Wednesday, 30 July 2008
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To Christians, What's More Offensive than Gay Marriage?
I say, lots of things.
This is one of those hot topics that Christians are known for ardently debating in politics, church, etc. And with the recent legalization of gay marriage in California and now Massachusetts in the process of allowing non-resident gay couples to marry in their state, it's very much at the forefront of news, politics, and people's minds. It's one of the few things that really gets some Christians' blood boiling and sends churches in uproar.But sometimes I wonder why exactly this offends people as much as it does?
Let's get some things straight first - God never condones homosexuality. Yes, I know this, I get it. Homosexuality is a sin according to the Bible. But so is lying, drunkenness, jealousy, cheating, selfishness, idolatry, and all other acts of sexual immorality. So I just wonder why we elevate this sin above so many others? I don't recall reading about Jesus outright condemning homosexuality during his ministry on earth (but please correct me if I'm wrong), so why do we target this issue and gay individuals as much as we do?
I'm not going to lie and tell you that I'm 100% ok with gay marriage. I'm not. And honestly, I still get squeamish when I see a gay couple together. But if Christians are so offended by homosexuals, why are we not just as enraged by the other things that go on in this world?
Here's at least one thing that offends me more than gay marriage: the prevalence of pornography in our society. It's a multi-billion dollar industry that degrades both men and women, is available to children, encourages unbridled lust, and has a better chance of breaking up your marriage than your gay neighbors down the street have. But I rarely hear of the church and Christians going out in droves to protest this industry.
I think there's a ton of other things besides gay marriage which Christians should be more than or equally angry about, but that's just my opinion.
Do you ever feel like the church unfairly targets homosexuals? Or are we simply upholding God's design of marriage?
(Healthy debate is always welcome, but let's avoid any derogatory name-calling please.)
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Comments (339)
I think the reason it's such a big deal is because it is something that has been brought directly into the church by those who want to make it legal. I'm not going to pretend I don't think it's a sin. That being said, I do think many people handle this the wrong way. It is a sin, but it's certainly no worse than any others that we all commit. I don't think homosexuals deserve hate, in fact they deserve our love, just as they have God's love. But that doesn't mean we overlook the issue of sin. Jesus said "Go forth and sin no more" to the woman caught in the act of adultery, so I highly doubt He'd say "Go forth and live just like you did" on something else that was against God's laws.
@meriibunny@xanga - Bestowing isn't exactly the right term. It's no more something God makes people do than He makes them lie, steal, murder, etc. These are all things that since we are born into a sin nature some people struggle with.
In my own personal opinion, I don't plan on marrying a lesbian... AND I don't like to judge people... so, i generally like to stay out of this topic.
However. yes, the church does unfairly target homosexuals. I think it's our own justified form of harrassment. And I think it's terrible.
Opinions are like butts- everyone has one and they all stink... But, seriously. My Jesus loved everyone. And I'm following His lead. I still love my friends, regardless of their sexual orientation. (I'm extremely outspoken, and they all know how i feel about all the questionable topics.... but I love them unconditionally.)
What gives us the right to be religious bigots and be awful and judgemental just because they are attracted to members of the same sex? Nothing. That's what. Jesus is the only one who can rightfully judge our actions and make us feel that we're sinning (or not.)
I'm just so tired of all my non-christian friends thinking that Christianity is full of redneck backwoods bible thumping hicks because we're so quick to judge.
Maybe we should work on examining the plank in our own eyes before we jump all over the speck in our neighbor's.
*nods*
but is the argument for tolerance sake or should we really defend an institution that God ordained for ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN to apply?
not that defending it changes anything... but it does let our voice stand... no matter who we offend...
but i'm just again sick of the culture... the rainbow for instance... the gay community took that as their symbol... HELLO, THAT RAINBOW IS A PROMISE GOD WON'T DROWN YOUR REAR WITH WATER... not a symbol to show off a flagrant disregard for the natural order of things...
what's even funnier to me is that gay marriage is being voiced by only about 10-15% of the total population... and yet they are the most vocal...
so where are all the warrior and warrioresses of Righteousness?? are we cowering and trembling in the name of tolerance and relevance and acceptance?
a question I ask myself every single time I see this transvestite guy walk into my restaurant... can't help but laugh at how ridiculous it looks but saddened that it's so accepted...
@ANBUninja21@xanga - eh. i dunno if 'struggling' is the best way to describe homosexual people. just my opinion, though.
i've been thinking about writing about this for a while - thank you for what you wrote. I also agree with the person above me who wrote that we can't expect non-Christians to act like Christians. On the one hand, we have Christians condemning gay marriage very loudly and hushing up "smaller" sins in their own lives. On the other hand we have society/culture heading the way God always said it would. Huh. Shocker. Let's all freak out and alienate everyone we should be reaching out to. Yeah, sin is sin - and Christians should watch out for it in all areas of their lives. (this is totally said to myself!)
I think its not viewed as a sin! Shits just plain gross!
Its elevated because people think they can control it easier.
Imposing religion with politics is what makes things messier and messier.
It just ends up pissing people off more, people should give it a rest.
We've got bigger issues to deal with in this country.
@meriibunny@xanga - Well, I don't think the fact that this post pretty much plainly calls it sin would really be all that readily accepted by most people that would be offended by my calling it a struggle.
I do see your point though, I'm just saying I've read posts by people who view homosexuality as a sin but are dealing with it themselves who call it a struggle, just like anyone dealing with another type of sin would.
However, I'll take this opportunity to make clear that I'm trying not to sound like I'm condemning anyone (as I have absolutely no right and have no intent to do) while saying I do not condone it. I apologize to anyone I offend, but this is where I stand on the issue.
@leadworshipper82 - okay, yes, i miss the rainbow. :(
I think that is a good point; I personally am extremely offended by our sex-driven culture, and the pornographic industry is something we as Christians should be a little bit more upset about.
I wouldn't say I am "offended" by homosexuality. However, I know that it is not right. I don't feel like starting a big debate, so I'll just leave it at that and hope the masses have pity on me tonight.
Yes, Christians target homosexuals. I think it's the church's right to condemn it, keep gays from being members etc etc. but stay out of the government. the US allows gays to live here, so the government has no right to refuse homosexual couples the same rights as heterosexuals. There is no reason for Christians to get so upset over people who just want to have a good life. Most aren't asking Christians to condone their lifestyle, just to leave them in peace.
well said and ur right. as we all grow in our faith, this is something we all need to realize. sin is sin. period.
the reason why people are protesting this is because they think they still have a chance to stop it. honestly, it's the freshest taboo and we're most likely going to lose the fight when the old generation that's been holding it back dies out. I say it'd be wiser for Christians to voice a calm protest, fight with compromise, and not come off as intolerant.
Simply put- we are called to love, not to judge.
@candyhearts13@xanga - i kinda wanna take it back and make it a bumper sticker saying... "This isn't a flagrant symbol for a sinful lifestyle, this is a promise God won't drown you anymore, give it back!!!!"
talk about shock value... that'll stir up discussions on the road... or warrant a drive by to my end...
but i say we start reclaiming the things taken from our Chrisitan Bible based heritage...
like the Rainbow...
or the color purple- since when is this the official color of the gay community? Purple is the Biblical color for royalty last I checked if my exegesis is correct...
i want my heritage back is all I can say... we seriously need to quit giving this tiny fragmented rather broken yet obnoxiously loud and flagrantly closeminded and sinful community our symbols!!!!!
I want my rainbow back to symbolize God's promise of no floods
I want my purple back to symbolize royalty
quit taking our stuff homos!!!!
harsh? who cares...
@leadworshipper82 -
lol I'm fairly certain if I shouted that last little gem "quit taking our stuff, homo!" my gay friends would giggle at me and be like "as if I wear rainbows anyway!"
but in all seriousness? i would like to feel okay wearing purple and rainbows.... as a quasi-hippie girl... i should be okay wearing just about anything i want.... but alas... i am not, because too many of my straight friends (or... random people at college) would call me a lesbian.
which i am not.
i think i might make a shirt with a rainbow on it and some kind of a Jesus-promise quote...
because as a quasi-hippie... i like to stir a little bit of trouble. :D oops?
Some people juuuuust love to play the good open-minded person role of accepting homosexuality and pornography to society. I'm sick of that, they should come here and see how that kind of mentality affects society when churches care less about it and people are so hooked to it.
@candyhearts13@xanga - lol... GASP ANARCHY!!!!
well... the homo remark wouldn't do anything... i was just being frank... more or less though... i just don't appreciate the lack of originality and creativity from these apparent open-minded people...
in that they have to steal from Scripture and twist it for their own gain and voice...
@meriibunny@xanga - Whether homosexuality is "natural" or not is irrelevant. I'm naturally selfish. I naturally get angry and mean. I naturally want to be better than others. Some people are naturally violent. Maybe people are 'naturally' gay - but that's no excuse for practicing homosexuality. We all have natural urges we must train ourselves not to give in to in order to please God.
@laytexduckie@xanga - Marriage is a religious construct. If we're going to go with a "separation of church and state," then the government shouldn't tell religions who and who can't be married. Make a civil union, if you want. You can't have your cake and eat it, too. They're either separate, or they're not.
@xxmusicxxfreak@xanga - "Other then the fact it's in the bible what exactly makes it a sin?"
What makes anything a sin for Christians? Things that the bible says are sins. So it's really moot to say that the bible is the only reason something is a sin. of course it is.
I'll also add that "love" that ignores the design of the Creator is not love. It is love that spits in His face and tells Him that His creation knows better than He does. It's not that God is opposed to love - it's that scripture teaches us that the only reason we know love is because God loved us first. (I John 4:9) Therefore it doesn't make sense for us to tell God that we know what love is, and He doesn't. He is the only reason we have any clue what love is.
I agree with you completely. This is one of the biggest things that makes us Christians look like hypocrites. I don't agree with gay marriage... but I support it. I only support it because if we are living in a free country, and according to our constitution, we have the right to the pursuit of happiness, then legally, homosexuals should have the right to marry. We can't expect non-christians to live up to Christian standards... that is actually a sin.
Besides... how many christian people get divorces? We should worry about the sins inside the body of Christ instead of the sins commited by those outside. Just my two cents...
@leadworshipper82 - wait, anarchy!? what! ;D haha
yeah... the whole rainbow thing... never quite understood that too much.... one day someone decided "i think i'll use the rainbow as our symbol. and since there's not enough purple, we'll use that as our color.... and someday, we'll strike fear in the hearts of american parents when their children watch Tellytubbies..." (clearly, i can't spell...)
Yeah, there are bigger issues that matter so much more than this. I think it's possible for Satan to be using an issue as relatively small as gay marriage to totally distract the Christian community and divert energy that would be much better spent furthering the kingdom. Last I heard, protesting gay marriage doesn't exactly draw many people to Jesus.
I don't understand why so many Christians get uproared over some sins but no others. Maybe because if they are not homesexuality then this is a sin that doesn't point back to their own life. If we as Christians got uproared about people lying or cheating the finger would be pointed back at us as well cause after all we are all sinners. We all have a sin that seems to control some part of our life. A sin is a sin.
Another thing that bothers me about a lot of Christians and I will be the first to admit I am guilt of this as much as anyone else but where do we get off judging other people. We have no right cause once again we are ALL sinners. I thought it was hate the sin not sinner. What happen to that?
@Schristian@xanga - Porno helps economy my "male donkey". Perversion is not "safe sex",
man. Do you even know that a large percent of those who participate in
the business is affected by STD's? But they don't really give this info out,
cause it takes the fun eh?
Those scientific surveys change
drastically too. It wasn't long ago when they said chocolates were bad
for the heart, now they tell us its actually beneficial and so on.
It's
like putting trust on a shaky foundation that isn't sure of itself.
What's more ironic is that modern men are being fed with this kind of
trend/information. The problem with society today is that its trying to
level the good and bad instead of taking away the problems.
Funny
how you tell everyone else to grow up, when you yourself has no problem
with giving in to things you want, like spoiled child who cries when mommy doesn't buy the toy you want.
it is true that some people do elevate homosexuality to higher levels. good point about the PORN industry.
it's kinda sad that some people are still close-minded. if you don't like gays, keep it to yourself. leave them alone. what if the world dictated that heterosexuality is wrong? imagine what all the straight people would feel.
God Bless the World!
Hindus, Muslims, Jews, etcs and other non-Christians are also sinners. Why don't I see Christians trying to take away their right to marry the love of their life?
Seeing a man and a woman kiss each other makes me want to puke or at least be temporarily blind but you'd never see me advocate for them not be able to marry each other. Of course heterosexuals will always be the majority but that's no reason to see homosexuals as some outcast underserving of rights.
Same-sex couples pay taxes like everyone else.
It's like having people in town A pay for a school that ONLY people in town B can attend. How in any way is that fair?
I don't see why it matters to so many people. It's not your life and it won't impact you in any way.
I used to have so much hatred towards Christians because of their homophobic/anti-gay views but then I saw that I was no better than them. I just judge each Christian individually and know that every single one of them doesn't wish me death, doesn't want to NOT have the right to marry the woman I love, etc. If I happen to encounter an anti-gay Christian, I just try to avoid them as much as possible. I'm civil and all but they still make me uncomfortable and angry. I haven't done anything to them but yet they hate me. Wanting to take away my rights, leaving me vulnerable to injustice, or wishing me death is hating me.
I'll never understand why it matters so much to some Christians.