There’s a lot of ruckus going on right now about the California supreme court decision finding a “natural right” to gay marriage in the state constitution.

As a Christian, I believe scripture teaches against homosexual behavior. I do not oppose people who have such inclinations, but rather their actions in fulfilling them. I was born with a propensity to steal, but that doesn’t make it right. That a man is born with (or develops) a sexual attraction toward other men does make it right to follow through on said attraction.

(Note: I realize this will not convince non-Christian acceptors of homosexuality; it’s simply an illustration of my perspective.)

I believe the growing social acceptance of homosexuality is a destructive force in our culture; I believe the same thing about the high heterosexual divorce rate and number of “broken” families. I believe there are plenty of sociological and economic arguments to be made for why our society should bless heterosexual but not homosexual marriage with various benefits, while leaving the explicitly Biblical arguments out of the public square.

All that said, as much as I support protecting “traditional” marriage, I am categorically opposed to a Constitutional amendment as a solution. Our founding document is not the place for specific policies. We tried with Prohibition, and it was a total disaster. It serves only to cheapen and weaken our founding document. The Constitution should reflect over-arching principles and basic rights; peripheral issues (or issues unrelated to what is actually addressed in the document) should be determined by the legislature.

If that results in some states legalizing and endorsing a lifestyle I am opposed to (morally, socially, and economically), so be it. I will work to convince others of my view and to make changes legislatively.

Many states are pre-emptively passing amendments to their state constitutions that protect “traditional” marriage. I am less concerned with that than I am with amending the federal Constitution. Perhaps that is inconsistent; I’m not entirely sure yet.