The above screen shot is from my new aggregate at Google News. The small image does not necessarily go with the story to the left of it, however, it does highlight an important issue with the clumsiness of our news media. Notice that the story says “civil unions” and the image says “same-sex marriage.” They are not the same thing though the talking heads in network and local news may confuse them. A civil union, according to Wikipedia ¹I don’t recommend Wikipedia without checking other sources, I was just too lazy to do that this time. Take Wikipedia with a grain of salt. You have been warned., is “a legally recognized partnership between two persons.” Since a civil union is a legal definition, it can be defined as a legally recognized partnership between two people of the same or different sex or even between more than two. It is as elastic as the society will tolerate.

Marriage, however, is the Biblical union of a man and a woman which is an ordinance God instituted in creation (Matt 19:4-6). It may not be altered by man based on the latest whim of sensibility or political correctness. “Marriage ought not to be within the degrees of [family relationships] forbidden in the Word; nor can such incestuous marriages ever be made lawful, by any law of man or consent of parties” (1689 BCF 25.4 emphasis mine.) In 1689 the idea of a homosexual marriage was beyond comprehension. They were aware of homosexuals but that was a recreation reserved for kings and poets. The principle in the confession can be applied to other aberrant forms of marriage. The Bible defines what a marriage is and so the phrase “same sex marriage” makes as much sense as “left-handed right-handedness.” In other words, it makes no sense.

If a state wishes to recognize homosexual relationships in some formal manner, civil unions are the way they should do that. They are not free to redefine marriage and the Church should stand for it. The issue of civil unions is, to me a different matter. I still don’t think it is wise but that is a matter that a State should decide for themselves.

So be careful out there. The air heads in the news media ²They are not all air heads but there are air heads in that position. will confuse the terms but don’t you.