When the subject of homosexual marriage is addressed by the religious community, the Bible is usually quoted. One of the most popular quotations is I Corinthians 7:2-4, which states ". . . let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. . . ." This passage undoubtedly establishes that marriage is between one man and one woman. However, there are a few more rules that the Bible assigns to marriage which are usually overlooked and are not considered part of “traditional" marriage. Therefore, traditional marriage is not relative to religion, but rather traditional marriage is relative to society. If we were to define marriage according to the Christian faith, then we would have to fully adhere to all of the rules laid out in the Bible, not just some of them.

The Bible restricts marriage between different groups of people, which we would normally not consider to be a religious sanction. Marriage is prohibited between people of different races (Deuteronomy 7:3; Number 25:6-8 & 36:3-9; 1 Kings 11:2; Ezra 9:2; Nehemiah 13:25-27). Keep in mind, in this point of time "race" was relative to someone's ethnicity, not necessarily the color of their skin. Also, people from different religious backgrounds cannot marry (2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 2 John 1:9-11). Therefore, according to the Bible, people of different races, creeds, colors, or national origins are not allowed to inter-marry.

The Bible considerably restricts the freewill of women in marriage. The Bible clearly defines that a woman is subject to her husband (Ephesians 5:21-24; 1 Peter 3:1; 1 Corinthians 11:3; Colossians 3:18; 1 Timothy 2:11-12; Titus 2:3, 5). Also, the Bible restricts who a woman can marry. According to Matthew 5:32, a divorced woman cannot remarry. An antagonistic or aggressive woman is not even allowed to marry (Proverbs 21:9; 21:19; 25:24; & 27:15). A woman is also required to marry her brother-in-law upon the death of her husband (Deuteronomy 25:5-10); however, if a brother-in-law is unavailable, then she is to refrain from intimacy for the remainder of her life (1 Timothy 5:5-15). But most profoundly, if a woman is raped and she does not report the crime, then she is to marry her rapist (Deuteronomy 22:28-29). Therefore, according to the Bible, women are required to marry certain individuals and lose all rights upon marriage.

Laws cannot be established based on the ancient Christian concept of marriage. Society has adapted and changed and so have the interpretation, meaning, and importance of these scriptures. Maybe someday, I Corinthians 7:2-4 will be interpreted differently or less important. However, the fact of the matter is that traditional marriage is not based on the ancient Christian concept of marriage. Women are free and equal to men and are allowed to marry (or not to marry) any man they want. Men and women of different ethnic backgrounds are allowed to marry without any hesitation. Therefore, the Christian religion cannot be used to define marriage.