what does commitment look like?

i have friends who, due to religious convictions, struggle with whether or not same-sex couples should be able to enter into legally recognized domestic partnerships. i've even had friends argue that it is like sanctioning pedophelia because they both represent "warped" human relations between consensual participants.

as of Monday, the state of Washington began registering domestic partnerships between same-sex couples. this allows partners access to similar privileges married couples enjoy: recognition as a family member and death benefits among others. two good friends, who have been together for many years, celebrated Ruth's birthday by going to Olympia and registering what has long already been a lifelong commitment to one another. while i have not yet heard from other friends, i imagine they have or are planning to do the same.

i have to say that a legal partnership between two committed individuals doesn't shake or threaten my faith in God, nor do i feel it threatens God in general. i'd be believing in a weak God if it did. moreover, i don't find it an affront to my religious convictions. i can't say i understand all Biblical text and its meanings; i also can't claim that i know "what Jesus would do". this one's not in the Ten Commandments.

however, i *am* clear that my Savior hates injustice and loves his creations. (that's about as wise as i get). so with that confidence, i wholeheartedly share Tracy and Ruth's happiness in being able to 'legitimize' their commitment to each other. i have seen them exhort and carry each other through thick and thin, including through domestic strife, in a manner that is enviable across all my known examples of marital/lifelong commitments; there are few i admire more than theirs. i'm thrilled that they are now able to stay overnight at each other's hospital bedsides, to make critical decisions if the other is incapacitated, to have shared benefits and assets assumed... to me, this is just.

"congratulations!" ...and it's about time!