It struck me that the top comments were all on the issue of how the Church perceives homosexuality, and a few on them on the issue of social justice and poverty. E.g.:
"Given that Jesus preached tolerance and love to all, how are you able to justify your stance re wishing the Catholic church should be given a legal dispensation to discriminate against homosexuals, specifically in relation to the adoption issue, and are you able to clarify which of Jesus's teachings (not anything from the old testament) suggested this discrimination would be ok."
"helo
I believe that we are born gay. My God, i would only wish that I had not been. The pain, the terror, the rejection by my peers - it has been terrible. This has all been fuelled by the Church. My best friend killed himself by jumping off a bridge because he could not find comfort in the church.
Come on, say something about this.
Thank you."
"My question for the Cardinal is; why does the Catholic Church (one of the richest organisations in the world) does not contribute its vast wealth to allieviate the suffering of African Catholics effected by the Aids epidemic throught the African Continent. Also why does the Church not redistribute it's wealth to believers who suffer through poverty, starvation and lack of irrigation/waste disposal. The Catholic Church could pay for this many times over, why doesn't it?"
"Sir
Do you believe it may be time for the Church to rethink it's stance on contraception given factors including Aids, overpopulation,venereal disease,and the increasing abandonment of unwanted children, many of these things are occur due to rape and incest, should there be exceptions in your opinion because of these circumstances?
Are gay people not deserving of the basic human rights and protections given to all other citizens? Does your God not love all equally?
Thank you."
After reading through these questions, I think they're very real questions that deserve good answers. Especially the part about homosexuality, where a lot of people have been arguing back and forth.
Hmm. So to be honest, I realised that I'm not very clear on exactly what the Bible does say about it, but I do want to find out more on what the Bible says about that.
From what I understand so far, yes, homosexuality clearly is a sin, but just as importantly, people who commit acts of homosexuality are just as precious in God's eyes as any others - no difference here.
I think this isn't an easy question to answer, partly because of the possibility that some people do have homosexual tendencies even from birth. And the reality is, some people struggle so much with these temptations, that they either choose to leave God, or they abandon hope and commit suicide, or they choose the belief that homosexuality is acceptable in God's eyes.
On a personal note, I do have a few friends who are gay, and honestly, I'm quite fine with them as my friends. Though I don't support their decision to be gay, I support them as my friends. I mean, we're all sinners - it's just that some of us have accepted God's forgiveness, while others still haven't yet.
Perhaps one reason that homosexuality is such an emotional issue for many people is because it is about sexuality, and sexuality is an essential core component of who we are as human beings, especially the emotional aspect.
So one thing that I don't know very much about is why do some people choose homosexuality?
Hmm. After reading this PBS article on two Christian leaders debating about homosexuality, it seems to be that we tend to label a sinner in terms of the sins that he/she has committed. If a man commits sodomy, we label him a homosexual. If a woman goes on a serial rampage, we brand her a mass murder. If a man rules injustly and oppresses the poor, we call him a despot.
I'm not sure if this is a sound way of seeing people. Maybe it could be better. Or maybe it's true, but not exactly how God sees them.
Of course, there are certain roles and responsibilities that a person is accountable for - and he/she will be judged more strictly according to what he/she has been given. Hence, if a child-care teacher abuses the children under his/her care, or a king oppresses the poor, a judge accepts bribes, a statesman inciting genocide, or a pastor teach false teachings to his flock, God will come down extremely hard on these people. Maybe that is why we are so dismayed when we hear about church leaders sinning. What a heavy responsibility lies with them!
But, back to the point about us labelling people according to their sins. I was thinking, "How would Jesus see them?" And I think He would see them this way:
Luke 7
36Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."
40Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."
"Tell me, teacher," he said.
41"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
43Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
44Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
48Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
49The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
50Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
The first few times I read this passage, this thought immediately came to my mind: "What kind of sins did the woman commit?" But I think Luke simply wrote that she lived a sinful life. She could have been a lesbian, she could have been a prostitute, she could have been a husband-poisoner, a thief, a swindler, or all of the above, and then some more. So I responded in my heart the same way as the religious Pharisee did: "She is a sinner."
But in Jesus' eyes, she simply had lived a sinful life, no more, no less. And His holy response to the Pharisee was this: "Do you see this woman?"
And I think our Lord cut to the quick of the matter. God, when He sees us, He doesn't see us as sinners. Rather, He sees us as MEN and WOMEN who have sinned and fall short of the full humanity that He intended us to have.
So there's an inherent danger in labelling people as homosexuals and thus. Because, to that extent, we dehumanify them, castigating them and making them out to be mere animals, whereas we of Homo sapiens sapiens proudly walk the face of the earth.
Sobering... because I think it is possible that every man and woman could have the potential to commit homosexual acts (Romans 1 states that clearly) - I mean, after reading about ex-Pastor Ted Haggard's acts... and he a married man... and he had opposed homosexuality some more! Gosh, no wonder the Bible tells us to take the plank out of our own eyes before we try to take the speck of sawdust out of our brother's eyes.
*******
Hmm. So from what I understand so far about what the Bible says, yes, homosexuality is a sin, but we should not ostracise them, but neither should those who want be right with God condone the act of homosexuality, because it is a sexual sin. (And from what I understand, homosexuality arises from the heart attitude of lust.)
But also, as a sobering fact, we forgiven sinners must also realise that we ourselves have the potential to do such things (I'm not talking only about homosexuality, but also things like theft, deception, adultery, murder and the like). "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..."
Hmm. Yup, some thoughts about it... I could be wrong in my understanding. Feel free to correct me if you think I'm wrong. Hee, think this is a potentially controversial topic, ha, but yup, want to seek the truth, to understand what the Bible says about all these things.
(Oh just to add: I'm straight. So don't worry yeah... :P)
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