Ashtin Hyde, Staff Writer
Within the next year, the controversial issue of same-sex marriage is sure to be a subject of debate among the government officials and the residents of Georgia. Currently Georgia is one of the 13 states that does not issue a marriage license to couples of the same-sex. Our next-door neighbor, Alabama, used to be a part of this dwindling list, but just recently has allowed two people of the same-sex to marry. However, this only happened after they received the order from the U.S. District Court Judge to do so.
As the issue is quickly approaching our home state, we must be aware of the differing opinions and we must know the ideals that our federal government is going to go by. As citizens, we have to be prepared to accept what our federal government instructs and as individuals we have to be ready to stand strong to our beliefs, whether or not the Supreme Court’s ruling agrees with them.
I believe that the federal government should not have the right to tell states that they must issue a marriage license to same-sex couples. The standards which one state feels strongly about are quite possibly different from the standards of another state. Our country was founded on the idea of freedom, thus meaning that citizens should have the freedom to vote on an issue.
Currently, each individual state is allowed to vote on whether or not they allow the use of medical marijuana. Last year the state of Georgia voted no to this bill and right now state legislatures are in the process of proposing another bill concerning this issue. The state of Oregon though chose to vote yes for this the first time, as well as did the voters in Washington, D.C. This is an example of how citizens in different areas and locations have different opinions about certain topics. If states are allowed to vote about the usage of medical marijuana they should also be able to vote about other issues such as the matter of same-sex marriage. Each individual state should be able to decide on what best fits the majority of their population.
While I do believe that it is wrong for the federal government to instruct states on certain issues, I will acknowledge that this is something that will more than likely not change. Our government has the power, so I feel that they are going to use it. I understand that the society we live in today has veered away from the Christian principles that our Founding Fathers lived by. Due to this, I feel that we must approach issues, such same-sex marriage, from a biblical standpoint and react in the way that God would want us to.
According to the Bible, same-sex marriage is a sin. In Leviticus 18:22 it states, “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman.” (NIV) The beauty of marriage was designed to be between a man and a woman and this is something that we see from the very beginning in Genesis with Adam and Eve. However, as Christians, we should not approach the issue of same-sex marriage with hatred and disgust. We should approach this with love and work to be an example of Christ because Jesus is the only freedom from sin. We must not judge, look down on, or hate, but instead we should pray. God sees all sin the same. He regards homosexuality in the same way He regards adultery or lying. We must also do the same because we are all sinners, and no one sin is worse than another in God’s eyes.
With all of this being said, we are soon going to be faced with this issue of same-sex marriage in Georgia. Whether or not we believe the federal government has the right to instruct states on how to handle same-sex marriage, it is more than likely going to happen. Our duty as citizens is to react in an appropriate way. As Christians we should react in a way that God would want us to and show his love to all. I believe that doing this would be the best approach to what we have coming ahead of us.
