Apr 18, 2012

Article Response: Jesus, the church, and homosexuality

One of my facebook friends posted an article to his profile. He usually posts interesting stuff, so I checked it out. I found that the article he'd posted was wrong about a few things.

And see, this is why the Bible talks about those who are willingly ignorant, and those whose eyes are not open so they can't understand. When I read the Bible, I understand it. When they read it, they take the letter of the law and try to explain it—and they generally get it wrong.

{my notes will be italicized in brackets}


10 Things I Wish The Church Knew About Homosexuality

1. If Jesus did not mention a subject, it cannot be essential to his teachings. {Yes, He did, actually. Consider again that first, Jesus is part of the trinity, and God strictly prohibits homosexuality.}

2. You are not being persecuted when prevented from persecuting others. {Not sure what this sentence means, actually… I think there's a typo. But here's the thing about persecution: If a true and honest Christian meets a homosexual, they aren't going to try and convert them or condemn them. They're going to befriend them. That's what Jesus would have done. The fact that many Christians are not only homophobes but also just avoid homosexuals shows how sin still effects Christians. We aren't perfect: we just know the standard. That doesn't mean we always meet it.}

3. Truth isn’t like wine that gets better with age. It’s more like manna you must recognize wherever you are and whoever you are with. {I'm not sure what this has to do with anything… But I think it's saying that truth is relative, or maybe that sometimes it isn't clear. This is true. This doesn't mean homosexuality is right. This isn't even an argument. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but seriously? If you're going to write an article about why Christians should accept homosexuals, at least make your points points!}

4. You cannot call it “special rights” when someone asks for the same rights you have. {of course not. But we have the right of marriage and of accepted love because we're doing it the way it was supposed to be done.}

5. It is no longer your personal religious view if you’re bothering someone else. {this is just outright incorrect. My views bother people—that's the way Christianity works. We're the salt of the earth. Ever pour salt on an open wound? Notice how it hurts like hell but it disinfects? That, right there, is Christianity and an example of Christ cleaning our nasty hearts. Our culture has gone beyond tolerance, and has re-defined the term to mean "acceptance." We have the freedom of religion, NOT the "freedom not to be offended or bothered."}

6. Marriage is a civil ceremony, which means it’s a civil right. {Wrong again: Marriage is a Holy covenant with God—even if the couple isn't saved. God created the covenant, and He says "A man shall leave his father and become united with his spouse." "One man and one woman." Those are God's rules for HIS covenant. We'd better respect that. I can't stop you from sleeping together or living together. That's fine. But it isn't marriage. Even if the government says it is: In God's book (and He's the one in charge) all you're doing is fornication.}

7. If how someone stimulates the pubic nerve has become the needle to your moral compass, you are the one who is lost. {I'm sorry, what? how does this relate to anything? did you run out of ideas to make it to ten?}

8. To condemn homosexuality, you must use parts of the Bible you don’t yourself obey. Anyone who obeyed every part of Leviticus would rightly be put in prison. {M'kay. First of all, we aren't under the old law anymore. Old testament, old covenant, old and fulfilled requirements. It's still a sin, but we don't have to do anything about it except love people like Jesus loved them. Second: It's not our job to condemn people. That's not what we do. That's God's job. Third: God doesn't just talk about homosexuality in Leviticus. He talks about it everywhere.}

9. If we do not do the right thing in our day, our grandchildren will look at us with same embarrassment we look at racist grandparents. {This is true! This has nothing to do with your argument, but this is true. "The right thing" is a bit vague, don't you think? My "right thing" would be making homosexual marriage illegal in all states. They can get a "civil union" or a "domestic partnership" or whatever, but it's not marriage. Your "right thing" would probably make it legal. Now I'm not talking about relative truth, just differing opinions.}

10. When Jesus forbade judging, that included you. {Also true. Again, nothing to do with your argument, since God judges homosexuals, and Christians simply love and serve them like they do everyone else.}


This article annoys the crap out of me, mostly because they try to sound educated and experienced about the Bible, when really they have no idea what they're talking about. If you're going to bash the Bible, at least do your research.

Then again, like I said before. Non-Christians can read the Bible all they want, but unless God opens their eyes, they won't understand it. So I can't blame the writer.

But I still hold to my opinion that it's annoying.

8 comments:

Dantastic said...

4. You cannot call it “special rights” when someone asks for the same rights you have. {of course not. But we have the right of marriage and of accepted love because we're doing it the way it was supposed to be done.}

You realize that was the same argument for this, right?:

http://www.lib.unc.edu/blogs/ncm/index.php/2012/01/17/an-earlier-constitutional-amendment-on-marriage/

Kim Batchelor said...

All I see here is "this isn't true because I said so." Rev. Rigby supports his statement with rigorous attention to Biblical texts. We cannot and should not make a Christianity in our own image, which is what you are doing with this blog post.

(I assume, if this is moderated, that you will not post this, as I don't see any comments that take issue with your post in a similar way. Prove me wrong.)

Edelman said...

This is pretty dangerous thought. You also don't seem to understand a lot of what the original author is saying, so let me try to break it down for you point by point:

1. "God strictly prohibits homosexuality." - this appears nowhere in the bible. "Strictly prohibits" means that god came out and said "homosexuality is forbidden", kind of how he said "murder is forbidden" in the 10 commandments. Nowhere in the bible does anything like this appear.

2. "Not sure what this sentence means, actually… I think there's a typo." Well, there's no typo and it is perfectly clear to me (even though "god" hasn't "opened my eyes"). It's saying that just because someone is creating a law that prevents you from persecuting someone (ie, imposing your personal religious beliefs upon them), it doesn't mean that they are persecuting YOU by creating such a law.

3. "I'm not sure what this has to do with anything… But I think it's saying that truth is relative, or maybe that sometimes it isn't clear." You're correct that the author means truth is relative, meaning that even IF homosexuality was considered a sin back then (it wasn't), that doesn't mean that 5000 years later this is still the case. Societies and cultures change, as do their views on cultural subjects. Also, you say "This doesn't mean homosexuality is right". Sure, but it doesn't mean it's wrong either.

4. Your point here is just pure ridiculousness. "The way it was supposed to be done". Under whose authority are you "doing it how it's supposed to be done?" And who is this "we" you are referencing?

5. Simply because you are a "Christian" does not give you the right to impose your personal beliefs on others. What if my personal belief is that I'm allowed to eat Christian people? How is that any more ridiculous than you thinking that your beliefs are a "disinfectant" on assumedly "nasty hearts"? And how on EARTH can you claim that you have redefined tolerance to mean acceptance when you refuse to accept gay people as equals? This is your greatest hypocrisy so far.

6. Actually, the institution of marriage was originally created as a way to formally secure land between families. Just because religion has adopted this practice does not mean that it has sole proprietorship over it.

7. Let me rephrase what the author is saying so poetically: If your morality is driven by controlling other people's sex lives, you need to get your own life. Why do you care so much about how other people's genitals are fondled?

8. "we aren't under the old law anymore. Old testament, old covenant, old and fulfilled requirements." What this says is that the "infallible word of god" actually kinda doesn't apply anymore (see the author's third point). What you're doing is cherry picking what is convenient for you to believe in and ignoring all the stuff that isn't. If you don't believe what is said in Leviticus applies anymore, then you can hardly believe that what god said in the "old testament" about homosexuals (of which he actually said nothing) applies either.

9. Again, your "right thing" as determined by your god is different than someone else's "right thing". This also does not mean that your "right thing" actually is the "right thing". However, when your "right thing" involves stripping other human beings of their rights simply because your god says so, it becomes the "wrong thing".

10. "Christians simply love and serve [homosexuals] like they do everyone else." - what is your definition of "love"? Is it hate? What is your definition of "serve"? Is it "make a second-class citizen of"? It appears that these are both of your definitions.

Kim Batchelor said...

Thank you for the thorough reply, Edelman.

My apologies to the blogger; my error in assuming that you would not allow these critical comments to be posted.

Hungry Ballerina said...

I don't moderate comments. you have freedom of speech.

Unknown said...

I find it ironic that someone who claims to be Christian, who maybe goes to Church on Sunday, is saying how a person who has devoted their life to teaching Christian principles as a minister is wrong. Even in your "About Me" section you are everything BUT a Christian...Yet you feel you have the right to criticize a person who studies and interprets the Bible on daily basis? Really? That's like me telling my mechanic where they are wrong because I changed the oil on my car a few times. If you're a bigot, just say you are a bigot, but don't dress it up like you are a scholar of some sort.

GarySean said...

It is all so so simple.
ANY person who loves God and loves others, will go to Heaven. We are ALL sinners, this doomed to die. But God loves us so so much, he sent Christ to die for us. We DO NOT get saved by anything we do, or don't do. It's a perfect gift from God to EACH AND EVERYONE OF US who simply loves God and loves others.
It is that simple.

Kim Batchelor said...

Please read Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus separated the blessed from the accursed based on what we do. God's grace is for all of us but that doesn't mean our actions have no repercussions from failing to be in right relationship with God based on what we do or don't do. Jesus in Matthew 23 said justice and mercy are as important as faith. And Jesus's brother James wrote, "Faith without works is dead." Why is he constantly ignored?