Ooh I have to rant.
It is becoming increasingly difficult for me to understand how someone can call themselves a Christian and feel justified in
calling homosexuality a sin when it isn’t in the Bible. Every single reference misquoted in the Bible from Genesis to Revelations is specifically about pagan temple male prostitution, the abuse of young boys in certain rituals and practices, orgies and promiscuity within a marriage. All of these examples make sense to me and I agree: all those scenarios are likely to bring someone harm. At the very least: these Biblical references are suspect. Are we really going to use these verses to justify murder, imprisonment, psychological spiritual and physical torture?
A loving faithful union between two people of the same gender brings no physical, emotional, psychological or spiritual harm. How can it be sin? Don’t quote me the Bible. There isn’t a leg to stand on. However, there are plenty specific verses about not judging others. This site lays it out in a user friendly way:
http://mccchurch.org/download/theology/homosexuality/NotSinNotSick.pdf
If someone wishes to argue about biology, “It isn’t natural”, they are going to lose that argument too.
All that’s really left is “gut instinct”, that aversion towards the “different”, that sense that “it just isn’t right”. You know what? I had that aversion when I was a child and I was first told how babies were made. I had that aversion when I was a child and first learned that beef was a cow. I had that aversion when I was a child and realized the sun does not move around the earth. I had that aversion towards homosexuality too. And then, you know what happened? I GREW UP.
Much of this conversation comes down to “it’s my right to believe…” Someone once described “rights” to me, they said: you have every right to swing your arm while holding a knife, but your right ends the moment your knife makes contact with my flesh.
When a post is sent on Facebook supporting a moron like Robertson, it stabs someone in the heart, make no mistake. When a church that condemns homosexuality gets attended, it stabs. When a joke is made in the playground about “fags”, it stabs. When Russia gets to host the Olympics, it stabs. It’s not just “an opinion” or “a right” or “a belief”, it is a deadly weapon.
If we are Christians, we must not only stop stabbing others, we must work diligently to stop the stabbers. We have a “right” to remain passive, ambivalent and silent. So does a neighbour when they hear a child getting beaten to death upstairs and they don’t call social services. So does a person who sees a woman getting strangled in the alleyway and chooses to keep on walking. So does a driver who witnesses a hit and run doesn’t report it to the police.
There is no such thing as not making a difference.
Really bothered at how black and white you have presented the dialogue. Either someone agrees with your views or they are a bigot. Wow! Thankfully came across this little article that seems to communicate fairly well the view of many Christians that do not feel hate and contempt for gays, and in fact have affection and respect for them when they are in real relationships with them. This is possible mainly because we, as human beings, are so much more than our sexual desires, and secondly, an awareness that we are all trying to understand the mystery of sex.
What made me think of your Duck Rant was this excerpt;
“The label most important to me is “Christian.” My identity – in Christ – is central to who I am. So I could say the same thing and call you intolerant, bigoted, and hateful for trying to change a conviction that goes to the core of who I am as a Christian. I don’t say that because I don’t believe that’s your intention. But neither should you think it’s my intention to attack a homosexual person or cause them harm merely because I disagree.”
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2011/10/18/how-i-wish-the-homosexuality-debate-would-go/?fb_action_ids=10152165253829739&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map
Love your writing….but had to comment.
Andrew
Dear Andrew, First of all, thank you for writing, especially because we disagree. I think it always takes courage to have a frank and honest discourse. Your quote above indicates the author does not wish to attack homosexuals or to cause them harm, but he/she believes that a homosexual person is intrinsically disordered. This causes harm. There is no “merely”, it isn’t simply a disagreement over something like sprinkling or full immersion. We are talking about a life. I do believe anyone who calls a homosexual disordered is a bigot. Just as I believe a person who uses the Bible to justify why interracial marriage should be denied is a bigot. Holding onto the idea that people of colour are not to be treated as equals is not merely a belief, it is harmful. Doesn’t matter how “nice” they are to those black people, if they can’t ride on the same bus, that is harmful.
I do love it that you write about mystery and also about the fact we are more than our sexual desires. I absolutely agree with you and I’m glad you include this in your conversation. But how can one condemn people for their sexual orientation given that mystery? We as Christians are not to judge non-believers (that is Biblical) so, for one, we have no place protesting legal gay marriage. And, we as Christians do not have condemnation of homosexuality at the centre of our teachings. Not by a long shot. Christ never taught that. In fact, it isn’t even Biblical. It’s cultural bigotry that uses verses specifically about promiscuity and broadens it to cut down all homosexuality. What is central to Christ’s teachings is humility, compassion and love. Even if you choose to believe that those verses condemn the non-straight carte blanche, I beg you to lean towards the side of compassion, to not judge, and to know that the Mystery, ultimately, is beyond us. We are to leave judgment to God. And isn’t that a relief? I would leave my judgment of your judgment to God, but I see time and time again that bigotry causes great pain and sometimes death of innocents, in particular, children.