(Dis)Respect of Marriage Act?! by Dr. Johnny O. Trail, LMFT
The United States senate in all its wisdom has sought to codify the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision that forced states to recognize marriages between same sex individuals. The first action of the post-election legislative body was to pass the Respect of Marriage Act. Never mind the economic and foreign policy problems that we are facing right now—we are more interested in helping people engage in immoral marital unions.
Instead of defending marriage, the Respect of Marriage Act makes a mockery of a God organized and ordained institution. While one aspect of the act does codify interracial marriage, the other portions are highly objectionable. This act along with the Obergefell decision has opened Pandora's box regarding the definition of legal marriage.
After the senate passed the resolution, Senator Ted Cruz tweeted the following comment, “Not only does the so-called Respect for Marriage Act open the door for a weaponized IRS to target religious non-profits, but it will start a race to the bottom, forcing the most extreme marriage laws from any state onto every other state.”
While the bill does not force churches or religious organizations to “solemnize” same-sex unions, it does create problems with non-profit religious groups that receive tax exemptions or funds from the federal government. In its final summation, the bill will impact the ability of religious groups to conscientiously serve others.
Thus, the Defense of Marriage Act and the Obergefell decision could also threaten religious liberties. One might speculate that any Christian university or organization that does not recognize same sex marriages could stand to be the object of a lawsuit or lose government funding for failing to endorse this immoral act. In these things, we see a real attack on religious liberty and the freedom of speech.
In determining the tax-exempt status of organizations, the IRS seeks to determine if said organization falls within the criteria of exemption from paying taxes. One source avers, “When the IRS determines whether an organization is “charitable” under the Internal Revenue Code, it asks whether the entity’s conduct is “contrary to public policy” or violates a “national policy.”[1] This piece of legislation could effectively remove funding from adoption agencies who are conscientiously, and religiously opposed to allowing same sex married individuals adopt children because it violates a national or public policy.
Our nation is moving closer and closer to being very much like the Roman Empire and its view of Christianity. When Christians would not conform to the debauchery and polytheistic worship practices of the empire, Rome sought to destroy Christianity. One writer states,
The religions that Rome had the most problems with were monotheistic—Judaism and Christianity. Because these religions believed there was just one god, they prohibited worshiping other gods. Their members refused to make offerings to Roman gods or take part in Roman religious festivals, which Rome considered a matter of showing loyalty. These religions tested Roman tolerance [Emp.—JOT].[2]
Did you catch that last sentence? Religions that practiced biblical principles “tested Roman tolerance.” Our society is tolerant of anything but biblical morality that challenges people to repent and live lives in accordance with God’s word.
Our culture is already intolerant of true, biblical morality. How long will it be before Christians are in a voting minority and unable to have a political voice to offer objections to laws and policies that contravene God’s laws? For these reasons alone, we must engage the culture in personal evangelism.
The Bible teaches that God alone is the one who designed marriage. No culture or person came up with this concept on their own. Marriage was designed by God to be monogamous, heterosexual, and long lasting in nature. Notice the words of the Master regarding what God intended for marriage. Matthew 19:4 says, “And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female’ and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate." This was marriage as God meant from the beginning of the creation (Matthew 19.4).
In our nation, the floodgates have been opened in defining what constitutes a marriage. How long before our nation recognizes polygamous marriage? One shudders to imagine how far our nation will go in codifying immorality. Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.”
[1] Baylor, Gregory S. (2022). “What You Should Know About the Respect for Marriage Act,” Alliance Defending Freedom. https://adflegal.org.
[2] “Religious Tolerance and Persecution in the Roman Empire.” Constitutional Rights Foundation (crf-usa.org)
