Re: I think you are missing his point - Edit 2
Before modification by Zalis at 14/10/2010 03:53:50 PM
It's tricky, because so many Gays embrace their... uh, Gay-ness, if you will, as a large part of their identity. For better or worse, they're promoting that difference and making it a prominent part of who they are. I realize some of this is in defiance of the norm, but it still goes to show that part of the "difference" is self-imposed.
Well they have a disagreement with you on the nature of sin. Gays are either A) Not Christian or B) Christian. They group of gays that fall under the part B) Christian have a fundamental disagreement with you on the nature of sin. They believe that being gay is an inherent part of their being, it was the way that God made them, since God made them that way they should not struggle against their nature. Instead they should embrace their nature, embrace their humanity and their own dignity, and through that dignity find a way to establish a relationship with God, a divine being that is infinite. It is through their own humanity that they can learn how to establish a relationship with something beyond themselves.
Many theologians argue that this is one reason that God made himself both man and God with his son Jesus Christ. It is through his son that we learn how to establish a relationship with the son and the father, it is through his son that we learn on the proper way to live.
I would agree, yet we draw contrasting views from this fact. As for those you mention, lots of people ignore scripture to make themselves feel better. It's no fun to feel guilty, so why not change one's view of the rules? Unlike Old Testament prohibitions that no longer apply, since we're not Israel living under a Theocracy, Homosexuality is mentioned as sin consistently in both the OT and NT.
Having a honest disagreement on how one views himself should not be a reason to devolve into an US vs Them arrangement. An honest disagreement on a world view doesn't even escalate to the area of "enemy" and yet Jesus said we should love our enemies. The world that Jesus lived in had hundreds of groups who had different world views of God, some were Roman, some were Jews, some were the other religions of the Mediterranean. Yet Jesus taught cooperation with all. His most potent parables were even about different branches of Judaism bickering over trivial details yet missing the bigger picture.
Jesus said we should love our enemies, but He also threw the money-changers out of the Temple when they corrupted it with shady dealings. He is not the pale, ever-gentle, castrated figure we see in the stained-glass windows of lifeless churches. He spoke the truth with abandon, and it got him killed. He also told the woman caught in adultery to "Go and sin no more." He was forgiving, but never made excuses for sin.
Yes, He may have been harsh on the legalistic Scribes & Pharisees. They were very careful to live by the letter of the laws, while even making up plenty of their own. He called them "white-washed tombs," which is a pretty grim illustration. Jesus raised the spiritual standards even higher, however, by saying that a man lusting in his heart was already guilty of adultery.
If the Pharisees' rules were demanding, Jesus' standards were humanly impossible. That's why the law never saves anybody. Only through Christ's work on the cross are we free to be filled with the Holy Spirit and really live Christ's example. Anyway, I digress. Jesus was hard on sin, spoke the truth and got murdered for it. (His secret trial wasn't legal, etc.)
Unfortunately, Gays aren't the only people being bullied or committing suicide. Kids are vicious, regardless, but we should do what we can to stop bullying. (as it's cowardly and harmful)
Yes we should do whatever we can to stop bullying. But the reasons of a higher rate of suicide with Gays are showing we obviously aren't doing enough. When a rate of something is over 100% compared to the general population than that shows either two things:
1) There is something fundamentally different about the two populations (this is possible)
2) That the environment treats the two populations differently (which is what I find far more likely based on my experiences).
Again, it doesn't mean the bullying has anything to do with actual Christianity. Mean kids bully, and they don't tend to do it while pontificating on points of scripture.