There are certain people who are getting their 'knickers in a twist' over the idea that gay people would want to enter a loving and monogamous relationship, and have it recognised by society at large. Indeed, today at every Catholic Church in Scotland, a letter is being read out to the congregation pointing out how sinful this event, if it were allowed, would be.
When looking at something, I always find it useful to delve into the background of how the concept developed.
Let us look at the bible. Nowhere can I find mention of where Joseph and Mary, Jesus' parents, were married. Joseph took Mary 'into his home', was this a convenient way of saying something? The marriage at Canaan, was a grand affair, all the local community were invited to the wedding feast where there were servants and wine for everyone. This is not the sort of event that was within many people's grasp to organise. Weddings were the preserve of those who had money, and the rest of the world just shacked up together and behaved like they were married and everyone else accepted that. This is how marriage carried on for centuries. It was the preserve of the wealthy, who would marry off their eligible sons and daughters to other heirs to a fortune so that social dynasties would be created or wars avoided.
It wasn't until the Victorian age that weddings became the ubiquitous event that it is today and the churches, wanting to still have their say so, would allow their churches to be used. The grander the church, the grander the families, and the larger the fees. But strictly speaking, weddings had little or nothing to do with religion, but had more to do with the social and political order that existed in the society.
So my response to people who are upset about gay marriage, do not allow your church to be used for a 'gay' wedding. However, look to your bibles and see how Jesus treated the adulterous woman who was about to be stoned. Jesus seemed to understand human frailties, shouldn't we try and do the same?
