“God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, . . . and God saw that it was good. Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it.’”
Genesis 1.25-28
Last week, on The Chattanooga Times editorial page, Frank Bruni raised an interesting issue in his column “2 dads, 2 daughters, 1 big day.” (written in reference to the state of New York legalizing same-sex marriage) He said the 8 and 6 year-old daughters of a same-sex couple wondered why their “2 dads” were not married “like our friends’ parents.”
One wonders if 6 and 8 year-old children, all on their own, are interested in why two men are not married to one another. Perhaps, with some help from their “2 dads,” these two young girls entertained such a notion. Quite frankly, one can imagine more easily Maeve and Georgia (the two girls mentioned in the article) wondering why one of their “2 dads” was not married to their mom. In most states in America, Maeve and Georgia would have no friends who had same-sex parents who were married. Ironically, their question, if they in fact asked it, might have had more to do with the absence of a mother. One does wonder where their mom is.
According to Scripture, God’s design for the human race, like other species, is male-female relationships. In fact, among all living things, distinct categories are the rule. The boundaries of these categories cannot be breached. One species cannot go outside of its own “kind” to produce offspring. For an apple seed to be produced, the male gamete from one apple blossom is transferred to another blossom where the female gamete is fertilized. Thus, an apple seed is produced, capable of developing into an apple tree. Apple and orange trees cannot produce offspring. Each must function within its own species.
Further, two male gametes in an apple blossom cannot produce a seed; a male and female gamete are required. These biological facts are unbreakable laws in nature. Only males and females can produce offspring, and can do so only within their own species. According to Genesis, God was pleased with this set up; he saw that it, distinct biological categories, was good. Nature always has and always will function only within the boundaries established by these laws. One “kind” is not produced from another “kind.”
As the height of the creative process, mankind must function within these divinely established boundaries. That fact is underscored by the account of the creation of the human race. “‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;’ . . . God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.’” In these verses, the noun man and the pronouns him and them all refer to the human race as a collective: males and females.
When God created human beings, he created them “in His own image.” Further, he created them “male and female.” While we might argue the image of God is found in each of us as individuals. We have a stronger argument in favor of God’s image being expressed in “them,” in male and female together. Thus, we can say the highest expression of the image of God in “man” is within the bounds of the procreative relationship of males and females; in other words, within marriage. As God willfully chose to create, we humans have the capacity to reproduce volitionally. Apple trees, cattle, chimpanzees and birds reproduce simply as a matter of biology. Humans procreate based on a choice. Plants and animals do not choose to reproduce; only humans do.
The sad situation of Maeve and Georgia illustrates the problems associated with ignoring the boundaries established by God for all living things. We function best only as we honor all the laws of God; biological, physical, social and spiritual. We ignore these laws at our own peril. When we do, young children are forced to deal with the poor choices of adults, who willfully choose to reject the designs of God.
The irony of same-sex marriage is the inability of same-sex couples to fulfill the intent of the Creator: “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” All of us are born genetically predisposed and biologically designed as heterosexuals. No such thing exists as a biological design for homosexuality. Homosexuality is a way of acting, not an orientation or genetic predisposition. Homosexuality is not something God has chosen as an option for human beings. “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply.’”
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