Jesus said, this rule sums up the entire law – “Do to others what you would have them do to you”.
What does this mean for the current debate over marriage in Australia?
If I was a 15-year-old boy, struggling with my sexuality, what would I want my community to be for me?
Open, honest, a safe place where I could explore this agonising journey with those who cared for me.
I would not want them to hide the old law from me, and its content, but I would not want them to wield it like a weapon, as if it solved my dilemma. It doesn’t.
I don’t want them to pretend that ‘coming out’ will solve every problem. I know it won’t.
But if they could love me, even if they didn’t understand or agree with me, it might be enough.
Paul Clark’s musings can be heard on radio across Australia and at atthetop.org.au.