So, where is God in all of these arguments?  He is absent, just as he was in the old arguments of Christian Scholasticism.  We must assume that he does not exist in order to be successful before the Court.  If God does exist, it is a private matter and your belief must be left outside the courtroom.  God has been ruled out of order.

One of the consequences of the Supreme Court Hearing on the legalization of homosexual marriage is listening to the arguments of conservatives (including Christians) as they present their cases against it.   It tells me more about the condition of Christianity in this country than it does about our modern culture.

In the Middle Ages there existed what was called Christian Scholasticism.  For example, in the early scholastic arguments to prove the existence of God, Christians hijacked the methodology and rationale that was used by the world of unbelief. The proof of the existence of God was the end goal, but the methods to get there were purely humanistic.  Humanism assumes there is no god, and many of our forefathers used it for the sake of argument in order to prove that God exists. They had various names for these arguments such as cosmological, ontological, and teleological. Sadly, even though Christians believed in God, he was absent in their methodology in arguing for his very existence.

When I listen to arguments against homosexual marriage, I hear the same train coming down the track.  Various sophisticated arguments are used such as the following.

1. Sociological – Traditional marriage produces children, and therefore it is important for the continuation of society that the Court restricts marriage as being between one man and one woman. Homosexual marriage is anti-family.
2. Democratic – More people support traditional marriage than homosexual marriage. America is a democracy.
3. Free Speech – There are many religious people who are opposed to homosexual marriage, and we are concerned that their right to free speech could become limited.
4. Historical – Traditional marriage has been recognized for at least 10,000 years. It is incumbent upon us to respect the past.
5. Biological – It is obvious from the way that men and women are physically made that traditional marriage promotes a natural relationship between them. Homosexual marriage is contrary to natural law.
6. Teleological – If we legalize homosexual marriage, then this will only lead to incestuous marriage, polygamy, and bestiality. It will create the proverbial slippery slope.
7. Medical – Homosexuality has been identified with diseases like Aids.
8. Psychological – Damage will be done to the minds of our children. They will become confused as to the nature of what constitutes a parent.
9. Financial – Homosexual spouses will receive the same employee fringe benefits as spouses in traditional marriages. We cannot afford this addition to our national debt.
10. States’ Rights – Power not granted to the federal government resides within the states themselves.  The issue should be left to the states.
11. European Experiment – Some do argue that it works well in Europe. It has been legalized in Sweden since 2009.  However, this argument is bogus.  Remember that Nazi Germany came out of Europe.
12. Separation of Church and State – Please disregard anything the church has to say about this matter.  After all, there are two-kingdoms in this world, the civil and the ecclesiastical.  Make up your own minds.  You must remain religiously neutral. If you decide that all that matters is that two people love each other, then so let it be in the civil realm.  Just stay out of the churches.

So, where is God in all of these arguments?  He is absent, just as he was in the old arguments of Christian Scholasticism.  We must assume that he does not exist in order to be successful before the Court.  If God does exist, it is a private matter and your belief must be left outside the courtroom.  God has been ruled out of order.

After the great men of the modern age presented their cases, a little boy in the balcony stood up and said, “What does God’s Law say?”  The high-priests in their robes sitting on the bench of the Supreme Court snickered at him.  The conservative lawyers felt a little embarrassed.  The theologians listening to the arguments thought to themselves that we are not under law but under grace.

Like Solomon said, there is nothing new under the sun!

Larry E. Ball is a Honorably Retired Minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and is now a CPA. He lives in Kingsport, Tennessee.