Okay, so I'm doing it.
I'm finally going to speak on the issue of gay marriage. I have refrained from discussing the issue because (1) supporters of the GLBT community become infuriated and (2) Christian believers...um...become infuriated. I don't take it personally; I'm learning that NO ONE is ever satisfied with my logic - I confuse everyone. Heck, it even happens with my singing: churchgoers think it's too secular & the world thinks its too gospelly. (yea, I made that word up but my point remains.)
Alright - before I begin, please note that this is a letter to the Christian believer, which means you will automatically disagree with me from the jump if you don't believe that:
(a) the Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God;
(b) that all human beings are born into sin and fall short of the standard of righteousness set by God;
(c) that the only means of being cleansed from sin is through repentance, faith in the precious Blood of Jesus Christ, and baptism in water;
(d) that regeneration by the Holy Ghost is absolutely essential for personal salvation; and
(e) the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit enables the Christian to live a holy and separated life in this present world by indwelling in the Christian believer.
(Blogger's Note I: if your "Christian" church doesn't believe in the above minimum requirements, um, you may want to find a different church because your practicing something other than Christianity. Sorry you had to find out this way.)
(Blogger's Note II: if you are Christian, but you have no idea what (a) through (e) means nor why those tenets are important, you may want to find a different church - one that is teaching its members through study, discussion, and sermons.)
(Blogger's Note III: Whether you are a believer or not, I just hope you can follow this logic. Hopefully it will enable you to understand where opponents of gay marriage are coming from. No hard feelings?)
Okay, so here goes! *clears throat*
I believe that Christian believers must make it clear that there are two levels of acceptance with regard to the GLBT community. The Christian church must cease its gay bashing and judgmental practices (that's level number one), but vehemently oppose gay marriage (that's level number two).
(boo...hiss...) See, I told you. No one's going to be happy.
Level of Acceptance No. One: Our support for the GLBT community should be in refraining from gay bashing/harassment/ostracism because we should understand that sexuality (versus "sexual intercourse") is a neither heterosexual or homosexual but rather a continuum of curiosity fueled by one's desire to do what pleases self.
(Oh, man...the Pope is gonna burn me at the stake. No wait, he'll probably be thanking me. hee hee. Okay, so that was a horrible attempt at a priest-altar boy joke.)
What do I mean? I mean that Christians should realize that sexuality is a part of being human and because the Bible unequivocally states that we are conditioned to do whatever pleases our flesh, we shouldn't be surprised, disgusted, or judgmental regarding gay/lesbian, bisexual, or bicurious behavior. It's part of the human condition.
As a [Bible-reading] Christian, you should know that The Bible states that all are born into sin. Yes, from the moment you enter into the world from the womb, you are in a sinful state and thus prone to do whatever pleases you, without feeling bound by any rules. You also know that "sin" is best defined as any act or omission outside of the will of God. The Bible expressly states that sex was created by God and thus, in His will. However, God put rules around sex, namely carving out a prohibited category called "fornication" which includes: premarital sex, adultery, bestiality, and homosexuality. Now here's my point: if He didn't think we'd do it, there'd be no rule against it. Just like there's a rule against lying and stealing...God knew we'd do it because we're prone to do whatever makes us happy. I mean, who hasn't thought about entering a same-sex relationship or at least had a same sex crush? If you haven't, well, I'd say that you haven't really tapped into the depth of your sexuality yet...
But I digress.
This says to me that being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or bicurious isn't a minority or something weird or a mental disease, or gross, or nasty. It's a part of the human condition. Which means, yep, there are practicing and non practicing GLBT amongst us all when we're at church (See, look at you. Getting scared. ) It's a part of the human condition. (Think back to Ted Haggard...He fell to temptation. He saw something he wanted, made a decision to ignore the rule and the Holy Spirit, and he went and got it. We all do that. So shame on his church for exiling him, the unforgiving bastards. *sorry for that rant; it just burns me up*)
No...I'm going to keep ranting....
Church people can be the most judgmental people I've ever seen. How easily we forget our own pasts and the very reason Christ had to die! I'll be transparent here: I remember how certain church members looked down at me as an unwed pregnant teen. I was looked at with disgrace...it made me depressed. (I gained 80 lbs with my pregnancy…eating myself to obesity.) Sure, I broke one of God's rules and the evidence was plainly sticking from under my shirt. How shocked I was to learn how many other church people did and were doing it…covering it up with shot-gun weddings, going away for 9 months, or abortions! I'm not knocking them, but I was so pissed at how they all made me feel. I abstain from pre-marital sex now, but I shall never forget that I too once engaged in sinful sexual behavior and understand the "pull" it can have on your life, until and unless, you allow the power of the Holy Spirit to empower you to be free from the bondage of sin. And most importantly, I never lead myself to think that I'm invincible to the temptations of sin (whether sexual or not). It is a daily prayer and spiritual fight to remain right in the sight of God. This is why I refrain from gay bashing and judgment (and refrain from telling people that being gay is a big sin, while making exceptions for other sinful behavior, like lying). It is why I engage in free and open dialogue with Christians about sexuality. It is why I embrace everyone and refrain from treating them lovelessly (is that a word?) and without compassion. I've learned a lot about love and acceptance from some of my closest confidants and mentors, who are gay, and to be honest, they demonstrate love and acceptance on a level many so called "believers" cannot fathom (which is so ironic because Believers are supposed to be emulating the One who is Love...*sigh*)
So, just in case you missed all that: refrain from gay ostracism/isolation, harassment/embarrassment and bashing. Christ is not pleased with that behavior. At. All.
Level of Acceptance No. Two: Our support for the GLBT community should cease with regard to the sanctioning of the practice of homosexuality as acceptable because God has expressly stated that He is not pleased with same-sex relationships. As believers, we must vehemently oppose all that God opposes, without exception.
Yea....we're finally to the meat and potatoes.
This is the level of acceptance the GLBT wants. They want their sexual practice to be accepted and sanctioned as okay. If it were up to me, I would have no problem with accepting this. Love is love, caring is caring, and people should be free to be with whom makes them happy.
Unfortunately, I did not create human kind and the world. I'm not The Almighty. I'm not All-Knowing, Omnipresent, or Sovereign. So what I think is irrelevant.
God does have all those characteristics and in Him so being, He laid down some rules for His creation. Those rules to the believer are infallible. You either follow them or disobey them. The rules, my friends, are not optional. Not negotiable. You don't get to pick and choose which rules you want to obey (which is the main problem with Christianity today...*sigh*). And most importantly, it is irrelevant if you do not understand why God makes the rules He makes.
[I'll pause while that last sentence sinks in...]
So, as the Christian believer, we must oppose all that is opposed to God. God has given us power to bind things on Earth; He only steps in when we lack the power to act VERSUS when we fail to act. We must never sanction as "okay" behavior God has expressly prohibited. Thus, we must oppose the openly gay (practicing and unrepentant) from taking leadership positions in the Church. Most importantly, we must oppose gay marriage.
Now, this argument gets a little "slippery" because "the Church" and "Christians" have fudged up marriage so badly that virtually none of our arguments re the sanctity of marriage can hold water. Fortunately, that is not God's fault. His commandments, as He has given them, are concrete and unchanging. Marriage, as created by God (not by the Church or the State - for we all know both of them have dipped their agenda into marriage for their own economic benefit...but I digress) is an agreement between a man and a women saying: "Hey God, please recognize he and she as wanting to be one in Your sight so that we may operate as a ministry in your Kingdom, acknowledging each party as equal, with the Man in charge." And God recognizes their covenant by creating the sexual act - penetration of the hymen, thus shedding blood to "seal the covenant".
Yes, it's that simple. (and sheds light on how precious virginity is...)
But on the other hand - Christians must be bold as a lion and take a stand for what God says isn't acceptable.
Yes, it's that simple.
It's not gay bashing. I mean, if it's a fundamental requirement of the Christian purpose to spread the gospel as it is written...well, then some things we cannot just let "go".
And...this is why separation of Church and State is a fiction. A fallacy. Such separation can never exist for the Christian believer. Sure, the forefathers of our country said it should be - but they were all Christian and thus many Christian tenets (and some un-Christian tenets) were unwritten assumptions in everything they wrote. Sad, but true. If you start legislating things that religion governs and ultimately opposes, the believer cannot in good conscience, maintain separation.
Whew, I think I just blew my chances of being appointed to the US Supreme Court. Hmmm, but then again, maybe not.
Yea, it's gonna get ugly, and it's never going to get better.
Final Points:
I know some cannot separate acceptance into two layers like I did. They feel that the rejection of one part of them is to reject all of them. For this reader, I offer the following examples:
EXAMPLE ONE:
Rule: Please refrain from eating or talking in the sanctuary during worship service.
Parishioner eats and is always engaging in talking during worship.
Pastoral leaders reprimand Parishioner for breaking the rule.
Parishioner leaves the church, on her on volition, because she feels she isn't accepted by the church.
EXAMPLE TWO:
Rule: Do not break curfew.
Child breaks curfew.
Parent punishes child for breaking the rule.
Child runs away, thinking Parent does not love her.
Now don't these seem silly? Why? Because we know that Parishioner was not reprimanded because the Church did not accept her; she was reprimanded because the Church did not accept her behavior. Because we know that Child was not reprimanded because her Parent didn't love her; she was reprimanded because her Parent did not accept the behavior.
See? Two levels of acceptance here. Acceptance of the human being + Non-acceptance of behavior.
God operates in the same fashion. He loves each and every one of us and accepts each and every one of us as His creation. However, that does not mean He accepts all of our behavior. I'm not talking about just homosexuality, this includes lying, cheating, stealing, coveting, murdering, etc. He loves us all, but hates and cannot look upon behavior that is contrary to His will (i.e. sin). We Christians must operate in the same way. To be Christian is to be Christlike - embracing, and upholding His commandments as we spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Love your GLBT brothers and sisters, but don't fail to tell them that the Holy Ghost is available to empower them to change a behavior that God finds unacceptable. Do not buckle or waiver. These things are required of you.
Love,
TheWifeOfUriah
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