There was a bit of talk about LGBT people, and how
the suicide rate for them goes up when raised in a Christian home. It’s not
surprising considering how many Christians have treated them like less than
human. We have all heard Christians speak in terrible ways about people who do
not hold the belief that sexuality means man and a women, and we have all heard
people say unkind things about Christian people who do not hold their belief of
freedom of sexual choice. This isn’t about what I think about sexuality, but
how a Christian is supposed to treat people they disagree with. Whether you
hold the belief that it is right or wrong God calls us to love people, and not
just those who love us, for even non-believers do that much. How can it be so
easy for the Christian to avoid people who have a different ideas of sexuality
than themselves, and then say “let’s go out to those who need the word of God?”
shouldn’t the people you disagree with be the people you seek out to talk to
them to love them, and to tell them what you think the truth might be. Many
Christians worry thinking that gay people might be trying to turn everyone into
their way of thinking… whether that is true or not, isn’t that what Christians
do, try to demonstrate logically an idea of how one should live? The
persecution of gay people by Christians needs to stop, and tolerance is not how
to do it, love and cordially disagree.
Tolerance? Not sure that is the end all/be all answer on this issue. But hey, what do I know! I'm one of those conservative Christian pharisaical bigoted types.
ReplyDeleteI agree Frank, and youll see that in my last sentence (and tolerance is not how to do it, love and cordially disagree.) I don't believe anybody wants to be tolerated rather than loved and disagreed with.
ReplyDeleteI missed that knot.
ReplyDeleteit happens, no big deal
DeleteOhhh, man, I am SUPER against how supposed "Christians" treat gay people. Even if you do think homosexuality is a sin, didn't Jesus himself eat with sinners like prostitutes and tax collectors and just the general scum of society? So, what kind of an excuse do "Christians" have for treating them the way they do? The answer is that they don't have an excuse at all and that they should stop.
ReplyDeleteI mean, maybe I'm just saying that because I identify as pansexual myself. (And for those of you who don't know what that means, it does not mean an attraction to frying pans. It means an attraction to ALL genders, male or female or neither or both. It differs from bisexuality in that bisexuality is male and female, when gender is not actually strictly that binary. Basically, I like PEOPLE.) However, I'm pansexual with a FEMALE preference. I've had a lot of bad experiences with guys, and I relate to females more. I think they're super duper cute, and I form better bonds with them. When I came out to my parents, they were pretty okay with it, and I've never ever felt persecuted for my sexuality.
Until I came to Huntington. There have been nights where I stay awake WORRIED that if anyone finds out, if I don't be this good little girl and talk about hot guys all the time (when I don't even LIKE guys that much), that I will be kicked out, and I absolutely cannot afford to be kicked out of this school. I'm worried that my professors will grade me differently and that all of the ministry majors will look down their noses at me. This is the very first time that I've ever been AFRAID, and it figures that it's a Christian environment. In public school and the comfort of my own home, I never had to worry about that. But then I come here and see that homosexuality is apparently against the "Community Life Agreement," and now I think that if I break that agreement by becoming attracted to another girl, they can fine me. I'm so paranoid that I think I'll get fined just for commenting about how cute a girl looks even if I DON'T TOUCH HER AT ALL.
This is not okay. Is this really the environment that Huntington wants? Do they really want their students to live in fear just because of their sexuality? I thought this school was supposed to have a friendly accepting environment. That's what everybody else says about it, anyway.
It's a really miserable feeling, and if there are any Christians out there who think it's okay to make someone feel like this, I'd really like to punch them in the throat and then interrogate them on what went wrong in their life to make them such a terrible person.
Furthermore, doesn't the Bible say that love is a good thing? Love is pure and good, and even though the Bible forbids promiscuity, it doesn't say a single thing about love. It doesn't say that "Love is pure and good but only if it's between a man and a woman."
I also know a few very devout Christians who just so happen to be gay, so if being gay is a one-way ticket to Hell, then we might as well all throw ourselves into a furnace right now. If my gay friend Tyler can't go to Heaven, then nobody should be allowed to because he's the perfect Christian and does everything right and is only ever kind, but he's gay, and that's the only thing that's "wrong" with him, so if he's going to Hell, then everybody deserves to go to Hell. You, me, all the ministry majors, Dr. Leeper. Not a single soul should be in Heaven if Tyler goes to Hell.
I just... guh... Now, I'm all sad. I just wish Christians would do the CHRISTIAN THING and treat everybody right.
I do not know how everyone else feels, but I would like to thank you for sharing this with us, and your personal beliefs about sexuality. I cant help wondering about what you said in the next to last Paragraph"so if he's going to Hell, then everybody deserves to go to Hell" don't we all already deserve this fate? I would love to hear your ideas on the issue of hell.
DeleteRegards, Alex Mastrian
Yes, Jesus ate with sinners. He hung out with the people who needed the hope and the message He came with and embodied. But also, think about it, Jesus got invited to a wedding with unlimited +1 cards. You don't get invited to a wedding and get told to bring whoever if you're a stick in the mud. Just throwing that thought out.
DeleteAlso, I don't believe you should be afraid. Fear is the enemy of all things good, or at least one of them anyways.
As for who makes it to the next life eternally and who gains eternal separation, I don't know. We are told the bad news of our sinful state and the good news that Christ died for our sins and thus can/wants to take our eternal doom away from us if we put our trust in Him. Right? We still do wrong, hold wrong opinions as the Truth, and just wrong wrong wrong wrong. But that is because we are sinners and change takes place all throughout our lives. Perhaps no one is "ready" to make the choice until their final breath. When your life plays out across your eyes, and you see everything that has happened in retrospect, do you acknowledge your unworthiness and have absolute trust in God's ability to save? I can't honestly answer that and can't answer for anyone else so all I can guess is that we are here for a purpose outside of ourselves and for God to do work inside of us. Yes, bit of a rant but I'm tired and sorry. #needsugar So nobody can judge another's faith, but if we see something potentially self destructive, we need to help one another in love to pursue righteousness. It is a shame so many people get this wrong and make you feel so uncomfortable Taylor. I am sorry.
God Bless You! :D
That comment was originally WAY longer, just so you know, but I had to delete a bunch of stuff, so if there are continuity issues, that would be why. I guess comments on blogs can only be so long...
ReplyDelete