Christians and Homosexuality

Your mention of me in another place gave rise to this subject, Hearth.

First of all, I want to preface any discussion on homosexuality by saying that yes, I know it is a sin against God as referenced in the Bible. As is adultery, gossip, people who are habitual drunkards and a whole bunch of other things. I don't see that homosexuality is someone different from all these other sins.

Paul, when he speaks of sexual sins - not homosexuality, specifically, but generally, says it is the one sin a man commits against his own body, and that all other sins are committed outside of the body. Well, that's not quite true but he didn't know that then. Alcoholics and smokers are also doing harm to their bodies. So all in all I'm not too sure what Paul meant by that.

With regards to same sex marriage, we've had that in Canada for several years now and have been somewhat of a gay tourist destination for gay Americans seeking to get married. One of the judges responsible for ruling that disallowing same-sex marriage was against the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a very close friend.

I think that in part you misunderstand my position on church and state when it comes to the state taking positions that are not Christian positions, at least not traditional Christian positions. I don't see my earthly citizenship as anything more than an accident of birth. It has no meaning to me. I do not need to renounce it or move. I do not see myself as being part of the government of the people and therefore entitled to have the state value my values. For the most part, because I am fortunate to live where I live, the state does mirror my values.

But not always. I am a citizen of Heaven first, and have to make sure that my values mirror Heaven's values. It is not my concern necessarily how the state governs those who do not share my citizenship in Heaven.

This is the gist of my problem with voting as a Christian: do I not vote for Party A because they support same-sex marriage or do I not vote for Party B because they propose changes that would make divorce easier? Christians are constantly having to decide between Evil A and Evil B. Same-sex marriage is the least of it all. It isn't possible for any democratic state to mirror Christian values, nor would I trust any state to do that. I don't want any state to interpret the Bible for me and impose that interpretation on me.

There is only One who will govern righteously, and it is not the state and I'm not looking for righteousness from the state.

Jesus did not seek to impose Himself on those who didn't/wouldn't believe in Him. He spoke to those who sought him out. He didn't tell them to overthrow the Romans or address Roman values. He told each individual to individually seek the Kingdom of Heaven.

I don't think there is anything wrong with same-sex marriage on a secular, state level. The government of the world is there for all the people, not some of the people. It is there not to govern Christians - we are the heirs of the most High. As it pleased the Lord, the Creator of Heaven and Earth to make Himself a mere man and to allow His own creatures to put Him to death, so is the position of His followers in this world.

God at the present time, allows a certain amount of secular governance for Christians even though we are His children, not the children of the state. By obeying the law, we set an example for non-Christians. And where the law differs from what we see as the way of Heaven, well Christians aren't being forced into same-sex marriage. That would be the state usurping the authority of God.

This is the state governing the children of the world, as it is allowed to do. It is completely wrong to think that Christian values can be imposed on non-Christians. On a church level, churches chose different ways to deal with the issue of homosexuality. Some believe it is a sin and others don't.

What is good to keep in mind is that there were certainly homosexuals in Christ's day and yet he railed against the money changers, not against the homosexuals. If we look at how Christ acted towards sexual sins generally, from the woman taken in adultery, we see that Christ was much more generous in how he viewed the weakness of the flesh than he was towards moralizers like the money changers.

I do believe that homosexuality is a sin because it states in the Bible that homosexuality is a sin. But sin only comes in where there is first faith. And I see nothing to indicate it is more of a sin than adultery or gossip or drunkenness, all of which I have been guilty of at one time or another.

At one point in my life, I would have judged more harshly but life has a way of wearing you down. I don't know why homosexuality is a sin. I know a number of homosexuals and know them well enough to know how much it has hurt them. Having been judged very harshly myself for a sin I certainly admit to having committed but would also say, without any attempt at whitening my conscience, there's few who walked in my shoes who wouldn't have broken long before I did, under the same circumstances, I can't bring myself to sit in judgement of others in whose shoes I haven't walked.

I see no reason to believe that the sin of the Christian homosexual isn't just as covered by the blood of Christ as my sin. And I know, and you know from our private correspondence, that in many ways, I was more sinned against than the sinner. I can't say that for myself and then turn around and accuse someone else of using it as an excuse. I don't have any homosexual leanings myself, so I find it hard to understand quite what the attraction is, but I have enough gay friends to have seen the pain first hand.

As a sort of P.S., I had like, this brilliant post in my head yesterday, but couldn't access this space, so this post isn't as concise and I'm sure I have forgotten most of the points I had in my head yesterday.

Layla