Edmonton Journal - January 17, 2009
Polygamy case shows marriage matters
By Walt Brouwer
Unless you secluded yourself from any and all media outlets recently, you won't have been able to miss the news that, finally, after almost two decades of allegations of polygamy, sexual abuse, exploitation of children, and the trafficking of teenage brides across the Canada-U.S. border, Winston Blackmore of Bountiful, B.C., has been arrested on charges of polygamy. As the leader of a religious cult called the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Blackmore defends polygamy as an article of his faith. Polygamists present a serious constitutional challenge, which may explain why B.C.'s attorney general waited so long to arrest Blackmore. With the approval of gay marriage, the boundaries of what constitutes marriage have been seriously blurred.
The re-emergence of the crisis in defining marriage provides an opportunity to remind ourselves as Christians what marriage is and why. As a Christian, I understand that marriage is founded on the biblical account of the creation of man and woman in Genesis 1 and 2, and Jesus' affirmation of this account in Matthew 19. Christians therefore define marriage as the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman, to the exclusion of all others.
It is important to recognize, however, that this understanding of marriage is not restricted to Christianity. After an extensive study of the world's cultures and religions, Dr. Katherine Young of McGill University in Montreal affirmed that all the world's major religions, and all cultures and societies have from time immemorial recognized marriage as the union of male and female. Of gay relationships she says, "'Same-sex marriage' is an oxymoron, because it lacks the universal, or defining, feature of marriage according to religious, historical, and anthropological evidence."
Thus, marriage is not unique to Christianity and not just a religious institution; it has been recognized by all societies. Marriage is a social, cultural as well as a religious institution, and the relationship upon which human society is founded. This is why up until recently marriage has been recognized in law and public policy as the voluntary union between one male and one female. This historic and universal understanding of marriage means that it predates both the dominion of Canada and English common law upon which most of our legal system is based. Governments and the courts are not the creators of marriage; it is not a legal institution enacted by law.
Marriage is rooted in the way we are created. It is based upon the biological reality that humanity exists in two sexes. Marriage expresses the complementary nature of the sexes and thus it requires both sexes. Yet marriage is more than sexual - it creates out of two persons one unique entity (becoming "one flesh," Genesis 2:24). Marriage is the supreme form of heterosexual bonding. Marriage also is procreative even though it cannot be reduced to this, for marriage is possible between a man and a woman who choose not to or cannot procreate (due to infertility or old age).
When Canada became the fourth nation in the world on July 20, 2005, to legalize same-sex marriages, gay couples already enjoyed legal protection as civil partnerships. Since marriage has been redefined to accommodate such relationships, the question before the courts today is, what about polygamy? The reason we define something is to preserve its unique distinctions and essence. If Canadian courts continue to redefine marriage, what other domestic relationship is next? This is why marriage should continue to be legally defined as the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman, to the exclusion of all others.
Rev. Dr. Walt Brouwer is the lead pastor at Bethel Community Church, a Christian Reformed congregation in northeast Edmonton.
