By Colleen Gundlach

In my roughly nine years of putting pen to paper for Norfolk Now, I have expounded often on the diversity of the people of this town, and our capacity to interact with each other despite our differences.  We are a community that works together to keep Norfolk a vibrant, caring place to live, even though the opinions and lifestyles of our townspeople run the gamut.  

Joel Howard’s View from the Green in last month’s Norfolk Now outlined one of the differences inherent in our town.  His heartfelt dialogue about how the gay marriage laws have affected his life has prompted much discussion, both verbal and written. 

In 2007, Connecticut became the third state to sanction same-sex marriage, after the state Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to discriminate against homosexual couples.  Since then, groups such as the Family Institute of Connecticut and the National Organization for marriage have fought to overturn the decision, many on religious grounds.

David Crary of the Associated Press reports in his article of March 8 that this issue still “evenly divides Americans.” He recounts that since 1998, thirty-one states have balloted about same-sex marriage, and the “opponents prevailed” in each case. 

Five states currently have gay marriage votes pending.  In North Carolina, voters have already voted against same-sex marriage, and now are proposing a state constitutional amendment to prevent the courts from allowing it in the future.

So the debate is not over.

As Paul Atkinson points out in his Letter to the Editor on page ____of this issue, even in Norfolk there is huge disagreement on the issue.  From a biblical standpoint, homosexuality is considered a sin (Leviticus 20:13) and it follows that gay marriage is as well.  Hence the divide. 

 Christians believe that the moral laws given in Scripture are given by God, who has provided them for the well-being and protection of His creation.  The sanctity of traditional marriage and the family are at the very core of God’s plan for humanity according to the Bible. 

The traditional view that God is at the center of everything has been the prevailing view for thousands of years, but, as Atkinson outlines, that has been changing.  The world’s outlook of doing as we please and the God-focused view of following His word are doing battle, and the differences are irreconcilable.

Christians are also called to be tolerant.  I personally disagree with the concept of gay marriage, and strongly believe we as a country have moved away from our moral heritage.  However, I know and love many friends, neighbors and relatives who disagree with me.

Norfolk’s strength is in its diversity, and its wealth in close community. To quote the Bible one more time, “There is one lawgiver and judge, He who is able to save and destroy.  But who are you that you judge your neighbor?”  Is any one of us qualified to do so?