I’m titling this entry in the grand tradition of the TV series “Friends,” fully expecting to lose a few.
Because I dare to ask the question: What good does it do to pass laws against abortion and homosexual marriage?
Will laws put a stop to abortion? Will laws keep homosexuals from living together just like married people?
Will a new law cause a woman who is considering having an abortion to suddenly think, “Hey! That would be illegal! There must be some reason it’s been made illegal. It must be a sin, and would displease God, and would reserve a place for me in hell. I’d better not do it.”?
Will a new law cause a gay couple to realize: “You know, our lifestyle must be a choice after all, and it must be the wrong choice. If so many people dislike it, it must surely be against God’s will, and worthy of His condemnation. We’d better split up and go straight.”?
Or do such laws just further polarize and alienate the very souls that Jesus laid His life down so that we could reach, and teach, and persuade?
Are we so lazy about His great commission that we just want laws to do the job for us?
Do laws like that really do the job, or just reinforce the perception that Christians are the people who say “I’m saved and you’re not; I’m good and you’re bad; God loves me and hates you, so nyah nyah nyah!”?
What good does it do to pass these laws?
If you say, “Well, it shows where we stand as Christians,” my response is: Was there a doubt before? And are Christians supposed to stand, or to go? teach? disciple?
If you say, “It protects our marriages, our children, the unborn, and our culture,” my response is: how?
If you say, “It’s just the right thing to do,” my response is …
Well, you just read it.
Next in this series: The One Where I Lose More Friends
Blog In My Own Eye 
It will take more than that to lose me as a friend, my brother! 🙂 I appreciate you challenging us! I know it made me think.
Off the top of my head, I want to ask this question: Does knowing your kids will break your rules from time to time keep you from having those rules? The rules communicate to your kids what you value and what is important to you. It is a way to instill priorites and values as much or more as it is to control their behavior. So let me suggest our laws should reflect our cultural values and priorities. Should is the key word, because I would agree with you that they don’t always do that. Do our lasw against murder really keep someone from murdering? Maybe a few, but I would bet not many. So why not do away with them? Because we have ethics and a belief system….and we have morality and values. The American people voted on values this past election…….that is agreed on by ALL the pundits, right or left.
I agree with you that is shouldn’t be our laws that keep someone from being involved in a homosexual marriage, it should be because we have shared the good news of Jesus Christ.
Our laws don’t control behavior, but they do stand for something. I want them to keep reflecting the values of marriage being between a man and a woman. Sorry to be a stick in the mud!
Love you bro!
DU
My kids know that rules are made for reasons. I know they do, because they always ask “WHY?”.
Actually I have had many of the same thoughts before. Especially vis a vis homosexual marriage. I mean it isn’t as if the culture had that much respect for the institution of marriage before. There is a billboard near my home with some lawyer’s smug face on it that says in giant bold print “Uncontested Divorce 400 dollars”. So that is all a marriage is worth, or at least that is all it costs to dissolve it?
Our job isn’t to theocratize (extra points if that is actually a word) the world, it is our job to evangelize the world. Evangelism <>is not<> accomplished by political/governmental means. Remember < HREF="http://www.blogger.com/r?http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newadvent.org%2Fcathen%2F04295c.htm">Constantine<>Jesus never forced His will or views on anyone.
David, you’re no stick in the mud.
But there are problems with the analogy to murder: virtually everyone agrees that murder is wrong (except for some terroristic interpretations of Islam); there is no such consensus on homosexual marriage or on <>when<> abortion becomes wrong. Our popular culture (books, TV, etc.) criminalizes murder, but not the other two items.
I agree that we have rules to communicate our values to our children, but my point (comment above) is that rules alone are not enough to communicate WHY we have those values.
People of that culture are plainly puzzled as to WHY Christians oppose homosexual marriage or unlimited abortion. To them: Unlike murder, they’re not perceived as wrong. Unlike murder, they’re not perceived as causing harm. Unlike murder, they’re practically untraceable and unenforceable.
So what good does it do to pass such laws?
None.
IF WE AS FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST DON’T COMMUNICATE WHY.
Keith, I totally agree. We better be ready to answer the “why”! If we do away with the law, we won’t have that opportunity because it won’t be asked.
Thanks again for your insightful blog!
DU
David had it right. Laws communicate a collective decision about right and wrong. Thieves and murderers still exist despite prohibition of these activities being “on the books” for 5,000 years. The fact that people break laws is not an argument against them — it’s an argument *for* them
Extremist: But simply passing the laws does not address the need to <>explain why<> voters and legislators have felt these things are wrong. It does not communicate the harm perceived. And it doesn’t help to persuade others who disagree to dismiss them by legislation.
Hello to you all.If I may add my pennyworth? Why do you trouble yourselves with the world and its laws. Our Lord referred to these things as “the cares of this world”All you have to remember is that we (if we are True Believers) are not “of the world.” We are in the world but “not of it,” we are witnesses, so just let them get on with making or not making their laws.Our Lord will soon return and wipe all the things you seem to be concerned about from the face of this earth. He will also make all His enemies (The religious leaders)His footstool.We were never called to change the world only to be lights i.e. good examples in a dark world. So let the dead bury their dead.y2t
Well, y2t, I can only go so far with a <>laissez-faire<> attitude toward the things of this world. Jesus also tells us not to worry about food and clothing, but I don’t think His intent for us is to starve naked. There are some things in this world we need to be concerned about – and do something about; change them. We need to look after the needs of the poor. Some of us would prefer it be done through charity; others of us see that charity alone ain’t gettin’ it done and want to enact laws. We need to make certain that some people aren’t marginalized or persecuted. Some of us would prefer that be done on a one-on-one basis; others of us would like for that to be against the law.
Dear Mr Brenton,We do not need to worry about food or clothing either for they are also cares of this world. He always provides for those He has called.Now in order to support your case for changing this world, you will have to show me in scripture where Our Lord commands this. Our Lord also stated that the poor will always be with us. In other words we as human beings are never going to bring an end to poverty.The problem here is liberal do-gooding passing itself off as Christianity. This political yuk has contaminated the Church. This politico-liberal Church is known as Laodacea in Revelation and amounts to nothing more than so much vomit in God’s mouth which He is about to spew out unless they repent and soon. So my advice to you Mr Brenton is preach Christ to the unconverted and leave the world to its devices. y2t