Respect for Marriage

 

I've read a couple of crime/murder mysteries lately, a favourite genre from the past for me. I've come back to these two because the detective in one is a gay man and the other a Muslim female. In Lavender House  a police detective in the early 1950s is kicked out of the force because his homosexuality is revealed, at that time both a crime and a societal taboo. Suicidal, he is recruited by a wealthy woman to search out the evidence around the death of the woman she describes as her wife, something the detective has never heard before. The wealth and private estate of these two women has protected them from prying eyes, although they were always careful in public settings.  

Seventy years later same-gender marriage is legal in Canada and the United States, although not always accepted. Some denominations, including the United Church of Canada, have accepted this change in societal norms and most ministers are more than willing to preside at weddings. 

Today US President Biden will sign into law a bipartisan bill that will codify same-sex and interracial marriages with a large celebration on the South Lawn of the White House after a vote which took place last week. This protects the rights of same-gender couples who are already married and those who will choose marriage at some point. Many felt this was necessary after the Supreme Court struck down the Roe v Wade legislation which protected access to abortion. According to an NPR report: 

"Today, Congress took a critical step to ensure that Americans have the right to marry the person they love," Biden said in a statement Thursday after the House passed the Respect for Marriage Act, which would recognize marriages federally and across state lines. The Senate passed it earlier.

"While we are one step closer on our long journey to build a more perfect union," Biden added, "we must never stop fighting for full equality for LGBTQI+ Americans and all Americans."

I was interested to see that the Roman Catholic bishops opposed the act. I was surprised that the Mormon church supported it. These are two conservative religious traditions which uphold marriage as between one man and one woman, although Mormons supported plural marriage in the past. It could even be argued that plural marriage is biblical, given the Older Testament, but we won't go there!

It appears that for the Mormons it was a decision not to attempt to impose their moral values on others, provided that they had the freedom to practice their faith. Why is this so hard to accept for some religions? While I do support same-gender marriage there are aspects of societal behaviour that aren't consistent with my faith. I don't presume to think that I should be able to impose my values as long as I find a big enough posse to support them.

I have been married for nearly 47 years to the same woman and I value marriage as a spiritual institution. I can't impose this perspective on others, whether it's cohabitation outside marriage or divorce. 

I often roll my eyes at the names governments give to their proposed legislation and bills. I do like Respect for Marriage Act. 

This Advent I'm sharing "outside in" art images from our home. Today's Groundling blog focusses on the rhythms of the sea. https://groundlingearthyheavenly.blogspot.com/2022/12/advent-art-rhythms-of-sea.html