I first read the above article months ago. I shy away from being political in any way on social media, mostly because it only encourages hateful and emotional lashing-out against differing opinions. So I have waited until now to share it. That being said, sharing it here rather than on, say, facebook, means that I am choosing to share it to a very small number of people. To avoid the hateful lashing-out-ness that large media circuses bring.
I am a Christian. I read and believe the Bible. I try to live my life every day to bring Him glory. I am on a leadership team with my church (whose official opinion is probably that homosexuality is sinful, though it doesn't come up much). I lead a Bible study for seeking Christian women, and it's the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I am humbled by the gift of eternal life that was given to me by Christ's death on the cross.
If you ever want to talk to me about it, let me know.
Practically the ONLY argument against allowing gays to marry in the US I have seen has been religious-based. The only people who seem to be vocally condemning the simple existence of gayness are religiously devout (Christians, Jews, Muslims, etc). Christians get the most attention, of course, because they make up the largest chunk.
And it is NEGATIVE attention, in case you didn't know.
I will start by saying that I am unconvinced that the Bible outright condemns homosexuality. I believe it's a tough issue, but not one that seems to be black-and-white. I haven't done a specific study on the matter of all the places in the Bible that talk about this issue, so my opinions may change when I do. But it seems to be ambiguous at best. I know that in the old testament sodomy is condemned, but so is leaving my house during my period. I am pretty sure what was condemn-able (probably not a word, but eh) about that particular act was the promiscuity of it (having sex with many men in a short period of time just for fun). And they didn't seem to be in it for the committed relationship, but rather the sex alone. That is sinful, whether homosexual or heterosexual.
And I don't see many Christians picketing in the street wanting to make pre-marital sex illegal.
Or really, divorce. Jesus DOES say outright and without question that we should not divorce. Divorce is unquestionably a sin and against the will of God (except in the cases of adultery or abuse). Was there a stink about making divorce legal in the US? I actually don't know...was there? If anything, that should have gotten wayyyyy more church attention than this does. And maybe it did.
But I'd argue that a divorced person in a church receives less stigma than a gay person in a church. Why is that?
I will follow to say that, even if homosexuality is sinful according to the Bible, the United States is not a theocracy.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
-Amendment 1, Constitution.
And while this is very much NOT "separation of church and state" as so many people put it (read the constitution, folks...I find that phrase annoying and misleading), it does say that the US cannot establish a national religion, and it cannot prohibit you to choose to worship any religion (or no religion). Think China, where it's illegal to say you're Christian. We are not China.
I am so grateful I was forced to read and study the constitution in 7th/8th grades. In Catholic school, even. So helpful. Should be required.
Also, when Jesus is asked to sum up all that is important about God's law, it includes loving God and loving your neighbor. Exclusively. If you are doing those two things, everything else comes as a natural product.
When I see Christians protesting and condemning homosexuality, I get sad. How is that loving your neighbor? And I'm not talking about Westboro Baptist Church, who I think we can all agree are absolute nut-balls. I have 2 gay cousins, a gay uncle, and several gay/lesbian friends, and I try to picture their faces with me holding a picket sign or posting a facebook post that protests their ability to marry their partner. Come on, guys. That's the LEAST loving thing I can do.
Although I do recognize that I am very swayed by emotions and not wanting to hurt people's feelings.
I think, 90% of the time, a person against homosexuality and gay marriage has NEVER been close to somebody who is gay. And I'm not talking "that guy who I had class with once." Somebody who is as close to you as your brother. Love them by also telling them their homosexuality is wrong and that they absolutely should never be allowed to marry their partner. I seriously dare you.
Some would argue, "You're loving them by confronting them with their sin!" Semi-valid. But here's the thing: to them, at least, it's not a sin...it's who they are. And it is not something that can be changed by sheer willpower (who chooses to make their life more difficult by being attracted to the same sex? Honestly. There is something else at play here). I can be loving by loving them, by sharing the Gospel with them, and overall being a good friend/relative. Maybe, they will hear the Gospel, and be transformed. But me sharing the Gospel with them is made infinitely harder by those who protest openly about how awful they are as people. Who wants to read the Bible when many people say it condemns them?
I have heard arguments saying that it will ruin the "family unit," that children thrive best with a parent of each gender. On the surface it seems like it has some plausibility, and perhaps the only non-religious argument I've seen. But, gays are already allowed to adopt, so allowing them to marry probably won't change anything. And apparently, more than half of all children in the US to mothers younger than 30 are born to unwed parents (ouch). THAT is a scary statistic. I would feel more comfortable about a child being raised by a committed gay couple than an unmarried teenage couple. Or a single parent. Or an abusive heterosexual couple. Or a divorced couple.
We're destroying families already with single-parenthood, divorce, abuse, and abortion. Having one more possibility for a committed couple to raise a child might even be a positive to the general family unit. The girls in Full-House were raised by 3 dudes, and they turned out just fine.
Back to the article: I think it's great what Dan Cathy did for Shane Windmeyer. I am glad they were both able to set aside their differences and form a meaningful friendship. I find it awesome that Chik-Fil-A stopped giving money to charities that fight against homosexuality. Because really, we should be loving our neighbors, whether or not they are gay. And by loving them, you are doing a much larger service to God's kingdom than you are by condemning them.
Whether or not homosexuality is a sin, we as a Christian community are approaching this subject all wrong. Stop the hate. Love your neighbor. Condemning them is only pushing them further away from His loving kingdom.
Also, let me know your thoughts. I know a lot of you (maybe even most, based on the people I know who actually follow and read this blog) believe outright that homosexuality is a sin and should be condemned, and clearly one blog post from me isn't going to change that. Why is that (if you give me verses, it can help me understand better, since I am still in the process of searching on this issue)? Those of you in the other camp should share thoughts (and related verses) as well. What do you think about loving them? What should we do to reach them with the Gospel message?
2 comments:
Molly, I seriously could not have said it better myself! Bravo!
Molly, I could not have said it better myself! Bravo!
Post a Comment