Why are Southern Baptists so obsessed with ending gay marriage? | Opinion

The Southern Baptist Convention is trying to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision that legalizes same sex marriage by once again fanning the flames of hatred and homophobia. The leaders justify their animus by cherry-picking passages from the Bible and misinterpreting the extent of the ruling.

No legally recognized group can be forced to perform same sex marriages. The court’s decision can be applied only to marriages performed by secular civil authorities because it protects the policy of separation of church and state. “Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”

Same sex marriage is gaining acceptance in American society. Sixty-two percent of mainline white Protestants agree that the right to marry should be protected for all citizens. Sixty-eight percent of Episcopalian and United Church of Christ adherents support this position as do 69% of PCUSA parishioners and 53% of white Baptist Christians.

But let’s go back to first causes. Exactly what did Jesus say about same-sex relationships?

Absolutely nothing.

On the other hand, Jesus did preach a lot about divorce. He preached against divorce in both the Gospels of Mark and Matthew, but most people accept divorce without judgment or condemnation. According to the Barna Group, an evangelical Christian polling organization found that 35% of Americans have divorced at least once; among Baptists, the divorce rate is nearly 30%. A Pew study found divorce rates of 51% in Protestants, 19% in Catholics and 33% in Born-again Christians. For the record, various studies have found that the divorce rate in same-sex marriages is lower than opposite sex ones.

Among Baptists, the only acceptable grounds for divorce is sexual infidelity. If you are in a marriage where you are abused physically or sexually or abandoned, just suck it up, buttercup.

But like most religions, Baptists subscribe to the principle of “Do as I say, not as I do.” In 2011, Pat Robertson, a celebrated Southern Baptist minister, proclaimed that if a woman has Alzheimer’s, her husband would be justified in divorcing her and remarrying. So much for the “In sickness and in health until death do us part” vow. I wonder if Robertson would have been so magnanimous if it were the husband who had Alzheimer’s and the wife wanted a divorce.

Billy Graham, the standard-bearer of American Christendom, preached that while faithful marriage is God’s plan, in some circumstances divorce may be the best solution for God’s healing to remedy untenable unions. According to a Washington Post article, three of Graham’s children have been divorced.

In all fairness, even a perfunctory internet search will yield dozens of celebrated pastors across all denominations who are guilty of indiscretions that have led to divorce. The question remains: “Why religious groups are more vociferous in attacking same-sex marriage than the hypocritical acceptance of divorce?”

I used to tease people that I was raised a Baptist, but luckily I overcame it. I questioned the judgmental attitudes among so many people towards LGBTQ folks, the view of women as mere chattel, and the dismissal of minorities as inferior. As I have grown older, I am less convinced that I am right, but I am also less convinced that other people are wrong. The marital circumstances of other people, straight or gay, have no effect on my life so passing judgment is pointless and unnecessarily hurtful.

Far too many Christians who relish judging others are unfamiliar with a passage in 1 Peter 4:15 that is particularly apropos to this discussion:

“But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.

In other words, MYOB.

Roger L. Guffey is a retired teacher in Fayette County.

This story was originally published July 17, 2025 at 9:46 AM.