very love of God’” (Dickey Young, 2010, p.