, 68 per cent of young Australians support same-sex marriage. Meanwhile, 30 per cent of Catholics and 48 per cent of Protestants oppose marriage equality.
So how do young Christians approach the issue today, as the postal survey looms near? Do they uphold the teachings of their faith, or side with the mainstream members of their generation, advocating for same-sex marriage?
One 25-year-old practising Catholic, Miriam Makowiecki, tells SBS that she is concerned about the future of Australia should same-sex marriage be legalised.
The reason this is so big is because marriage is at the heart of our society.
“We must still try to preserve the traditional understanding [of what marriage is],” Makowiecki says.
“The reason this is so big is because marriage is at the heart of our society. Perhaps the most significant effect of [legalising] same-sex marriage will be the normalisation of motherless and fatherless families,” she says.
Should same-sex marriage be legalised, Makowiecki says she will be "disappointed because it means people have not grasped what is at stake. My worry will be more for my children, and generations to come who will have to negotiate this new world”.
Although Makowiecki is strongly opposed to same-sex marriage, for many young Christians, the issue is not as simple as a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question, despite what the government may want us to believe. The same-sex marriage debate poses a very difficult moral dilemma for many other young practising Christians.
“To me it seems undoubtable that the Bible doesn’t approve of Christians in same-sex marriages,” 21-year-old Christian Kenneth Zong tells me. “Personally, I think I would vote no.”
Although Zong would vote against the same-sex marriage postal plebiscite, he is somewhat torn between his faith and feelings.
“It's very tough… a part of me wants to say yes because everyone should have a right [to marry],” Zong says.
“If the legislation were to pass I’d have no problem with it,” he admits. “If the law were to pass it does not mean same-sex attracted Christians have to marry.”
It's very tough… a part of me wants to say yes because everyone should have a right [to marry].
Meanwhile, 20-year-old Christian Catherine Holt* acknowledges there is a lot of emotion behind the topic.
“It can be very heartbreaking [seeing people not be allowed to get married],” Holt says.
However, she explains, she would be happy if the nation as a whole voted yes.
“I personally would be very happy for same-sex marriage to go through.
“It's not the type of marriage we as Christians would implement on other Christians [so] I think on the whole, there's no reason to block,” Holt tells me.
Many young Christians are confronted with conflicting feelings and faith towards same-sex marriage, but are often able to agree on one thing: traditionally, the church has not handled queer sexualities well and needs to improve.
The whole thing with the church is everyone deserves to be known and loved.
“I think the church is realising it needs to get a lot better at [dealing with homosexuality]. The whole thing with the church is everyone deserves to be known and loved,” Holt says.
Zong adds: “The Bible doesn’t have a mandate for Christians to oppose same-sex marriage.”
It seems as though these messages may have been lost by some members of the community. Catherine says her Christian secondary school framed homosexuality derogatorily.
“When they brought [homosexuality] up [in school], they sort of lumped it together with all sorts of other sinful things.
“There's nothing wrong with being gay, but that seems to be where the conversation has gone. There needs to be a conversation shift.”
Zong shares a similar story saying, “From my experience, homosexuality has not been taught [in the church] well.”
“What I really, really fear is for people to think being same-sex attracted is wrong and same-sex attracted people to be scared of the church,” he adds.
Although some young Christians are firmly against the idea of same-sex marriage, the issue is a complex one, and for many reveals a moral conflict between their faith and their feelings.
*Name has been changed to ensure any views presented in this article are not associated to a club or group of which the interviewee is a member.
