So, what in the world could I be talking about? What could a Christian blogger feel a bit odd about discussing on the web for fear of some tremendous backlash?
Yeah . . . that. Homosexuality.
I'll preface this by saying that if you came here expecting Fred Phelps-esque ire and offensive comments like "God hates [insert gay slur here]" then you came to the wrong place. I've grown up with friends who are gay (male and female), and while that doesn't give me any sort of authority or the right to make inappropriate comments, it does give me something of an experience base with members of the community about which I'm speaking.
I'm sick of the attitudes on both sides of this ridiculous argument.
Christians, let's get something straight - we're all sinners. Get off your high horse and recognize this. As Lewis said, "Unless Christianity is wholly false, the perception of ourselves which we have in moments of shame must be the only true one." We are fallen and despicable creatures and we really need to get over ourselves. Sinfulness is not a matter of degree, but a question of perfection versus imperfection.
We're none of us perfect.
That being said, gays, let's get something straight (no pun intended . . . God, that was BAD). Demanding that a Christian who views homosexuality as a sin (there are those who turn a blind eye to it, which is inconsistent with scripture) change his/her mind and accept it as not only your choice (which they should) but as equally valid on a moral/spiritual spectrum is akin to a Christian demanding of an atheist that he/she accept the existence of God and the role of Christ as savior as being a universal truth. You want to be treated as equals - I get that, and am behind it. I personally believe that legality shouldn't be influenced by a specific doctrine. While historically, the freedom of religion granted in the Bill of Rights applied more to governmental control over the practice of a specific religion, I do believe that if we as a nation are going to grow in a sense of mutual respect, then we need to keep religion out of politics, but be allowed to act from within the moral framework of our beliefs.
Basically, don't get pissy at a politician who says he isn't gay or doesn't support you 100%. Why should he any more than you should support heterosexuality? Now, the moment he makes something illegal on the grounds that his religion states it, then we might have some problems. Do religion and legality jive most of the time? Yeah, because morality is an absolute, but LAWS should stem from the natural evolution of a society - if it's theocratic (like the Jewish culture described in the Old Testament) then it should come from a religious base; if it's democratic, then it should stem from the will of the people.
I'm getting a little off topic though.
The fact of the matter is - we're both pushing to have our own opinion be accepted as fact by the other party specifically because we accept it as universal truth ourselves, and we're being petty.
Why is it we can't seem to accept that different people maintain different ideals? The acceptance of this does not imply that all ideals are equal or even correct, but the recognition of this fact it paramount to striking a decent compromise. Not "tolerance" inasmuch as "tolerance" tends to imply an acceptance of a differing ideal as being equally valid, but compromise and respect.
So where do we stand? Why are we getting our collective knickers in a knot? Any ideas?
On the same subject - let's get something worked out right now. It's a choice. Sexual attraction is deeply biological and (yes, I'll say it) even determined genetically. You ARE born with a specific attraction to males, females, or both. Attraction, however, is not sexual orientation. Sexuality is an active choice that incorporates emotion, reason, and biology. There ARE animals who are born with a tendency to attempt to mate with the same gender.
You know what happens to them though? They die out. Natural selection does occur, and an orientation that prohibits the passing of genetic material is NOT considered a beneficial genetic trait.
Because we human beings have the capacity to control our mating habits through reason, we can pass this on. Sorry evolutionists, I'm not on your side beyond the idea that beneficial traits get passed on.
Because we maintain the capacity for reason, we have the ability to countermand the genetic factors that lead to same/opposite sex attraction. A man who is attracted to other men and spends the entirety of his life leading a heterosexual lifestyle is in fact, heterosexual. The opposite is true.
Gays, it's not that you're "born gay" it's that your genetics make being gay the path of least resistance. One you might call "natural". Christians, while it IS a choice, don't get all high and mighty about it - how many Christian men cheat on their wives? How many of us make mistakes and decisions that are due to the influence of our carnal natures?
We need to accept this - it's ideological AND biological. It's nature and nurture. It's complex, and the attempt by both sides to boil it down to any sort of simple platitude is absurd.
Gays, straights, Christians, atheists, everyone - we're more alike than we give ourselves credit for, and we need to learn to live together even though we disagree.
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