ATTENTION: Civic and Church
leaders; Surely, the recent news must sound an alarm - Priests and Pastors are
no longer free to read Jesus' own words about holy matrimony when conducting
marriage ceremonies.
On 1 April 2009, the Swedish
Parliament decided to revise the marriage law. Previously, the marriage vows
were the lawful union between a man and a woman. But now even same-sex couples,
a man and man or a woman and woman, can enter and exchange matrimonial vows.
In Sweden we live in a
positivistic legal tradition and culture. In such a culture there are no right
or wrong standards decided on purely natural (logical) laws, but matters are
deemed right or wrong by law. It provides people with a very strong , yet
vulnerable position . Decision made by ‘we people’ in a democratic spirit
decides for us, ‘makes it right’. Every other option is wrong . Until we the
people change again and shape new laws. Then it becomes right (again). And what
we previously believed in is now wrong. Such a culture is, of course, very
susceptible to future trends and whims. Vulnerable to ambush.
Logically , the idea is
remarkable . Can something really be deemed legally right if only to 51 percent
of the political representatives think so? Or even if 90 percent determine it
to be so? Or even 100 percent ? Can laws be right for a while only, and then
suddenly become wrong ? For those who believe in an objective morality, it is
obviously problematic. And an objective morality presupposes a God who
established and ensures valuations to values. Without God all is up to us
humans, then human dignity and other values are simply social conventions. By
what right then might we condemn evil ? Would we even be able to talk about
good and evil, right and wrong?
Against the ‘right’ positivistic
thinking is natural law, where things don’t become either
right or wrong, but are right or wrong . There are certain
values that are eternal. There are objective values that remain firm over time
and cannot be altered by the vagaries of political majorities . A
democratically elected assembly sharing such thinking can not change what
nature deems right or wrong. Right can never be wrong, and wrong will never be
right .
It’s important to note is that it
was the legal definition of marriage that was changed in 2009, not the
theological definition. And a change in the legal definition of marriage does
not mean an automatic change of the theological definition. For us as Christians
jurisprudence can never shape theology. A marriage is a marriage. Marriage is
of God - an objective value - that protects both spouses and children . Thus,
it is not up to us the people to define marriage , it's up to Him who ordained
it .
A marriage , in the theological
sense, is still a union between a man and a woman. The Creation procedure still
applies. Jesus' words about marriage in Matthew’s nineteenth chapter still
apply. Therein Jesus quotes from Genesis, and thus confirms the order of
creation , when he says : “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the
beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this
reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and
the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
Priests who officiate at same-sex
marriages can no longer use this quote because the text confirms the order of
creation - man and woman. Consequently, rather than resist pressure from the
political majority, one gets to sort through the Scripture, and discard those
definition of marriage that no longer seem or sound to ‘right’. Surely, there
must be a real alarm set off when priests can no longer read Jesus' own words
about marriage in a marriage ceremony? The theological legal positivism will
undoubtedly have far -reaching consequences. Instead of letting the political
forces shape theology, we should, of course, ask God , "Lord
constitutes holy matrimony (a marriage) ? "
On Sunday we will celebrate
Matrimony Day throughout the country . For fear of offending the political
majority, we have too often been silent. Marriage is constituted, in the
deepest sense, whether in politics or law. It is God's grand original concept
for the ‘man – woman’ relationship, the relationship that our whole future
depends on . Marriage is worth celebrating.
Lukas Berggren
(Translated
from the Swedish; Sven Ljungholm)
The FSAOF, for whom the article was translated, with an already posted follow-up by Peter, is in the process of writing a series on the LGBT issues, with an emphasis on the SA's traditional position - with comments by those seeking a change. It includes a well researched history of facts that led to the positions held by both the secular and religious communities, and well-reasoned arguments why the SA remains staunch on major points within the debate
ReplyDeleteWe recognise the divisive nature of this issue and pray that bringing facts, actual, assumed and those 'plain wrong' to the table will bring about a spirit of collegiality, where we learn from each other and dissect the often strongly held positions of others. www.fsaof.blogspot.com Blessings