The Emperor’s New Marriage.

Watching President Obama on CNN congratulating a key LGBT rights advocate on what was considered to be a landmark ‘victory’ for the LGBT community following the SCOTUS ruling, my mind went back to Hans Christian Anderson’s children’s story, The Emperor’s New Clothes.  There are some striking parallels between that story and our modern-day ongoing story of the legalization of gay marriage. 

In Anderson’s story, two devious weavers promise to make their Emperor a suit of clothes of such light and fine fabric that it would be visible only to those who were fit for high positions, wise and competent. By deduction, a person who was unable to see these clothes must be incompetent, stupid and not fit for high office. A deal was struck and the weavers set to work. The only trouble was that they were not weaving anything, they were only moving their hands through the air.  

First, a high ranking minister came to inspect the work. Even though he could not see any cloth, for fear of being thought stupid and incompetent, he gave a positive and glowing report to the Emperor. When the finished suit was brought to the Emperor he nearly fainted at the realisation that he could not see anything in the hands of the con men.  Again, for fear of being thought stupid, he offered lavish praise for the non-existent clothes. The powerful deception had taken hold. But the con men had not finished their work; they pushed further; they asked the Emperor to change into these new clothes (which he did – leaving himself naked by the way!) and to go on a procession to show off his ‘new clothes’ to his countrymen and women.  And he did! 

All the people who came out to see the Emperor pass by were privately shocked to see his nakedness but they kept their thoughts to themselves, pretending that they too could see the amazing new clothes – after all, they had also heard the line: ‘Only the stupid and incompetent will fail to see these new clothes’.

A stranger happening on the scene would surely have thought that the entire population had been jinxed! How did the con men succeed so easily? Well, they took what was basically a lie – ‘no clothes’ were being called ‘beautiful clothes’ - and attached to the lie things that were highly valued in the culture at the time: wisdom and competence.

This unholy mixture was potent enough to jinx everyone, from citizens, ministers, parliamentarians, all the way to the Emperor.  Although everyone could see that there were no clothes on their emperor, the fear of being thought stupid and incompetent was strong enough to stop people from speaking the plain truth. They all pretended.

I believe that this is exactly what has been going on during the process of the legalization of gay marriage in the nations.  Everyone could see that it was not possible to have a marriage between two persons of the same sex but the advocates for same-sex marriage took a lie (that a man can marry a man and a woman can marry a woman) and attached to it great values within the cultures of these nations: equality, egalitarianism, human rights.  The result was an unholy mixture which was potent enough to deceive so many people: from citizens, to parliamentarians, to presidents and prime ministers and even many in God’s holy church! 

As in the Emperor’s story, the procession is on as many presidents and their associates travel round the world trying to show off their ‘new marriages’ to the world. But just as there was a child, in Anderson’s story, who was free to tell the truth and blurted out: "But he isn't wearing anything at all!", there will be a child who is free and has not been conned yet, and has nothing to lose, who will speak it out:  “But this is not a marriage!”  And if the children have all been contaminated with these lies in their classrooms, I believe that a donkey will yet speak out!  Then the playacting will stop. And that will be an interesting moment. 

Come on, let’s face it: two people of the same sex attempting to marry is, to use a modern-day analogy, like trying to make a laptop from two sets of hard ware.  What you will produce at the end is a jumble of metal.  It is not a laptop and can never work as a laptop.  A laptop is a laptop because it has two different parts: the hardware and the software. When both are present then it can really go.   

Here is the truth:

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.””   Genesis 1:27-28 NIV. Our Lord Jesus confirms this when teaching on marriage: ““Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”” Matthew 19:4-6 NIV

May our God visit us again in power and break the jinx over the nations that all might be truly free again and see the truth and speak the truth and begin to live in the truth before it gets too late.