Quote:
Originally Posted by sperry
Okay, let me rephrase more accurately, since your sense of humor and/or understanding of the actual source of anti-gay rhetoric comes from appears to be broken:
"I totally support gays stealing symbols from a religion that claims to follow the teachings of a man who encouraged love for our fellow man while treating homosexuals as second class citizens who, even though they are as god made them, aren't allowed to participate openly in the church, all while perpetuating this injustice and hate outside the church as some twisted family values rhetoric that somehow still gets a pass in the secular nation at large even though the discrimination against gays is about as blatant as the discrimination against women and blacks ever was."
But seriously, I'm not implying that god hates gays, when really all the hate stems from the teachings of homophobes that run various churches (and I'm not just talking about Christian religions... basically any religion born in the middle east has the same taboo on homosexuality because they all come from the same base religion(s) of the area).
I do find it a little funny that as a Christian, you're offended I might imply that god hates gays, because the teachings of Christ actually say nothing about gays. Everything anti-gay in the Bible is actually from pre-Christian believes (seriously, how much of Leviticus does anyone actually follow any more, aside from the whole "being gay is bad" line?). Which is why I always wonder why so many "Christians" are against gay rights whereas a true follower of his teachings would embrace equality for gays the same way Jesus reached out to lepers and prostitutes who were the shunned people of his time. The whole WWJD crowd never seems to actually apply their motto to the situation.
|
As a matter of fact, I DO know where the "anti-gay rhetoric" comes from, and my sense of humor works just fine...just not when it comes to someone totally misrepresenting my God. I am not actually offended by your coment specifically, but I am offended that, once again, an aspect of Christian beliefs is being misunderstood by people who actually know little about it. I am also a bit offended that you, as the primary forum moderator, would make a comment like that and assume that a Christian would find it humorous. This forum does not seem to have the same kind of rules that I find in other places, but having respect for another persons religious views are usually high on the list.
Now, that being said, a real Christian (not just someone who says they are one) understands that the entire bible is God's word...both new and old testaments. The NT didn't even exist yet when Jesus was around so of course Christian beliefs are based on the Old Testament...including Leviticus. Also, to our point of view, Jesus IS God, so whatever God said about things in the OT, Jesus said it as well (Read John 1:1-14 to see why we believe this).
You are correct on one point...Christians should not be singling out gays as targets for criticism. That was not Jesus' method and it should not be ours either. However, God Himself spoke out against homosexuality as a lifestyle, as well as many other issues. We go by a principle...love the sinner, hate the sin. We do not view homosexuality as any worse or better than any of the other sins listed in the bible. We accept people as people, but we do not have to accept a sinful lifestyle as "normal". Churches are not supposed to allow ANYONE with a sinful lifestyle to participate unless that person is willing to turn away from that lifestyle. Doesn't matter if they are gay, or an adulterer, or a thief, or a habitual liar. The entire concept of being a Christian is being willing to recognize and abandon sinful lifestyles.
The bottom line is this....God does NOT "hate" gays, and that was never taught in any part of the bible. God "hates" sin, because it is destructive. Also, if you are going to make incorrect staements about Christian beliefs, expect that at least a couple of people in here aren't going to appreciate it. You of course have the right to your own opinion, but as a forum moderator, you should be a bit more sensitive to other members beliefs.