We live in what is known as a free country. It is one of the greatest things about living in America. People are free to do just about anything they wish (we do have laws, after all) and we have been given certain rights because of these freedoms. As long as you're not breaking the law (ie drugs, murder, underage drinking, etc) you can live your life however you please. You have the right to sit at home and drink yourself into oblivion (as long as you're over 21...) whenever you choose. You have the right to try on three, five, eighteen different sexual relationships before you choose to settle down and marry, or simply live with that person for the rest of your life. You have the right to decide you do not want the child growing within your body and to terminate your pregnancy. You have the right to lie to your boss about why the report is late, to cut your parents out of your life, to start a relationship with that amazing new woman you just met while your wife waits for you at home, to raise your child in the dressing room of the strip club where you work, to ignore your children while you're sitting in front of the television, to hate your neighbor for that stupid tree of his hanging into your yard. You have the right to live your life however you see fit, including (in certain areas) marrying a member of the same sex, or simply living together in a homosexual relationship. None of the things I have mentioned are against the law. We live in America, and that's ok here. But, because we live in America, I also have the right to not support the way in which you choose to live your life. I have the right to voice the way I see things.
I'm not political. In fact, politics so bores me, I'm surprised I make it to the polls when it comes time to vote for the president. And that is the only voting I have ever done in my life. Politics, like the news, like history, like science makes my brain fuzz over. Much of it I don't understand. So I'm not going to start lobbying for changes to the law to prevent for the things written above. It's just not my personality. Plus, America is known for "freedom of religion". While I would love nothing more than to have the laws reflect God's law, and to live in a Christian country, I do not think it's right for a country founded on freedom of religion to have laws in effect that support or squash any one religion (ie a law that states it is illegal to practice Judaism). But, I will not support laws that go against what I believe. I will never support a law that allows abortion. And I will not support a law that grants marriages to same sex couples. You've heard the phrase "call a spade a spade?" Well I am living my life by "call a sin a sin." I will not support sinful lifestyles.
In my previous blogs, and in the very long thread that followed on my Facebook, I want to make very clear what I was truly saying. Things I NEVER said:
- Homosexuals should be rounded up and wiped off the face of the earth.
- They should be isolated so no one has to suffer through their existence.
- They should have their rights stripped of them.
- I am better than everyone who does not follow Christ.
- I deserve more than other people because I live my life the "right" way.
- Gay couples are only having children to raise a generation of voters that will support them.
Things I DID say:
- The "Christians" who savagely beat gay people, who blow up abortion clinics, who picket funerals, are far worse than the "sinners" they are raging against.
- I am a sinner.
- I love homosexual people.
- I hate the sin they commit.
Christ called us to love everyone. He also called us to hate sin. By choosing not to support sinful lifestyles, I am proclaiming that I hate sin. I am not saying that I hate the people who have committed the sins. If that was how I was going to live my life, I would have to hate every single person on the face of the planet, including myself. There is no one on Earth, alive or dead, who has never sinned. No one except for Jesus. I sin every day. It's impossible not to! I am jealous, lazy, self serving. I hold onto grudges. I am prideful and often angry. You could probably even call me gluttonous. These are things about myself that I hate, because I hate sin. I fight these things within myself on a daily basis. I bring them to Christ in prayer. I repent of the sins I commit, and I ask for the strength to not fall into temptation. And there are sins that God has not only forgiven me for, He has taken them so far away they are no longer temptations.
In high school, I was in a lesbian relationship. A few years into my Christian walk of faith, I had to fight against the desire to begin new relationships with 2 different girls who attended the same church I did. When I previously compared homosexuality to alcoholism, stating that some people can turn away from it and never have the desire to go back while others will struggle every day of their lives, it was because I was speaking from experience. Homosexuality holds no temptation for me any more. And I personally know a man who can say the exact same thing. God changes people. Everyone has a past. Everyone has a struggle. And everyone who turns to God can find healing for the things they have done.
I hope this has helped to clear up the misunderstandings. But, in the end, I will continue to take a stand for Christ; to call a sin a sin. And I will continue to refuse to support laws embracing sinful lifestyles. I will love those God has called me to love (everyone) and hate the sins that they commit. Even if that means I garner hatred, lose friends, and am ripped apart for doing so.
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