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People of alternate sexual orientations are continually
buffeted by the contradictions of traditional church teachings.
Intolerance toward homosexuality and damnation are preached, and
at the same time we are taught that God is a loving God and that
all of us are made in God's image. Our thoughts and experience,
increasingly backed by science, lead us to believe that our sexual
orientation stems from genetics and is established at a very young
age -- it is not a matter of choice. Obviously questions arise?
Would a loving God create a creature in God's image with condition
that is condemned? Would God create an inherent condition that
must forever be denied in order to achieve lasting forgiveness
and redemption? Is the God of the traditional Christian church
really a loving, forgiving God? Isn't it ironic that because of
the bigotry of churches, it easier today for a gay person to be
openly "out" in society than be openly Christian?
These contradictions force each gay person to take some stand
--consciously or unconsciously. Some try to ignore the problem
or put spiritual decisions on hold. Some deny God since they assume
through church teachings that God has rejected them. Many of us,
fortunately, form or follow our own set of beliefs allowing us
to embrace our full selves in a loving relationship with God. We
are grateful to churches like MCC and their clergy who help foster
an environment of self acceptance in God's love.
To help you work through these challenges, we offer the following:
- Ultimately, your relationship with God is a personal one-on-one
experience. No other human being is in a position of sufficient
knowledge or understanding to judge it -- or to dictate interpretations
of the absolute right and wrong of it. Each person is on his
or her own spiritual path in achieving a state of peace and joy
in relationship with God. Neither the religious right nor any
church holds the key to your eternal salvation. That is solely
within God's province.
- God gave us words in scripture, but above all, we were endowed
with a Soul to communicate with God. Feelings and thoughts are
the primary languages of the Soul, and God talks to us through
our Souls all the time. Our Soul lets us know what is true and
right. It is a matter of personal discernment as to which feelings
and thoughts are of God in reflecting joy, truth and love.
- Much of our Western culture's homophobia finds its basis in
our Judeo-Christian heritage with the Bible often quoted to justify
this bigotry. Fortunately, there is a growing belief that homophobia
is less based in scripture than previously thought. It is helpful
to point out the following when the Bible is used to justify
discrimination against homosexuals.
- The Bible was written within a cultural and historical context.
There are numerous prohibited activities within the holiness
code specified in Leviticus Many were based on desires for population
growth, disease control and misunderstandings of physiology.
Because of the redemptive spirit of the New Testament through
the teachings of Jesus, the Levitical holiness code is no longer
kept by any Christian church. If it were, most Christians today
would be excommunicated or executed. Yet, is it not interesting
that Christians justify their homophobia by selectively focusing
on certain prohibitions of the Leviticus holiness code while
at the same time routinely violating other prohibitions themselves
(e.g., eating pork, intercourse during menstruation).
- In total, the Bible says very little about homosexuality.
Jesus said nothing about it, but was emphatic and passionate
about many other personal and "family values" including greed,
judgment, pride, hypocrisy and being uncaring. Above all Jesus
preached "love thy neighbor as thy self" and "do unto others
as you would have them do unto you".
- The Bible does not address the notion of people being homosexual
as a psycho-sexual orientation. Biblical references and stories
therefore concern homosexual acts performed by heterosexuals
in presumably non-consensual situations (i.e., rape) towards
other heterosexuals or acts of same-sex prostitution.
- Homophobic biblical interpretations are subject to translation
errors or cultural biases by scholars.
- While homosexual love is not addressed in the Bible, love
between people of the same sex is valued. Examples are David's
love for Jonathan which exceeded his love for women, and Ruth's
deep, long lasting love for Naomi.
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