Does “be fruitful and multiply” cancel gay marriage?

by Roxanne
(Long Beach)

From an exhibit at the Creation Museum
Petersburg, Kentucky

This question comes up frequently so I’ll once again provide a brief answer. Your question rests on three faulty assumptions.

Faulty assumption #1. Your question rests on the false doctrine of Absolute Complementarity. Absolute Complementarity is the non-biblical teaching that God will only bless a "one man with one woman for life" marriage relationship. This false belief comes from Plato, the pagan Greek philosopher.

The Bible never teaches absolute complementarity as God’s truth. Instead anti-gay Christians read their opinion into the text and then teach their opinion as God’s truth because the Biblical text doesn’t say what they wish it said.

Faulty assumption #2. Your question rests on the odd belief that the only purpose for sex in marriage is procreation (having children). Therefore if the gay couple can’t produce children, God will not bless their marriage and they should be prohibited from getting married.

Of course, if you really believed that, you would support legislation prohibiting elderly heterosexual couples from marrying since they cannot ”be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth.”

And you would also support legislation prohibiting sterile heterosexuals from marrying since they cannot ”be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth.”

Two things seem obvious. First, you would not support legislation prohibiting elderly heterosexuals and sterile heterosexuals from getting married.

Second, your objection really has nothing to do with the inability of two gay men or two lesbian women to produce children. The ”be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth” argument impresses many gays and lesbians as little more than a smokescreen hiding an anti-gay bias behind a Biblical argument.

Faulty assumption #3. Your question rests on the mistaken belief that because God’s original creation was a man and a woman, God could never have intended to also bless same sex relationships later on.

Such a view misunderstands the text of scripture. God’s purpose in telling us about Adam and Eve was not to attack and prohibit gay marriage. The Genesis account of creation is descriptive, not prescriptive.

Instead God’s purpose was to tell us about His glorious creation and the fall of Adam from sinless perfection due to his sinful rebellion. This sets the stage for God to begin telling us about the coming Messiah who will Himself pay for Adam's sin and for the sins of the whole world, Genesis 3:15, and how to be saved by grace alone through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Adam is an integral part of God's incredible redemptive plan because God redeems and restores all that was lost in Adam, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Beginning your question with the fact that God created Adam and Eve, Genesis 1:27-2:24, does not logically lead us to your conclusion, that if two gay men or two lesbian women cannot produce children, then God must be against gay marriage.

Original Question:

“If the Bible teaches that God does not have a problem with Homosexual relationships, why would God create a male and a help mate for Adam (female) Genesis 1:27? Why not just create another male? Why would God Bless them and tell them to be fruitful and multiply Genesis 1:28?

Why would God, therefore say, shall a Man leave his mother and father and shall Cleave unto his Wife Genesis 2:24? Biologically, only the seed from Man and the eggs from Female can create another human being. Noah took animals by pairs: male and female. How could mammals for example of the same sex re-populate the animal kingdom? That would be genetically impossible.

No disrespect intended to the Gay community, but it's just a thought.”