I've heard a lot of people talk about respecting each other and respecting points of view. I couldn't agree more. However, when I try to point out how posting an opinion could be hurtful to someone, I got my butt kicked up and down Facebook. I was accused of crying about someone expressing their opinion when I expected them to listen to mine. How I was being a hypocrite.
That wasn't what I was doing. I wanted people who were posting those things to realize they were talking about, well... frankly... Me!
No matter how nicely you word it, when you put up a post calling people sinners, you're judging them. And you're belittling them.
Many Christian churches have started accepting the idea that gay people are born the way they are. It's not a choice. So all of this protesting and anger towards gay people IS a form of prejudice. You can't choose to be gay any more than you can choose to be a certain race.
But let me talk to you on a level I hope most Christians will understand. Even if you think being gay is a sin... This is what the Bible says...
1 John 4: 20-21 "If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother."
Ephesians 4: 29-32 "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
And here are more if you care to read... http://www.openbible.info/topics/how_to_treat_others
The gist of all of this is simple. As Christians, we are asked to look at others with love, not with judgement. When we sit high above others on a throne of moral superiority and looking down, call others sinners, we are not following the path of Christ. Even if we think we're justified in what we believe, we don't have the right to call someone a sinner or judge their life or their actions. We can only look at ourselves, find the sin there and ask God to help us repent.
When we say things like "Gay people are sinners. Homosexuality is a sin. Gay marriage is a sin...", we're placing our beliefs over those of another person. We are not following the words of the Bible.
What we are doing is fostering a climate of hate and intolerance. We add kindling to the fire.
Now before anyone thinks I'm attacking their church or faith, let me say, I'm attacking intolerance by showing you how these actions hurt people.
This is my challenge...
Over the next few weeks, casually bring up Gay Marriage and Gays in conversation with your Christian friends. Ask them for their honest thoughts and opinions. Don't tell them why... just listen to them express their points of view.
Are they following the words of Romans 15: 1-2 "We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up." Or Matthew 7:12 "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."?
Are they building people up? Are they treating gay people the way they want to be treated? Would they want someone to tell them marrying the person they love is a sin? Or pass laws preventing them from being married to their spouse?
Do they want their family and friends to constantly tell them their very existence is a sin?
What do you hear?
I think many of your friends will express the kindness and gentleness of Christ. But many will express judgement and hate. When we listen to words of judgement, condemnation and hate or share them with others, we condone the actions of those who hate and harm their brothers. This is not the path of Christ.
Seriously try this. And hear the words people will say. Know that these are the people who claim to be Christian. Who claim to follow the teachings and words of Jesus. Listen to them and then think about the gay people in your life. Family members, friends, co-workers... And realize these words are about them. This judgement is placed on them.
It is not our place to judge the sin in another person. And it is not our place to put our faith above another. This moral superiority... This pride is not the path of Christ.
When we judge someone and call them a sinner, we're passing judgement on them. Regardless of whether or not we believe what they're doing is right or wrong, it's not our job to make that decision. We are charged simply to "...love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 19:19)
And that's it.
John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."
This is the message and path of Christ. When we strive to follow this path, the rest seems to fall in place. We don't begrudge a gay couple from experiencing the joy of marriage. We respect the beliefs of people of other faiths. We look for ways to help those around us. To build others up and honor them.
I can promise you, as someone who tries to live this life, it's harder than anything you will ever do. And I don't always find forgiveness and charity in my heart. I struggle with it every day.
Take my challenge. Test the voices around you and listen to the message your churches are sending out. Be honest. Be truthful. And remember, these words you'll hear... They're not about some abstract concept of sin and evil. They're about people you know and love.
