RUBBISH!

The Creator / Evolution [if you like] has put in place natural laws that are for the procreation of each species. Those principles have never changed within the species. To now make claims that God is cool with the human sexual relationship of same sex is a specious argument. There is no natural ordered principle for procreation maintained in such a relationship. Marriage was designed for procreation, any other sexual engagement in our society is merely a matter of personal convenience. It does not constitute the social purpose of marriage. Marriage is consumated in a sexual act and is only between a man and a woman. The penis was never designed to enter the anus of another man. The female vagina and womb was specifically designed to accomodate the male penis and carry their unborn and she is equipt with mammary to nurture offspring from their union. That is the concept of marriage and is the reason of it's social blessing by the Church as designed by God.

Josephus

Your argument is circular. You assume that the sole purpose of marriage is to sustain a sexual relationship capable of supporting biological procreation. Therefore marriage can only be between heterosexuals of different genders.

But there is much more to marriage than that – the lifetime commitment and mutual support of a couple. Married couples who are unable to have children, or choose not to, are no less married that those that have children. And gay people can make good parents.

The argument from biological “purpose” breaks down in the face of evidence that a level of homosexuality has been present in all human cultures throughout history, and is fairly common in social animals too. Clearly, if God designed us, he designed some of us gay, just as he designed some of us tall, some left handed, some black, some white, etc.

The argument from social necessity similarly breaks down in the face of evidence that marriage and similar social partnerships have successfully taken different forms throughout the ages. Marriage is a social construct; it can, and does, change form and meaning as societies change. Our society is becoming much more accepting of homosexuality, for the reasons articulated well in this article. There is no divine or natural law which says this cannot be reflected in our attitudes to marriage.

THIS IS GOD SPEAKING. I'M TOTALLY COOL WITH GAY MARRIAGE.

RUNNER - STOP BEING A DICK OR I'LL SMITE YOU. JOSEPHUS - STOP THINKING ABOUT DICKS SO MUCH. IT'S NOT HEALTHY. GO TAKE A COLD SHOWER OR SAY THE ROSARY.

HOPE YOU ALL HAD A GOOD EASTER.

I've become quite tired of the eagerness of some people to twist a patchwork of scriptural snippets and dog-eared dogma into a disguise for their personal hatred for homosexuals--a hatred probably born of deep anxiety about their own sexuality. (And don't give me any of that crap about "hating the sin but not the sinner"! That's just a lie.)

The author of the article has set out very clearly the facts and reasonable conclusions to be drawn. Nine years ago I attempted something similar in my first OLO article: http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=611
I can't muster the patience these days to present a reasoned post like Rhian's above.

It's time progressive religious practitioners simply stopped tolerating anyone like Josephus, runner et alii. Millions of people must no longer be excluded from full acceptance as equals into both general society and church communities on the basis of their homosexuality.

Interesting discussion. Thank you.

Just a couple of observations:

Reference to same-sex activity as 'sodomy' illustrates the ever-present danger of category errors in this discussion. Sodomy in the Bible - the action condemned by God at the city of Sodom - was gang rape. Nothing whatsoever to do with faithful same-sex unions.

Planet 3 raises an intriguing question:
"What if I was to say that once a species exceeds its population orders of too many, is it just natures natural progression?
I hope GOD knows the balances:)"

Recent research into the frequency of children born with same-sex orientation has found the number of older brothers with the same mother increases the statistical probability. Number of older sisters has no influence.

Brief lay analysis here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5vrNYA_nik

Part 2 can be found nearby on youtube.