It's one of those "hush-hush" topics in religious communities.
[well, in much of society, really. remember "don't ask don't tell"?]
But when it does get brought up, it's one of those subjects that is almost always discussed scornfully.
This past week, the women's soccer coach at one of the schools where I work was forced to resign when she told her team that she and her female partner were going to have a kid together.
Get this: Not only is this woman preparing to be a first-time mom, she's now unexpectedly jobless.
And that's when it really struck me: Why does it even matter whether homosexuality is "right" or "wrong"?
Are we not called to love?
Are we not called to accept?
Are we not called to respect all people?
Are we not called to not pass judgment?
Yet overall, Christians are the people who shun this particular community more than any other group does.
"But if we are the body, why aren't His arms reaching? Why aren't His hands healing? Why aren't His words teaching?" --Casting Crowns
Can we not live a life where we love all people, regardless of circumstance, past choices, or personal convictions?
Why do we feel we have a right to judge?
"Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone." --John 8:7
It seems to me that the issue isn't as much with homosexuality itself as it is the way Christians choose to treat their fellow man.
4 comments:
Certainly the call of Christ is to love all. This is our second greatest commandment behind love God with all of our heart, mind, and soul. However, perhaps there is a difference between loving and employing. Before getting too upset with Belmont, have people considered that she may have been under contract to be an example of Christian principles? Everyone stumbles, without a doubt, but there is a difference between making a mistake and making an active and continuous lifestyle choice. By choosing to be actively homosexual and have a child in such a relationship, she put Belmont in a very difficult position.
What if this were to happen at a church instead of a school? Would you support a pastor being openly homosexual? One of your mentors and teachers of the faith? Again, we are above all called to love and accept everyone, but this does not mean that we should allow anyone to be in a position of leadership, especially when choosing to follow a different path than what we are called to walk.
Dan,
My intention in writing this blog was not at all to try to prove whether or not homosexuality is wrong. In fact, I tried to be very careful to conceal my personal opinions on the matter. Your comment makes it clear that you view homosexuality as sin, and I have no doubt that you have Biblical examples to back it up. However, Leviticus 11:7-8, for example, instructs Christians not to eat pig. I'd be surprised if this was a Biblical guideline to which you adhere. Who are we to decide what is and isn't culturally relevant in today's world?
Belmont doesn't have any religious affiliation at this point. While they were tied to the Baptist church for many years, they've broken away in recent years in order to allow more freedom in their academic programs such as their commercial music program. To my knowledge, there is no clause in Belmont's employment contract that addresses issues of homosexuality.
Interesting. I don't know Dan, but I agree with him. I do believe that pre-resurrection and post-resurrection scripture can be viewed in different respects. We are not under the old law, but we are new beings in Christ because he overcame death. I can eat pig because Christ came to fulfill the law, and I am not under Old Testament law because of Jesus' resurrection.
I do think that many Christians find it easier to hate some sin more than other sin, but we need to remember we are to hate the sin, love the person. That does unfortunately sometimes get lost in the translation.
Mom,
For a long time, I said that's my stance on homosexuality, but through recent conversations, I've discovered that that can be a very offensive mindset to take, as a homosexual lifestyle is so closely tied to a person's identity. For someone to openly state that they "hate the sin" is still perceived to be a condescending attitude, as these people don't feel they have a choice in the matter.
Homosexuality is simply the topic that seems to be prevalent in my life right now; the concept I hope I was able to convey in this post is one that can be extrapolated to any number of topics.
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