Homosexuality and the bible

Recently I have gotten really annoyed with the talk (it's not even a debate anymore) about homosexual marriage. I find both sides presenting petty and flawed arguments. I'll start this blog with some biblical background on homosexuality and then I'll look at the two main 'arguments.' Please read this all the way through to the end and then, if inclined, comment with a thoughtfully created idea or objection.

So, what does the bible say about homosexuality? Is it a sin? Debatable, it is clear that by reading the Mosaic law, prophets and epistles that homosexuality is a bad thing and a sign of other bad things. Do homosexuals deserve to go to Hell? Yes. However, they deserve to go to Hell for lying, lusting, idolatry, or hatred, etc. In fact, every sin anyone commits creates for them a debt worthy of Hell. So, yes homosexuals deserve Hell, but everyone deserves Hell because "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23).

The most extensive passage about homosexuality is presented in the Romans 1: 23-32.

Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

It says that God gives people over to their desires. He lets people indulge in their sin if they don't choose Him (note: this goes beyond homosexuality).


Now to the 'arguments' about homosexuality. I'll start with the 'religious' argument. Within this camp I see people claiming that 'God hates gays,' 'gays are going to Hell,' etc. (I don't usually see biblical basis for these claims, but when they do they often use the texts I alluded to above). The problem I see is that people elevate homosexuality to some supremely evil sin. Something that is so evil that God Himself hates it and will send you to Hell for it. Yes, God does hate it, but He hates that you stole two dollars from mom's purse just as much.

I feel like this argument is presented to make the presenter feel more righteous. To scapegoat the gays and make oneself feel more holy because they 'aren't as bad as them.' (a similar thing is done with criminals). However, their sin isn't 'more sinful' than yours. All sin is equal in God's eyes. A humbling activity I've been taught is to, when we see a 'sinful' person, call ourselves 'just as bad or even worse.' When I see a murder think 'I am just as bad, even worse.' When I see a thief know that 'I am just as bad, even worse.' The same goes for the liar,


Also, the bible doesn't say we should reject the sinners and take away their rights. Christ gives very few commandments, but two of the most important are "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind'. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’" (Matthew 22:37-38). It doesn't say we should only love those we like or the righteous people. During Jesus' ministry He didn't surround Himself with self-righteous priests. He lived with tax collectors, adulterers, gluttons, etc. He loved them, taught them and lead them to a life of serving Him.Regardless about whether you feel homosexuality is a sin the truly Christian way of treating homosexuals is not with contempt, but with love.

As for the other side of the argument the pro-homosexual side I have grown quite disappointed. There are some very good arguments that can be made, both biblically and culturally, that homosexuality is not evil or sinful. Arguments that have put a great deal of effort and thought into coming to a reasonable conclusion. Arguments that can be contested, but are rebutted calmly with intelligent thought. Unfortunately I do see many of these arguments, instead I see people using mockery and satire in an attempt to make their competition seem unintelligent. I'm a fan of satire, but when you can't make a legitimate argument with it. (here I'm speaking mostly about all of the facebook links I see on my news feed)

Both sides have legitimate arguments at their base, unfortunately these thoughts are shrouded by petty, biased and uninformed views. People taking texts out of context and using the bible to support their own view as opposed to seeing the message of the bible as a whole. People using mockery to try and make a legitimate point (also why I dislike political commercials), but after all I am just as bad, even worse.

Feel free to comment, but don't just yell at me. Take some time and put some serious thought into your comment and I'll put some serious thought into a reply.

Live for Him,

Travis

Proceed with Caution

Warning: this is not a light read. I almost teared up while writing it. Proceed with caution.

Watch!

First off, thanks to Nick for showing me this. You may find it helpful to read his blog first, just click on his name to go to his blog. (though this is not necessary to follow my blog)

Thoughts, first off the idea of a mask. We all have them. We put them up so people will see what they want to see, even if it is not the truth. We want peoples approval, we want to feel worthy, we want to feel loved. We keep looking for these things in places they're not, we look for satisfaction in people, in relationships, in grades, in books, in video games, the list goes on and on. But God doesn't want our mask, He doesn't want the fake us that we try so hard to build up. He wants the true us, the person He made us to be, not the one society made. He wants the real us (and any true Christian will not only accept, but should prefer the real you too!) I want the real you!

God doesn't care about where you've been or the things you've done. He doesn't care if you've cut or if you've killed. He doesn't care if you've hated or if you've lusted. His love is greater than that, His love is greater than all of your sin. He doesn't want you to live a life of pain and tears, all He wants is you.

As Nick said, we've all been bullied. In some way shape or form you have been bullied. Maybe its been some name calling on the playground, maybe it was some kid pushing you. Maybe someone calling you fat or ugly or dumb. Whatever it may be, we've been there. Bullying has always existed and it is not going away anytime soon. The way I see it there are three ways we deal with bullying. One, we let it go, we give it to God. It doesn't effect us. However, I feel there are very few, if any, people who truly follow this path. (I know that I don't) Path two, we rant. We find people or objects to shed our feelings and burdens on. We cry, we get physical, we kill things in halo, etc.

Option 3, we hide it and push it under the rug, let it bottle up inside. Until we reach the breaking point, then what? We go to the extremes of path two. Crying becomes panic attacks, physicality becomes injuries, killing things in halo becomes attempting to kill ourselves.

Confession time, the summer before coming to college my life was turbulent. I was going through the transition from high school to college. All of my friends and semi-friends fell out of my social life. I was sinning out the wazoo with little care for God. I went on a mission trip where I vowed to life to Christ...it lasted a week. Then I felt so terrible the rest of my summer was ruined. My youth group went to Worlds of Fun towards the end of the summer, I was looking to have a good time. While there I had a fairly fun time, but on the car ride home I noticed that everyone in the van had someone to be with, except me. I convinced myself that I was a burden, to my friends, to my family. I honestly thought that the world would be better without me. I just wanted someone to care (even God) and when nobody did I just wanted it to be over. The only thing I was holding onto was a song by Building 429 entitled Always. The final stanza is:

Friend I don't know where you are
And I don't know where you've been
Maybe you're fighting for your life
Or just about to throw the towel in
But if you're crying out for mercy
If there's no hope left at all
If you've given everything you've got
And you're still about to fall
Well hold on, hold on, hold on

I played this song over and over. Just trying to give myself some hope. I don't know what kept me alive through that, but regardless coming to college was the best thing to happen to my faith. God became real, I could find joy in Him, actual joy not some fake temporal happiness. I'm trying to move to the first option I talked about, putting everything to God. (End confession)

Back to the video, like Nick I read some of the comments and the one I kept seeing over and over was ,'fake.' A slight anger flared up in me. This kid is sharing his soul, and people call it fake. What jerks. Anyway, to them I say, 'even if this video is faked, this story is real. Maybe the bullied kid isn't Jonah. Maybe his name is Steve or Bill. This story is real, it is the story of millions of kids.'

Final comment, at the end of the video the mood takes a turn for the better. The last card says, 'I have a million reasons to be here.' First, I'll commend this statement. We all need something/someone worth living for. We need a reason to exist. Second, if those million reasons are in people, grades, games, etc. They will fail you! God is the only reason to be here that is not temporal, He will always love us. He will always be there for us.

"You're all I want, You're all I need. You're everything. Everything!" -Lifehouse

FB Status

I've recently read the following status (and others like it)

Dad comes home drunk and mad. He pulls a gun on his wife then turns the gun to himself, his little girl sits behind the couch crying. The police came and took the girl. She is now with a new family. Her first day of Sunday school she walks past the building and sees a picture of Jesus on the cross, the little girl asks the teacher "How did that man get off the cross?!" The teacher replied "He di............dn't!" The little girl argued "Yes he did, the night mommy and daddy died, he sat next to me behind the couch and told me everything would be alright. 66% of you won't re-post this.. but, remember. The bible says "Deny me in front of your friends, and I will deny you in front of my father." So repost this if you are part of the 33%

At the end of the status there is a charge to act. As I read it I felt as if the status is kind of saying, 'prove you're a Christian by...'

Does not reposting this mean that you are denying Christ? Does it mean you aren't really a Christian? I personally don't think so. Then what about the other side? If you do repost this does it prove your Christianity or make you a 'better' Christian? Again, I personally don't think so. I fail to see a connection between not posting a facebook status and denying Christ. (I think that a lot of people will read this status and think, 'oh, I have to prove my Christian-ness because so-and-so said I'm not a Christian if I don't repost this')

Thought, if someone were to live with this mindset how would they get through life? One could easily say, 'if you don't go to church x-many times this week you denied Christ' or 'If you didn't evangelize with everyone you saw, then you denied Christ.' If something as medial as facebook can cause you deny Christ then how much worse will the other factors of life be?

From a biblical point the alluded to passage in the status comes from Matthew 10. This is when Jesus is sending out the disciples, telling them what to do when they come to a town. The verse comes into play when people would deny the disciples, because by extension they we denying Jesus and by extension they were denying God.

I don't know if I should feel convicted by this sort of message or if I should question the people who sent it. Is this status an act of serving God? or is it a sign of a misguided faith? Am I rationalizing not posting it to make myself feel better? because I'm lazy? I don't really know the answer.

What do y'all think about this kind of post?