Marriage, Same sex "marriage' , Polygamy

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.

A Prayer for President Obama by Albert Mohler

A Prayer for President Obama

Posted: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 2:00 am ET

Our Father, Lord of all creation, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: We pray today with a sense of special urgency and responsibility. We come before you to pray for our new President, Barack Obama, and for all those in this new administration who now assume roles of such high responsibility.

We know that you and you alone are sovereign; that you rule over all, and that you alone are able to keep and defend us. We know that our times are in your hands, and that "the king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord" [Proverbs 21:1]. Our confidence is in you and in you alone. We come before you as a people who acknowledge our constant need for your provision, wisdom, and protection.

Father, we pray today for Barack Obama as he takes office as President of the United States. We pray that you will show the glory of your name in our times and in these days, confounding the wisdom of the wise, thwarting the plans of the arrogant, and vindicating those who do justice and practice righteousness.

Father, we pray with thanksgiving for the gift of government and the grace of civic order. Thank you for giving us rulers and for knowing our need for laws and ordered life together. Thank you for this nation and the blessings we know as its citizens. Thank you for freedoms unprecedented in human history. We understand that these freedoms come with unprecedented opportunities.

Lord, we pray with thanksgiving for the joy and celebration reflected on millions of faces who never expected to look to the President of the United States and see a person who looks like themselves. Father, thank you for preserving this nation to the moment when an African-American citizen will take the oath of office and become our President. Thank you for the hope this has given to so many, the pride emerging in hearts that had known no such hope, and the pride that comes to a people who have experienced such pain at the hands of fellow citizens, simply because of the color of their skin. Father, we rejoice in every elderly face that reflects such long-sought satisfaction and in every young face that expresses such unrestrained joy. May this become an open door for a vision of race and human dignity that reflects your glory in our differences, and not our corruption of your gift.

Father, protect this president, we pray. We pray that you will surround this president and his family, along with all our leaders, with your protection and sustenance. May he be protected from evil acts and evil intentions, and may his family be protected from all evil and harm.

We pray that the Obama family will be drawn together as they move into the White House, and that they will know great joy in their family life. We are thankful for the example Barack and Michelle Obama have set as parents. Father, protect those precious girls in every way -- including the protection of their hearts as they see their father often criticized and as he is away from them on business of state. May their years in the White House bring them all even closer together.

Father, we pray for the safety and security of this nation, even as our new president settles into his role as Commander in Chief. We know that you and you alone can be our defense. We do not place our trust in horses or chariots, and we pray that you will give this president wisdom as he fulfills this vital responsibility.

Father, grant him wisdom in every dimension of his vast responsibility. Grant him wisdom to deal with a global financial crisis and with the swirling complex of vexing problems and challenges at home and abroad. May he inspire this nation to a higher vision for our common life together, to a higher standard of justice, righteousness, unity, and the tasks of citizenship.

Father, we pray that you will change this president's heart and mind on issues of urgent concern. We are so thankful for his gifts and talents, for his intellect and power of influence. Father, bend his heart to see the dignity and sanctity of every single human life, from the moment of conception until natural death. Father, lead him to see abortion, not as a matter of misconstrued rights, but as a murderous violation of the right to life. May he come to see every aborted life as a violation of human dignity and every abortion as an abhorrent blight upon this nation's moral witness. May he pledge himself to protect every human life at every stage of development. He has declared himself as an energetic defender of abortion rights, and we fear that his election will lead directly to the deaths of countless unborn human beings. Protect us from this unspeakable evil, we pray. Most urgently, we pray that you will bring the reign of abortion to an end, even as you are the defender of the defenseless.

Father, may this new president see that human dignity is undermined when human embryos are destroyed in the name of medical progress, and may he see marriage as an institution that is vital to the very survival of civilization. May he protect all that is right and good. Father, change his heart where it must be changed, and give him resolve where his heart is right before you.

Father, when we face hard days ahead -- when we find ourselves required by conscience to oppose this president within the bounds of our roles as citizens -- may we be granted your guidance to do so with a proper spirit, with a proper demeanor, and with persuasive arguments. May we learn anew how to confront without demonizing, and to oppose without abandoning hope.

Father, we are aware that our future is in your hands, and we are fully aware that you and you alone will judge the nations. Much responsibility is now invested in President Barack Obama, and much will be required. May we, as Christian citizens, also fulfill what you would require of us. Even as we pray for you to protect this president and change his heart, we also pray that your church will be protected and that you will conform our hearts to your perfect will.

Father, we pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, the ever-reigning once and future King, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He and he alone can save, and his kingdom is forever. Above all, may your great name be praised. Amen.