Community Voice: Civil Partnerships Law

Dear Editor,

I have considered the various scenarios of this bill; some of them are innocuous. I am aware of heterosexual people of the same gender, widows, family members, friends who have pooled resources for survival. They have a domestic (civil) partnership that is clean, wholesome, and helpful.

There are relationships between people of the opposite sex that fall under Civil Partnerships, but if it is a sexual relationship without the sanctity of marriage it is sin as it is adultery - often referred to as common law marriage. However, we well know what drove both the necessity and the urgency of this bill was to legitimize same sex relationships. Thankfully the Cayman Islands leaders made a decision reflecting what I believe is the will of the people. It did not pass, but the Governor, in his wisdom and at the direction of the FCO has decided it will be law anyway. This is a scary step to a slippery slope and with having no independence to make our own decisions, where will it end?

The Governor said, "There won't be a tsunami.'', but surely he realizes that a tsunami starts with a small disturbance under the sea, becomes a submarine wave that no one sees, then with the right sea floor overwhelms the land. We have had the disturbance. This may be a slow-moving tsunami, but we will be overwhelmed if we don't take a strong stand. I am scared when I see some of the proposals and mandates in the schools in the UK and the US (like the recent assignment to elementary children in England to write a letter to their same sex friend stating why they should get married) and hearing threats locally like, "We are coming after your children.'') Children do need to be taught to love all people, but this is going too far.

I have a few things to say about this. The first is the Christian position. The Christian position is love and redemption. This is what God demonstrated, Jesus taught and modeled, and we must demonstrate. We are mandated to love, but it is not just a command, it is the heart of a Christian. Christians are never told to hate people, although there are things that God hates and we do too. When Jesus was presented with a woman caught in adultery (a sexual sin according to God's code) amazingly He said, ''Neither do I condemn you.". He loved her, but He called out her sin in the next statement, "Go and sin no more." - a clear case of love and standards meeting.

God set a code of love for us. We must love all people regardless of sexual orientation, but God has a code of conduct for us as well and we dishonour Him when we accept and tolerate something He has said is sin.

God is God. We don't negotiate with Him, cajole Him, or change His character whether His demonstration of love or His demands of conduct. He has outlined several sexual sins: adultery, fornication, homosexuality, incest among others. We don't legislate them as that is a worldly approach, but we have to stand with Him and reject these sexual sins. We also stand with Him and love all of the people that are engaged in any of these activities. I have no problem loving gay people. I know a few and love them dearly, and even those I don't know I love because that is my heart, but that doesn't change what God has said is wrong and sin. They don't accept my beliefs and I don't accept theirs, but we love and respect each other as people. I don't see how they are discriminated against. There will always be individuals on both sides that will be mean. That's humanity - not divinity.

We know that we are living under a secular world view, not a Christian worldview, but Christians must stand with God, with Jesus, and with Biblical teaching. How could we do otherwise? How can we take the part of God's character that says to love and not the part of His character that says certain attitudes, activities, and lifestyles are sin? What kind of Christian would we be? And to characterize Christians as hateful when they condemn an unbiblical belief or activity is totally wrong. So if my young son steals a candy bar from the gas station and I make him go back to apologize and pay for the candy bar, does that mean that I hate him? Of course not!! I just hate what he did. To speak out against something wrong is not hateful; it is helpful.

Males and females are different in almost every cell of their bodies. Even if you believe that we are products of evolution, isn't it interesting how there is such differentiation in these two genders and it goes far beyond reproductive organs. We hear of gender change - Well that is impossible. A person may add things, remove things etc., but they can never change their gender. They would have to be remade and that is impossible. All of this points to the facts. We are male and female; we are complementary, not identical. No one can substitute the other. No same sex couple can ever reproduce. They were never intended to. We have different roles whether assigned by God (or as some think, evolution.) As we were reminded recently we are products of nature, nurture and opportunity. Countless gay people are no longer gay; many regret tampering with their bodies to attempt to be the opposite sex and recognize and accept what they were meant to be from the beginning. Many have made that transition. Many formerly gay people are happily married to the opposite sex and are raising families. How could they? What was a foray into an alternative lifestyle, a submission to circumstances, influence, ''feelings", and opportunity was rescued by the Lord and reality.

I would encourage all churches to welcome all people into their fellowship, whether gay or straight, and to show them all the path to salvation through Jesus. Many people, gay and straight have left a sinful lifestyle through the love and acceptance of Christians who also stood by the Biblical standards. Watch the stories of ''Changed'' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v--BuHXVA70&feature=youtu.be

May God help us all to stand firm on His Biblical mandate of love and His expectation of a Godly attitude and lifestyle.

Best regards,

Marjorie Ebanks