Homosexuality
(Disclaimer: This is a sensitive subject. These are my thoughts; open ended and inconclusive. I realize there may be quite a few opinions; keep in mind I'm expressing my current thought process, which as I've said is inconclusive at this point.)
One of my friends recently had a roommate who is gay and she's talked about him quite a bit. So I've been curious about him because he proclaims Christianity, and I came across his blog where he says;
"I'm holding to the Biblical argument that acts of homosexuality are wrong. I'm staying pure, focusing on God, and I've pretty much decided I'm going to be single forever, and I'm okay with that."
I've never actually known of (though I'm sure they exist elsewhere) a gay person who decided to deny their desires in order to live according to Christ, even if they didn't understand it. That is quite a calling...
That led me to my next train of thought - is homosexuality really a choice? I mean - obviously living the lifestyle is a choice, but what about feeling attracted to the same sex? This particular person still feels it and doesn't deny that. He calls himself gay. Is it so far fetched to believe that there really is a genetic predisposition? I mean, there are so many other things that get mixed up in the womb, it's just that in a lot of cases we can physically see them. I'm not saying that everybody who practices same sex relations was always "that way" - in fact I know people who just decided to be "gay" because it's a trend. That's one thing. But I'm talking about the people who have supposedly felt it all their lives.
Everybody has weaknesses - whether it involve sexual sin or staying away from sweets. Anger, lying, stealing - you name it. Some people have addictive personalities and genetically they are more susceptible to a lifestyle of addiction. My half brother for example struggled with his addictions (and still struggles with perhaps less consequential ones now), where as Kenneth and I never struggled with it and were all raised by the same parents. Robb is still an alcoholic, even though he doesn't practice that lifestyle anymore. He has to attend meetings even now as he works as a counselor for kids all over the county with drug and alcohol addictions. (Likewise, children from the same parents/upbringing display different behaviors/traits.)
Is being homosexual really different than some of these other things we struggle with - is it really fair to expect somebody to just "stop being gay"? We say, 'why would God make somebody gay'... but why would God "make" somebody feel lustful tendencies, or feel the need to have another drink, etc? All of these things have something in common; they take action to carry out the feelings. Our pastor mentioned fairly recently in a sermon that it's not a sin to feel tempted. Maybe the calling of a gay person is to remain celibate in some cases, despite their feelings. It sounds extreme because we're all sexual creatures and can't imagine not having it forever - but in the grand scheme of things is it that far fetched? God's plan differs for every individual. And I realize many homosexuals will never accept this, but only God can be the one to truly call somebody out of their ways.
I think gaining more of an understanding of homosexuality and facing this issue head on is going to be significant in our current society. They don't need to be told that what they're doing is wrong, they need a savior. And anybody with struggles (all of us) is susceptible to falling - which means all of us need a church body. None of us can really judge anyway - why is our society so homophobic? Christlike love and homophobia are contradictory. What sense does it make to be scared of the people you're trying to evangelize to? Our childrens' generation is going to likely see it as the norm. If we'd stop being afraid of it, maybe we'd actually get somewhere. Not to say it shouldn't make you feel uncomfortable - I can only hang out with my non-Christian friends so long before their lifestyles start to take a toll on me; that's why I have a stable church body. But I still love those friends and enjoy their company - perhaps they are just not who I'm "yoked" with. Same difference. There's a line.
One of my friends recently had a roommate who is gay and she's talked about him quite a bit. So I've been curious about him because he proclaims Christianity, and I came across his blog where he says;
"I'm holding to the Biblical argument that acts of homosexuality are wrong. I'm staying pure, focusing on God, and I've pretty much decided I'm going to be single forever, and I'm okay with that."
I've never actually known of (though I'm sure they exist elsewhere) a gay person who decided to deny their desires in order to live according to Christ, even if they didn't understand it. That is quite a calling...
That led me to my next train of thought - is homosexuality really a choice? I mean - obviously living the lifestyle is a choice, but what about feeling attracted to the same sex? This particular person still feels it and doesn't deny that. He calls himself gay. Is it so far fetched to believe that there really is a genetic predisposition? I mean, there are so many other things that get mixed up in the womb, it's just that in a lot of cases we can physically see them. I'm not saying that everybody who practices same sex relations was always "that way" - in fact I know people who just decided to be "gay" because it's a trend. That's one thing. But I'm talking about the people who have supposedly felt it all their lives.
Everybody has weaknesses - whether it involve sexual sin or staying away from sweets. Anger, lying, stealing - you name it. Some people have addictive personalities and genetically they are more susceptible to a lifestyle of addiction. My half brother for example struggled with his addictions (and still struggles with perhaps less consequential ones now), where as Kenneth and I never struggled with it and were all raised by the same parents. Robb is still an alcoholic, even though he doesn't practice that lifestyle anymore. He has to attend meetings even now as he works as a counselor for kids all over the county with drug and alcohol addictions. (Likewise, children from the same parents/upbringing display different behaviors/traits.)
Is being homosexual really different than some of these other things we struggle with - is it really fair to expect somebody to just "stop being gay"? We say, 'why would God make somebody gay'... but why would God "make" somebody feel lustful tendencies, or feel the need to have another drink, etc? All of these things have something in common; they take action to carry out the feelings. Our pastor mentioned fairly recently in a sermon that it's not a sin to feel tempted. Maybe the calling of a gay person is to remain celibate in some cases, despite their feelings. It sounds extreme because we're all sexual creatures and can't imagine not having it forever - but in the grand scheme of things is it that far fetched? God's plan differs for every individual. And I realize many homosexuals will never accept this, but only God can be the one to truly call somebody out of their ways.
I think gaining more of an understanding of homosexuality and facing this issue head on is going to be significant in our current society. They don't need to be told that what they're doing is wrong, they need a savior. And anybody with struggles (all of us) is susceptible to falling - which means all of us need a church body. None of us can really judge anyway - why is our society so homophobic? Christlike love and homophobia are contradictory. What sense does it make to be scared of the people you're trying to evangelize to? Our childrens' generation is going to likely see it as the norm. If we'd stop being afraid of it, maybe we'd actually get somewhere. Not to say it shouldn't make you feel uncomfortable - I can only hang out with my non-Christian friends so long before their lifestyles start to take a toll on me; that's why I have a stable church body. But I still love those friends and enjoy their company - perhaps they are just not who I'm "yoked" with. Same difference. There's a line.