Marriage: A Battle of the Logos....

You've probably been seeing one or both of the above logos appearing on Facebook as social media users are beginning to voice their opinions on what defines marriage, while the United States Supreme Court tries to do the same.

I really didn't want to use this blog to discuss issues like this, but I'm going to go against my brain and go with my heart this time! I expect many of you won't agree with what I'm about to say, and that's fine. But hopefully what I discuss will give you something to think about, or something new to consider. At the very least, you'll get an understanding why I and many others believe what we believe.

A Little Background

As you can tell from some of my other posts, I'm a God/Bible believer (surprise!).  I believe God created the universe, the earth and us. I was raised with that belief, was skeptical for a short time, like anyone else, but re-embraced it 10 years ago and believe it now more than ever. You can be presented with all of the historical, geographical and archeological proof that currently exists to support what's in the Bible (and there is more than you might think), but it really comes down to faith. Either you believe it with your heart or you don't. (Same thing, by the way, is true with science. It's obvious that no one was around to experience the "big bang", thus proponents must form their belief on historical/geographical/archeological evidence and ultimately put their faith in that).  So the bottom line is really this:  in which one does your faith lie? One of the first scriptures I remember reading that really stuck in my mind is John 20:29, and comes directly from the mouth of Jesus: "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed".

With that said, and with what I believe, I needed to explore what the Bible says about marriage and same sex relationships to determine what is right. (OK, I know this may cause some of you to want to stop reading....but please continue! You actually might find this interesting!) The Bible, after all, makes it pretty clear that God divinely influenced the human authors of the scriptures in such a way that they wrote what He wanted (2 Timothy 16:17, 1 Corinthians 2:12-13, 2 Peter 1:21 - I'll let you look them up!). Since it's my belief that He created me, I'm obligated to believe what He wrote and to follow His rules. All of His rules, whether I like them or not!  As result, I don't believe I/we have the right to pick and choose what in the Bible to believe. We're putting ourselves above God if we do that. It's all or nothing. Sure some of it doesn't make sense to us. Not everything in it is supposed to, at least right away (Romans 11:33, Jeremiah 33:3).

But unless you read the entire Bible, and preferable more than once, a lot of it won't.  It's no different than picking up any book and reading chapter 11, chapter 6, and then chapter 18.  A lot of what you read won't make sense because you don't have the knowledge or scope of what happened in the prior chapters. That frequently happens with people who randomly pick out a single scripture. They'll form an opinion on it without getting the facts around it. A lot of people fall into the trap of  believing what they think the Bible says (or hopes it says) rather than what it actually does say. Plus we need to remember that if God created us, He can do whatever He wants! He's not obligated to tell us why He does everything He does. Just like our parents. When we were kids they didn't always tell us why they disciplined us or why they had us do things that we didn't understand at the time.  But looking back now, we understand a lot of it. Similarly, as God's children, I think they'll be a time in the future where we'll look back and better understand things that God is doing now.  I can do that now, actually.

Marriage

As far as "marriage" goes, the actual word is never used in the Bible, but there are several references to what it means. But because of time and space, I'll just focus on the first example God gave us:  His original creations....Adam and Eve.  Clearly a man and a woman, and one of each. The best scripture to emphasize that is Matthew 19:4-6, which says, from Jesus' own mouth: "And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female,  and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh." Jesus, by the way, is actually quoting Genesis 2:23-24 here. Another good scripture to check out is Ephesians 5:22-33. Sure, there are instances in the Bible where people had multiple wives (notably David and Solomon), but it's clear that wasn't God's original intention. But He did let it happen, although both David and Solomon paid the consequences several times because of it. Sometimes we have to learn the hard way, which is why God occasionally lets us "reap what we sow" (Galatians 6:7 - "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows"). But the Bible doesn't really say why God let polygamy happen in those days. Some speculation includes the fact that there were many more women then men in those days, partly because of the great loss of life among men because of the many deadly wars that occurred during that time.  Unlike now, it was difficult for unmarried women to provide for themselves back then as most were uneducated and relied on male figures for support.  But it's not known for sure why.

Same Sex Relations

As far as same sex couples go, the Bible doesn't specifically mention same sex marriage either, but the above scriptures (Matthew 19:4-6 and Genesis 2:23-24) are pretty good indications of God's intentions....."male and female". Although there are references to multiple wives, as mentioned earlier, the Bible gives no examples of same sex couples. Where the Bible is very clear, however, is in its stance on sexual immorality, which includes, but is not exclusive to homosexuality.  Like it or not, the Bible consistently tells us that homosexual activity is a sin (Genesis 19:1-13; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9). The fact it does so in both the Old Testament and New Testament should not be overlooked. It's important to note that homosexuality is not the only sin involving sexual immorality. Adultery and fornication, are just a couple of others that are mentioned (1 Corinthians 6:9).

The Bible also seems to indicate that God does not create a person with homosexual desires. Romans 1:26-27 tells us that people become homosexuals because of sin and ultimately because of their own choice. Admittedly, this doesn't make complete sense or even seem fair. But God created us, thus has the right to do what He wants, and has His own reasons for doing what He does, which someday I believe He will reveal to us. Again, that's where faith comes in (Hebrews 11:1 - "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen")!  A person may be born with a greater susceptibility to homosexuality, just as some people are born with a tendency (upbringing, life experiences, etc) to violence and other sins. That does not excuse the person’s choosing to sin by giving in to those sinful desires. For example, if a person is born with a greater susceptibility to anger/rage, that doesn't make it right for him to give into those desires. In my case, as a kid I grew up experiencing a person who regularly displayed anger and even rage while driving. Even though I told myself that I would never let that happen when I got older, I can still feel those same urges inside of me, and I have to fight them all of the time. Just because I was exposed to that behavior as a kid and thus am susceptible to them as an adult, there's no excuse if I let it happen. It's still a sin that requires repentance. But with God's help and a strong desire on my part, it's a sin that I can fight and overcome.

Romans 1:28-31 also indicates that when people continue in sin (any sin) and unbelief, God “gives them over” to even more wicked and depraved sin in order to show them the futility and hopelessness of life apart from God.

That said, the Bible also does NOT describe homosexuality as a “greater” sin than any other. All sin is offensive to God. Homosexuality is just one of the many things listed in the Bible (see 1 Corinthians 6:9-10) that will keep a person from a close relationship with God (and NOT an automatic sentence to hell). According to the Bible, God’s forgiveness is just as available to a homosexual as it is to an adulterer, idol worshiper, murderer, thief, etc.  So if you ever see a sign that says "God hates homosexuals" or that "Homosexuals will burn in hell",  ignore them.  Those people are misinformed radicals. God hates the sin, but not the sinner (1 John 4:8, Romans 5:8, John 3:16). Why do you think God allowed His only son to experience such a horrible death on the cross?  The personal, trusting, faith-filled, grateful relationship each of us have been asked to have with Jesus (John 3:16, Romans 10:9-10, 1John 4:9, John 6:40, Acts 4:12) is what ultimately determines our fate. But that's a topic for another blog!  Proverbs 6:16-19 actually lists the seven things God hates, in case you're interested. Although homosexuality isn't one of them, there's no denying that the Bible, hence God, doesn't approve of it.

Conclusion

As a result,  if someone is homosexual, or same sex couples want to live together, have a relationship together, or even commit their lives to each other, that's no business of mine. That's between them and God.  It would never stop me from being friends or associating with them. But if I'm asked to legally put same sex marriage on equal terms with traditional marriage, I simply can't for the above reasons. That's really the bottom line. So because that's the stance I (and others) choose to take, please don't tell me/us that I/we hate homosexuals. It's simply not true! To me, they are two separate issues. And I think the fact that many pro-same sex marriage supporters assume the latter if someone supports the former is a mistake they make.

In Matthew 12:30, Jesus warns us, "He who is not with Me is against Me....". Believing and following everything in the Bible isn't easy. But I suppose more people would be doing so if it was.  Anyhow, whether you agree or disagree with what you just read, I hope it''ll give you something to think about. At the very least, you should have a better understanding why people like me feel the way we do.

My Top 5 Driving Pet Peeves

For four years (2008 - 2012) I was definitely spoiled. I worked at a job that allowed me to work from home three or four days a week. In my new position at Samsung, I unfortunately don't have that luxury anymore, nor was I expecting to.  I'm now driving in 4-5 days week, and, I admit, it's been a tough adjustment!

Doing so, however, has given me the opportunity to experience "commuter" traffic again. And doing that for a few months now has reminded me of some of the driving habits people have that are particularly curious and/or baffling to me. Now, I'm not admitting to being a perfect driver.....I'll drive 70-75 mph on the freeway if it's safe. But I do make a point to be considerate to everyone driving around me, no matter what the time of day. So, here are my top 5, all freeway-specific, and in no particular order, driving pet peeves. Then I'll share a theory I have afterwards:

*  Wrong lane drivers:  This, to me, is the most common problem:  people who won't drive in the lane that best matches the speed they are driving.  Yes, the legal speed limit is 65 mph on most of our local freeways, but let's face it, that just isn't the case anymore. Like it or not, people who drive 55-65 on the freeway are in the minority now. But if that is someone's comfortable driving speed, that's perfectly fine.....as long as they do so in one of the far right lanes. Time after time I see people driving 55-65 in the two left lanes and not budging.  Even when being followed by a half dozen or more cars, they won't move over.  As a result, the far right lanes are now becoming the fast lanes. Simple rule of thought to apply here:  If the average traffic speed of the lane to your right is moving faster than you, and you have people behind you, move over.  Simple courtesy that will prevent a potential road rage incident....or an accident.

*  Slow fast lane drivers:  A close cousin to the wrong lane driver, these are people who drive 65 or less specifically in the fast line and won't move if their life depended on it.  Never quite understood these folks. Is it an ego/controlling thing? Are they just more comfortable in the far left lane? Are they trying to make an anti-speeding statement?  Regardless of the reason, it's plain and simply inconsiderate. Passing to the right is potentially dangerous, yet they allow for no other option when they refuse to move over.

*  Pre-carpool/post-carpool carpoolers:   As we know, after 9am and before 3pm the carpool lane is actually the fast lane. However, during my commute, I see quite a few carpoolers hanging around the carpool lane driving the speed limit some 10, 15, 20 minutes prior to the start of or after the end of the carpool time. They seem to forget they are now in the fast lane and are effecting the overall flow of traffic.

* Slowing down before exit:   I've noticed a fair amount of people who have the habit of slowing down to 55 mph or less a half mile or more from their upcoming exit, which really is unnecessary.  I'm not saying hit the off ramp going 65, but there's no need to slow down until you're a couple of hundred yards from it. Most off ramps leave plenty of space to slow down before making a turn or a stop.

*  Over-Spacing:   This refers to drivers who leave five or more car lengths between them and the car in front of them while traveling below the speed limit due to commuter traffic.  It's one thing to be cautious and allow enough space in front of you in case you need to stop suddenly, but some people go way overboard. Particularly at slower speeds. There's no telling how much longer our commute would be if everyone left five or more car lengths between them and the car in front of them. Two-three car lengths is more than enough if you're paying attention to the car in front of you, and just as important, the cars in front of them.

Ok, there you have it. My top 5 highway driving pet peeves. And I didn't even mention drivers who don't use their turn signals or car pool lane violators!  Oops, sorry.  I realize that many of the people who are guilty of the above probably don't even realize they are doing it (except the car pool violators) or the results of their actions.  I will also admit that, believe it or not, I'm not the most patient commuter driver around! Particularly when I haven't had to drive in it for over four years!  But I really think freeway driving in general would be easier, and more importantly safer, if drivers were able to avoid these five things.  Particularly during commuting time.

Anyhow, I do have a theory on why a lot of this is happening. And it's pretty simple.  The Bay Area, and the south bay in particular, has become home to a large diverse, transplanted community. Each come from a city, state or country that have their own general driving styles, habits and tendencies. I know from the little international travel I've done how differently people drive in other countries. I think what we may be seeing now is a merging of all these driving styles on our Bay Area roads and freeways. At least I hope it's that, and not because people are becoming more selfish, impatient, and less courteous while driving. That wouldn't be good.