*Shhhh* I'm going to talk about homosexuality...

So I've been thinking about homosexuality for awhile, especially since it's come up a lot recently at Regis in not so pleasant a light.

First off, before I get into any of my philosophical babbling, THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR DISCRIMINATION, HATE, OR EXCLUSION FOR ANYONE WHO IS HOMOSEXUAL.

That being said, here are my thoughts.

I'm going to start with laying out my understanding, and going on with the explanation from there. I believe that Homosexuality is not natural, I don't believe it is how God intended anyone to believe. However, our world having fallen from the Ideal that God created us to be, it's a reality.

Many people argue for the biological reasons that are coming up, etc., etc. My response to that is that there are many biological leanings that humans have towards things that are wrong. Take somebody who has a biological tendency to become addicted to alcohol. If they do not ever touch alcohol it isn't a problem, but as soon as they do, it starts affecting them.

Now, in saying this I don't believe that all people who are homosexual 'chose' to become homosexual, instead I feel it is a complex process having to do with biological makeup and psychological effects from childhood. I don't accept that people are simply born homosexual. As well, I think that it is possible for someone to ultimately convince their body that they are homosexual, but I don't think that is how it happens for most people. How many people want to consciously enter a lifestyle that is looked down upon by society?

Given that this happens, and that there are plenty of people who are born into situations where they have no control (like the thousands of babies born with HIV, or addicted to crack or alcohol) I don't think it is our place to judge them for being true to what they are. First off, it isn't our place to judge in the first place, and secondly, God loves us just as much knowing how we are screwed up so what can we really say anyway.

Because of this, I'm not opposed to civil marriage between homosexual persons. I can't personally accept a religious acceptance, although there are plenty of Christians who do, but regardless I don't think that homosexuals should be denied the ability to have stable structures and have the same benefits that straight people do, especially since Christians don't really complain about non-Christians that are straight getting married.

As long as we keep up this judgment and condemnation of homosexual people, there is always going to be a break between them and the church. It's funny that scripture talks much more about the poor and the orphans and the widows and about non-violence, yet we focus on homosexuality which only has a few ambiguous verses and logical arguments to back it up. I believe that God can heal people and change their psychological makeup, but I also know that we are not in the full Kingdom of God and because of that not all will be healed and changed, so if somebody enters a church wanting to change, then I think we should pray all we can for that, but if somebody does not want that, yes we should still pray, but at that point it is more between them and God.

Point being, we need to see their dignity as human beings, and as children of God who are screwed up equally as much as us for thousands of different reasons in addition to happening to be homosexual, and are thus on the same playing field as us and needing love just as much. And if all they find is condemnation from us, how are they going to find the love of God.

I'm sure there is more to say but that's all I have for now... Give me your thoughts! I know this gets talked about often enough, but I think it's one that needs to continually be thought of.

Peace

Something I don't get...

Why do some Christians complain so much about how Christmas and Easter were Pagan holidays, not to mention all the other practices and whatnot that Christianity has taken into itself?

Isn't the whole idea of Jesus transformation?

Take my little old self. Screwed up with the fall, just like the rest of the world, and then I recieve God's Grace no quesitons asked and I become a new creation, and I start becoming what God wanted me to be from the start.

So, isn't the world no less in need of transformation? Specific to Christmas and Easter and their relationship to Pagan seasonal holidays and the cycles of nature and all that, what exactly wrong with that? God made the earth, and so is there something wrong about recogizing that?

I think that people, especially Americans are already disconnected to nature enough. It seems to make sense to me that there can be a Christian understanding of nature and celebration of equinoxi and whatnot. I think it's quite sad in fact that many people feel they need to resort to Paganism, Druidism, or 'Native' religions in order to be connected to nature. Can't we have room for God's creation and celebrate it while still recognizing the source?

Which reminds me of another thing. Awhile back I listed damaging nature as a sin, and a few of my friends questioned me on that. After reflecting on that and considering it, I'm still going to argue that it is. I agree it's a broad thing, and it does need qualification.

One of my friends said that if what I'm claiming is true, every time she steps into her car and drives somewhere she is sinning. In a very broad way I believe that yes, it is. Call me a tree hugger or whatever, but I think that while God has given us our intellect and ability to create industry and whatnot, and through that we have done great things. But, despite that I think it's not how things are supposed to be.

Once we experience the fullness of the Kingdom of God I somehow doubt we are all going to be running around in cars and have massive factories and whatnot. There are sins of a personal nature, familiar nature and also socital nature, and I think that everything that goes into the creation of products, transportation and disposal is a great socital sin. Now, I don't believe we should go around beating ourselves up every time we get into a car, but to just dismiss it outright is no different to me than completely ignoring wars that are going on around the world, or the way that the poor are treated in our country, or even turning away when we see something wrong.

Discuss :)

Who's Line is it, anyway? And where is it?

As a follower of Christ, where do I draw the line?

On the on hand, God loves us and accepts us, no matter what. Yet, on the other hand God calls us to seek the ideal that God has for us.

This gets particularly messy when we are dealing with other people, let alone our own lives. God loves us all, no matter if we are homosexual, a drug addict, had an abortion, beat our spouse, killed someone, cheat on our taxes, destroy our environment, watch pornography or whatever else. We have all equally failed in the eyes of God, and are yet loved. So why the hell can't we do that with others?

I still believe everything I listed above is against the ideal that God has for us, but God is the judge of that, not us. If we have good friends that we know are not following the ideal God would have for them, then yeah, it's not a bad idea for us to remind them of that. But, what right do we have to off-hand judge somebody we don't even know.

Take Jesus, he hung out with the prostitutes and tax collectors and the lower class people, and they were attracted to him and what he preached, while those who were the religious people were appalled by him. Shouldn't the criteria be how much we are drawing towards Christ, and not what particular sin we happened to commit today?

Like addictions for example, there is documented scientific proof that our brain chemistry gets altered by the substances we abuse, and I believe the same goes for addictions that are more psychological and less physical (like sex, or codependency, etc.). It's unreasonable for us to assume somebody is suddenly going to change as soon as they realize they are in the wrong.

I fully believe God can radically heal people, and that God can suddenly release someone from the prison of their addiction without any discernable cause. Unfortunately, God doesn't do that in all of us. I still have my addictions that I struggle with. That doesn't mean I am not trying, but it doesn't just go away.

So why do we view others like that, that because of how screwed up they are for whatever reason, that God somehow looks down on them, or they are being punished (although, I do believe our actions do have far reaching affects that we have to deal with, but that is by no means God specifically punishing someone). Shouldn't we be accepting them with open arms, crying "come, drink from the water that will quench all your thirst"?

I fully believe God wants us to strive to better ourselves, that we need to grow in our knowledge of God by studying scriptures, and participating in the rich rituals that Christianity has established over the centuries, but that isn't the main point. Yes, we ought to strive for God's ideal, but we are not going to be made perfect until God's kingdom comes in its entirety. In fact, God seems to like to work through us when we realize we aren’t there yet.

Oh yeah. It isn’t about us.

There are bigger things than figuring out that specific theological mystery or finding the best way to run a church service.

But practically, how do we do that? We can’t just stay stagnant as followers of Christ. Part of the deal is that we do need to strive, like I mentioned, and we need the support of our community to do that, because I know I fail on my own. But at what point are we focusing too much on our own little group of people that are already trying to follow Christ, and forgetting about those who aren’t there yet.

I know that I do that plenty myself.

I mean, even with my church, that is pretty laid back and welcoming to visitors, at what point are things becoming too “churchy”?

I believe there is a lot of power and strength that can be gained by the rituals of the church, but until you get to the point where I am, that I understand the significance, and why they are important, they are meaningless and can get in the way of finding God more than leading to God.

So what then do you in a sense save for those that choose to follow God, and what do you open up to everyone else?

If you don’t provide any depth, it’s shallow, and those who are seeking won’t see any value because everyone is trying to dumb things down and appear as un-church as possible. If it’s too lofty, people can’t connect at all, and can miss how God whispers through what they are witnessing because it is too confusing.

How about Jesus? He went around telling stories and preaching good news to the poor, binding up the brokenhearted, proclaiming freedom for the captives, releasing prisoners from darkness, proclaiming the year of the Lord's favor, the day of vengeance of our God, and comforting all who mourn (see Isaiah 61). Is it really more complex than that?

I tell you what, if my church service was even more like that I would for sure be inviting more people. Who would want to miss that?