Okay, big elephant in the room. I have to talk about it because it is so heavily portrayed in the media and often times is heavily biased and critical. So many people stereotype and have such strong hatred towards each other and I have to ask, why? Can I try to play mediator and have both sides hear me out? Please refrain from jumping to conclusions and read through what I have to say, then you can think about whether or not you agree and go from there.
I have to start by addressing the side that’s been the most hurt by this issue. If you are gay (or lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, whatever you identify as), whatever you may have been told, God loves you. If you have had a negative experience with anyone claiming to follow Christ hating on you, then I’m sorry you experienced that. No one deserves that. As Keith Green said once, “going to church doesn’t make you any more Christian than going to McDonald’s makes you a hamburger.” Now to the people, Christian or not, that are inclined to be prejudiced. Why? I honestly do not understand how anyone can hate an entire group of people over something like race or sexual orientation. That’s like hating someone because you think their nose is too big. It’s ridiculous. I know someone who had those hateful inclinations and we’d always have long conversations about why it was not good to stereotype. I went so far standing up against prejudice as to suggest that someone close to them would turn out to be what they claimed to hate just to teach them a lesson. Then I would challenge them to think about how they would feel if it happened to be me that fit into that category. Would they then hate me even though nothing else about me would change? That doesn’t make any sense! More complicated when it’s someone close to you right? Then why judge other people based on that criteria? How do people generalize things and discard everyone like that rather than judge the individual based on their actions? If a man is black or white, he can be either a good citizen or a criminal, but that doesn’t automatically make all people of the same skin color the same thing. A person, gay or straight, can be a nice person or a jerk. Homosexuality is no different from any other sin. Why do so many people like to single homosexuality out as if it is the worst thing in the world? Have you ever lied? Argued with your parents? Taken the Lord’s name in vain (saying “OMG” counts)? Loved ANYTHING more than God? These are just a few common sins. God hates all sins. He loves the people as we are to love them, not their sins. And we’ve ALL sinned. Anyone who says the Bible is discriminating and not inclusive against the LGBT community is not counting the parts that speak against all other sins. For example, that all sexual immorality is wrong, such as fornication. Someone might say it’s okay if the two people love each other. However, would you say the same thing if it was your husband or wife that was cheating on you with another? Do you have a friend or family member that smokes? You love them, but they’re harming their bodies and blackening their lungs, inching closer to death, just for the momentary pleasure that the nicotine gives them. It’s sad, but you don’t hate them do you? That is what it is like to sin. You get momentary pleasure to the detriment of your soul while God looks on in sadness, willing you to quit but knowing you have to be the one to do it. He won’t force you. Nobody can help an alcoholic that doesn’t want to quit. You have to want it. He wants you to want Him. If He didn’t, God would’ve made a bunch of robots to worship him. That’s no fun. He gave us free will, not to do whatever we want and end up in the pit, but to love and choose Him. Now, Christians, can you really expect the world to follow after a God they don’t believe in? Why would anyone think, “Hmm, you know I don’t think God is real but I love his rules and I’m going to live by them.” I’ve never met anyone like that, have you? Do you think they’re going to want to follow a God who they see as hateful based on our behavior? We are to be the light and salt of the world. Like salt on wounds, the truth can make people uncomfortable and even hurt in that moment, but we are to do it in a loving and gentle way. Only then might people go, “What a nice group of people. Maybe this Jesus is worth looking into.” Personally, I never got how a person who claims to follow Christ could tell someone they are going to Hell. We’re not God. Only God knows their hearts and futures, and whether He will lead them to the truth. Condemning people for things you may have even once done yourself is NOT helpful. God is the judge, not us. The only thing we are called to do is to speak the truth by sharing the gospel of hope we have in Jesus, use the Word to correct each other, and plant that seeds that only God can make grow. Back to the gay community, I agree that being gay is not a choice. You can’t help how you feel. Some people like chocolate, I like vanilla. Either way, all our behavior involves choices (how we act, what we watch or listen to, etc) and choosing to follow that lifestyle is not what God wants for you. Jesus hung out with prostitutes, as the Pharisees accused, because God came to save sinners. He forgave them and said go and sin no more. You cannot change what you like, but you can change what you do about it. No, I don’t recommend “conversion therapy.” The only one who can change your orientation is God if He chooses, but maybe He wants you in that orientation to help others? Some people claim to have been liberated of those desires, praise God. Others either find a unique partner of the opposite sex that finally attracts them while nobody else does or ever has, or some choose to live chaste lives for God. Pray about it and if God doesn’t take it away, you can still show you love Him more. He’s worth more than your fleshly desires. You may not be familiar with the Bible passages, but if you are interested in learning more, while there are clear-cut passages against homosexuality (among other sins listed), I think Romans 1:18-34 is interesting because it gives a short explanation of why God might leave people to their sins and the consequences of choosing to live a life apart from God. Perhaps it is one of those things that carries on through various generations? A few may have been raped or molested as children, or not had a father or mother figure (nor had the best role model if they did) and they might subconsciously identify more with whoever raised them and have a distaste and distrust of those that hurt them by either not being a part of their lives or by doing something damaging while they were supposed to be taking care of them. In these cases, it makes sense that someone would choose to go for the safe, comfortable route as we are all shaped by our past experiences. For those that had otherwise “average-joe” up-bringings and can think of no other reason these feelings surfaced, again, maybe the generational thing applies here? I don’t know. I know I’ve always loved the color blue, but I can’t tell you why. I got the blue piggy bank when we were little and made my dad get the pink one for my brother. When my dad tried to tell me pink was for girls, I said I liked blue, but not to worry because “pigs are pink” and my brother wouldn’t mind right? He didn’t care at the time and I still have that blue piggy bank to this day. Sometimes, you can’t help what you like or explain it, but that doesn’t always mean it’s good. A daredevil might be an adrenaline-junkie and entertain crowds, but they risk their lives and get injured or can die in the middle of a stunt, which I would not call a good thing. Don’t risk your life for passing pleasure. I don’t want to see you get hurt and neither does God. Am I your enemy because I choose to share the truth with you? I hope not. If I see you about to fall into a hole, I think it’s more loving to warn you about the hole than to let you fall in. What more can I say? Everyone makes their choices and yes, God will respect your choice even if you reject Him. I just hope you’ll consider what I’ve said and maybe learn more about what God actually says rather than trust what biased people may have said about Him. I may be biased, but it’s out of love, not hate. I’m not “homophobic,” what is there to be afraid of? I have friends that are LGBT. And if any are reading this, I hope you still consider me your friend that cares about you despite our differences in worldviews. Orientation doesn’t change my feelings of love and friendship towards anyone. I used to support “gay rights” on a social justice level, but I was ignorant of what the Bible actually said on homosexuality. I want everyone to be saved. I don’t support hate speech or bullying, and sympathize with your struggles. If anyone would like to talk with me about their experiences, either to clue me in on how your experiences match or differ from what you’ve found in Scripture or from others, feel free. I’m listening. I can’t guarantee I’ll have answers, but I won’t reject you as a person for feelings you can’t control. It is the Holy Spirit which convicts, cleanses, and renews us. We can’t do it on our own. It will never be the same on our own and we won’t do it as well as when we are with God. None of us can continue to live in sin when we follow Christ, and if you have not come to the Lord yet, then I do not expect people to leave their chosen lifestyles for no reason. If you want secular reasons to stop, they won’t be as good as God’s, but one reason is to prevent Aids so you won’t die like Freddie Mercury of the band Queen. Maybe you think it’s worth the risk, but don’t live an afterlife of regret when you could’ve done something about it. While there’s plenty more I could say, I will leave it at that. Since lately the subject of being transgender has come to the forefront of public discourse due to media influence and such, if you’re interested, the following is an article specifically about transgenderism from a loving Christian perspective. 5 Things Every Christian Must Know About the Transgender Debate https://www.thegoodbook.com/blog/news/2017/07/28/transgender-debate/ Comments are closed.
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