vendredi 6 mai 2005
Unvoiced thoughts
I haven't really sat down to write anything original lately, but I'll write a quick blurb about what I've been up to. Right now, I'm taking an ethics class, and while some moments drive me to frustration, I am more frustrated with the fact that I don't speak up enough. Today we were talking about same-sex marriage, and I had something I wanted to say but didn't have the chance to. Nothing too profound and nothing too elementary either I hope, but my thoughts were that it seems as if we're focusing on a side issue rather than the fundamental issue. Seeing as how this is most likely to become a reality in Canada, it is something Christians need to be concerned with. Anyways, I think that we emphasize the same-sex part more than the marriage part regarding this issue.
It's a shame that even in the Christian subculture, marriage is not treated with the reverence that it ought to be. We're up in arms about gay marriages, but look at how we treat the institution of marriage itself. We claim that it is the basic unit of society, but the divorce rate for Christians is no different than the divorce rate for non-Christians. We don't preserve the sanctity of this life-long institution yet we act as though we are the authority figures when it comes to marriage (general statement of course). I mean, this is obviously a gross generalization but I don't think divorce in the church carries the same stigma that it had before. It's become so common that we are desensitized to the effects it has in the breakdown of family life and in the emotional upbringing of children. I'm not an expert in this, but it's common sense right? Divorce comes with implications, and unfortunately it's become accepted as a mainstream act.
I guess I just wish that marriage was treated with such respect and awe within the Christian church that people couldn't help but long for that for themselves. I do see many examples of faithful marriages that are reflective of what God has intended for even in this fallen world, but it's no longer the norm today. Instead, common-law relationships and "serial monogamy" seems more prevalent. When marriage is seen as a bedrock foundation upon which Christians can confidently build, people will realize the gravity of this institution and what a gift it is that God has given to us. Wouldn't it be a great picture if people saw Christian marriage as so attractive that not only did they see the incredible love between a husband and wife, but also a glimpse of the divine love between Christ and His church? And in an ideal world, that there would be no doubt as to what marriage, in its realized purpose, looks like? So, I don't know what more I could say but these were some of the things I had in mind today.
Libellés : Christian life
