TREADING INTO UNDESIRABLE TERRITORY

Okay. I have about had enough of the broad brush stroke over people who happen to disagree about the acceptance of homosexuality. Yeah, I'm going there. I figure if you are going to dislike me (or worse) for having a disagreement with you, I might as well present you with my full canvas.


Let's get this straight up front: I DO NOT HATE OR DISLIKE PEOPLE WHO ARE OR PROFESS TO BE GAY.
Got that?
I'll say it again: I DO NOT HATE OR DISLIKE PEOPLE WHO ARE OR PROFESS TO BE GAY.


My issue is STRICTLY with homosexuality. NOT the PERSON.


EACH of us struggles with a stronghold of some nature, some are more prominent than others. EACH of us has issues we feel we can't overcome. EACH of us wonders if we are made to be the way we are. EACH of us struggles with worth in either God's eyes and/or society's (man's) eyes. Some people struggle with homosexuality. Even when they believe they must accept their condition, it's still a struggle no different than any other sin some of us may face in our lives.


I have some friends who are gay. I have witnessed goodness in these people as men would count goodness. One is a wonderful father to an adopted special-needs child. This child has blossomed under his care. He is a very dedicated father. His child's adventures have been very inspiring.
Another friend is also a very dedicated father to his family. His biological daughter is someone to be proud of. He gave his family his all. He is also a very intelligent man.
I have yet another friend who recently came out of the closet. He is an art genius.


Having said all of this, do I accept that they are gay? Yes. That is a part of them on which I choose not to focus because their personhood is SO MUCH greater than whether or not they are gay.
Do I accept their homosexuality? Absolutely NOT. This is where we respectfully part ways (yes, I said respectfully...it CAN happen).    


Even before I became a Christian, I believed homosexuality is wrong. It's just wrong. It goes against the natural physical course of life via procreation, for starters. Biblically speaking, it's morally wrong. It is considered an abomination against God. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for their wickedness.


Moving into deeper waters......


Do I support speaking out against homosexuality? YES.
Do I support harming homosexuals because of their lifestyles? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!


NO ONE has any business in bullying, harming, and killing anyone because they are gay. THAT IS WRONG, especially in light of being Christians.


I do NOT support gay rights (legally adopting a lifestyle with the benefits after the manner of traditional marriage, which I do believe is designed by God Himself). However, I DO support human rights (being able to live without being harmed). I will not go out of my way to support gay marriage/relationships, but I don't believe they need to be harmed because of how they live.
Speaking only as a Christian, every one of us has an opportunity for redemption. NONE of us are better than another. Each one of us deserves a chance to live unless God takes us out first. If someone kills another because they don't approve of their lifestyle, then their rap sheet will include murder. Jesus warns us that if we take it upon ourselves to kill what we consider ungodly, thinking we are doing God's service, we run a huge risk for, at the very least, displeasing God. ~John 16:1-4~ Ouch. 


Going in even deeper still...............


Do I believe homosexuality is a choice or something with which someone is born? Both.
I had always believed this, but I had always struggled with putting into words my thoughts on this matter.Then I heard a pastor expound on this very subject using Psalm 51:5 to illustrate his message.


Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. ~Psalm 51:5~     


By Adam, sin came into the world for mankind. By Jesus, salvation came into the world for mankind. 
David was born as a sinner. He was born with the nature to sin. We all are. David acknowledges, however, that he was shapen in iniquity. He acknowledges that he had influences that shaped how he thought about things and eventually into the acts he would perform. Alcoholism, adultery, murder, lying, are examples of ingrained tendencies which can be acted upon or rejected. If personal sin is not dealt with, then it eventually can become an issue of generational sin. More often than not, we are a product of our environment. If all you see is sin but you don't recognize it as sin and don't treat it as sin, then it can become a way of life for you, or develop into a tendency. Soon you have a generation who does not know they are sinning, and the sin then becomes perpetual because they see nothing wrong with what they are doing. Was I Born This Way? explains this so much better than I ever could. 


Having said all of this, I do believe that we all deserve compassion. God calls us to treat each other better. We are all individuals who can greatly contribute to this world and to God's purpose, whatever that may be. If our focus is limited to unrighteously judging the sins others commit, then NONE of us would have any value, NO good would ever come to mankind, and that is sinful in God and men's eyes.