May 31 2009
Does Religion Give Us The Right To Judge Gays
The recent upholding of Proposition 8 here in California was some how disturbing to me. This on the heels of an 18 year, gay, serviceman who was discharged from the service after spending 18 years of his life serving his country, because he came “out” about being gay. How does that make sense? I am reminded of the conversation can you cure homosexuals with religious intervention?
The question, if homosexuals can be cured by religious intervention, is a very curious question indeed. Cured according to Encarta Dictionary means to heal, to restore to health by therapy or medicine. In asking this question of curing homosexuality through religious intervention it implies there is something unhealthy about being gay. Is this really the case?
According to Ted Haggard, New Life Church, who was scandalized and removed from his duties at this church, for homosexual, sex abuse allegations and meth use and who preached against the homosexual lifestyle, he still has, on occasion, thoughts of men, however now he insist these thoughts are not compelling enough to lead him to seek out this life style anymore.
However, when the story first broke, he lied to cover up his behavior. Haggard, even now speaks openly about the love hate struggle, with his homosexual being, he has had over the years, but because of his religion he chooses to live his life as a heterosexual, at this point. Is he truly “cured” or is he just fighting the feeling with his religious justifications?
All homosexuals can not be put comfortably into one category.
1. There are those who are born in the wrong body; by this I mean that their outside body and inside body do not match. They may appear, on the outside, to be one gender, but on the inside, where identity is formed, they may truly think and feel like the opposite sex.
2. There are those people who are bi-curious. They have been heterosexual their whole life, but inside they have always wondered about what it would be like to have a lover of the same sex and, indeed, been attracted to both sexes.
3. There are those people who have been emotionally damaged by the opposite sex, found or placed themselves in situations with the same sex and discovered that this lifestyle was more gratifying for them than the heterosexual encounters they have had, in their search for love and fulfillment.
Religious Reference To Abominations In Life: Old Testaments
The Bible, Old Testaments, states specifically in Levitious 18:22 and 26, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is an abomination.” “Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments.”
Levitious 20:13, “If a man also lies with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; and their blood shall be upon them.” Yet, there are other abominations that we are all guilty of, to some degree or another, and neither this verse nor any other verse in the Bible, directly addresses women lying with womankind.
These other abominations range from lying lips (Proverbs 12:12), the way of the wicked (Proverbs 15:9), everyone who is proud in heart (Proverbs 16:5), the unrighteous (Deuteronomy 25:16) , a husband who has sent away his wife then accepts her back (Deuteronomy 24:4), he that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just (Proverbs 17:15).
Even some of the things we choose to eat such as “whatever divides a hoof, thus making split hoof, and chews the cud,” are among the animals, that you may not eat, such as the camel, the rabbit and the pig, mankind is guilty of eating some of these things. Also, “whatever is in the water that has no fins and scales among all the teeming life of the water and all the living creatures that are in the water”, we are supposed to be prohibited from eating. (There was a story where God spoke to a man sitting on a roof that I could not find that changes this and states something about blessing the food makes it clean).
These abominations written about in the Bible do not stop here, but include many other abominations as well, to include, “women shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man” (does this include pants, boxer shorts and by simply saying these garments are specifically made for women, does this erase the fact that they were, originally, the clothing of men), “neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.” (Deuteronomy 22:5), Invariably, The list goes on and on, to those who “oppress the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, has lifted up his eyes to idols, has given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase, has been unrighteous, to bringing into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, abominations”; none of these abominations have been brought to the table in discussions regarding the “sin” of homosexuality, for we would all be guilty of some type of abomination - Judge not least ye be judged.
So again does homosexuality automatically imply that you are in some way mentally or medically sick and able to be cured by religion?
Jesus And The New Covenant: New Testaments
Based on the list of abominations mentioned in the Bible, we are all guilty of an abomination on one level or another, according to the Old Testaments. However, Jesus brought a new understanding to the table when he walked the earth, an understanding you can judge for yourself by reading, thoroughly, the New Testaments and paying close attention to the parables he uses in an effort to get people to see things in a different light.
Jesus also brought to light a new meaning to judgment, forgiveness and clarity on just who will be welcome into Heaven and in most cases it was not, he who had high expectations because they felt pure within themselves.
Matthew 7:1 and 2 states, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:37 states, “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.”
John 7:24 states, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” Romans 14:13 speaks of judgment by saying, “Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall, in his brother’s way.” Corinthians 4:5 states, “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
As you sit tight in your righteous beliefs, you feel you have, in passing judgment on homosexuals, be aware that only God has the true power of judgment because only God knows the heart of man. Choices are given to all, so too does judgment come to all.
Before you step out there passing judgment on a homosexual lifestyle, know that with the same intensity you judge, you will be judged and saying homosexuality is a sickness, is a judgment. The question you should be asking yourself is, how pure is my heart and my deeds in passing this judgment for God is the only true Judge.
And that’s the way I see it!!!
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