ffdarkangel
I guess it depends on which demonination you are. I was taught it was okay as long as you married before you had sex. So why are we banning gay marriages? It seems stupid to me. The same rules apply to homosexual couples as to heterosexual couples.
Might as well go down the line of different Christianity demoninations:
Catholic: No
As a Catholic mind if I expand on this a little?
Catholics believe that Sacramental Marriage is the bonding of a baptized man and woman (both do not have to be Catholic anymore) in a lifelong commitment that both serves to enrich each other's lives and to be the foundation for the family unit, recognizing the two purposes of sex. This bond is never broken. It either exists or it does not. Divorce is only the severance of legal ties. It does not break a sacramental marriage. An Annulment is commonly misunderstood as "Catholic Divorce". This is also not true. An annulment is official recognition that the couple was never married to begin with. So with that in mind it is possible to be legally "married" without being sacramentally "married". Even if everything looks right...Catholic Mass...the right vows..all that jazz...if you enter that commitment knowing that it might not last or not intending to keep your vows, the paper makes no difference...you are still NOT married. That's why there are many Catholic priests who will not perform the ceremony for you if you have a pre-nuptual agreement. Already you have doubts in your ability to stay each other.
An unbaptized person and a Catholic do not enter into a sacramental marriage. Nor do people who are unable to have sex due to a physical deformity. Nor do people who are 100% dead set against having children and will do anything to avoid it (one of the Catholic vows is to accept children into your lives...God willing). The infertile can because of the slimmest chance of conceiving...God willing. Even people in voluntarily sexless marriages (it's possible) are not married sacramentally. It's not just restricted to the gay population. Legally all of these people can get hitched. But it is sacramentally impossible.
But can you be a homosexual Catholic? Yes you can.
For Catholics, it's not about "is homosexuality a sin?" Or "does the Catholic Church allow homosexuality"....as if "homosexuality" and "gay marriage" were the same thing! It's not! Homosexuals are no more or less sinful than anyone else. It's not the sexuality that is the sin. It's what you do with it (and that goes for the straights too). Every sin...EVERY sin...a homosexual can commit can be and ARE committed by heterosexuals on a daily basis. Homosexuals are not THAT special in the sinning department. Sorry...you're not.
I'm 24, unmarried and I've never had sex with anybody...it doesn't make me any less straight. My second cousin is over 50. Never had sex and is also unmarried. It doesn't make her any less straight either. Homosexuals are no less homosexual just because they are unmarried and have never had sex. Or is sexuality now defined by the sexual acts we actually participate in?
One of the REAL reasons that the Church is pushing for a ban on gay marriages is really to protect our own rights to practice our faith without government interference. There are many Catholics (myself included) who really don't care if gays are given legal rights and have the ability to see their partners in the hospital and file joint taxes and get all of the legal benefits of a spouse. But we don't want it to be confused with the sacramental marriage and for homosexuals to assume they now have the right to enter in a Catholic marriage (which I've already explained are nonexistent) and can sue us for discrimination if refused. This is not a good situation for either party. I keep hearing about "Catholic discrimination" against homosexuals in the news. Obviously people have been going to Catholic organizations seeking various services....many of them knowing full well what the answer is going to be. There are other services out there that are non-catholic and can give them what they want. I am SICK of the baiting.
Personally I think making sacramental marriages
legally binding was a huge mistake. Convenient...but still a mistake. My cousin had to get "married" twice. He married a non-US citizen. They had to have a legal ceremony first in order for her to enter the country as his wife. They had their sacramental marriage ceremony a few weeks later. It CAN happen.
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