The ‘issue’ of homosexuality in the church seems to be defined by ‘left vs. right’ ideas and ideals. The focus on sin, what is isn’t sin, etc. is tiring and mind numbing. Let’s shift the focus for a bit shall we? Why don’t ‘we’ as the ‘church’ focus on the more important issues of where the ‘church’ has allowed predators and pedophiles, even covered up the acts of sexual violence to minors, and yet ‘we’ fill ‘their’ pews every Sunday. There is no denomination or faction of the evangelical church that hasn’t been hit with leaders exposed in a multitude of egregious acts of the sexual nature. Still, every Sunday, ‘we’ fill their seats and pay ‘tithe’ to the very system that engages in the very thing that they demonize others for doing. Why are ‘we’ as ‘the church’ less concerned about the well-being of others without it fitting into some nice tidy little package of religion that doesn’t help, heal or convict. The system itself is a sham, it is a shame that the discussion even has to be had.
People are people…’we’ as Christians are more concerned with other people’s morals than we are with our own, or the ‘leaders’ we look to for guidance. We ran an issue at DTL some time back, and we shared the story of 3 people from the music scene and their very different and unique stories. It literally hurts my brain to see these guys always challenged via social media or interviews. Why do Christians feel so compelled to make everyone see it their way? I think folks latch onto religion or spirituality because they find hope, belief and goodwill in the belief system they embrace. I don’t recall Jesus ever trying to change people via their faults, their sins or their hidden secrets. Who gets to define sin anyway? Which fracture of the church and their interpretation are we to embrace? What version of the scriptures are we to read to determine morality? Which original text translation are we to consider? What was and wasn’t socially relevant to the time period and geographic location of the scriptures we should live by?
The whole idea of ‘Christianity’ is built upon a foundation of believing in what cannot be seen. There is not one christian that can even understand the holy trinity or the virgin birth…so why are we so sure when it comes to our beliefs in how someone else lives their life? Why don’t we focus more on living our life, on becoming a better person and taking care of our neighbors and friends? No person should be defined by their sexual orientation. Maybe it’s sin for it to even be an issue? It doesn’t matter if ‘they choose’ to be gay or if they are born that way…doesn’t matter. They are who they are regardless of how they ended up there, just as we all are. My belief is ‘they’ are ‘us’, and ‘we’ are ‘them’. I’ve never heard a heterosexual have to defend being born straight, so why should homosexuals have to defend themselves? My feelings are that the ‘church’ is comfortable highlighting their own bitterness and hatred under a thin cloak of ‘doing God’s will’. The ‘church’ in America has become a political excuse to validate our own hatred of others and how they live their life. We impose on those we don’t understand, and we whine and gripe about it. The ‘church’ itself is a problem….maybe even the problem.
The longer I live I am aware of how much I am not sure about. I hope that maybe it is a process of unlearning what has been programmed into our brains from a young age, or it is maybe an experienced and cautious approach to things that comes from years of trial and error. I don’t know…but I believe to the core of my being, that if our ‘religions’ and beliefs infringe and hurt others, we have stepped outside of the very biblical approach of ‘loving others as ourselves’.
I understand the intent of Stained Glass Rainbows, and the desire to bring in communication… but I also feel the vague sneaking suspicion that I feel about most Christian narratives in regards to homosexuality: that is that the film never comes down on ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ because if pressed I have yet to hear any believer condone homosexuality. I see people trying to be more ‘accepting’ or more ‘tolerant’, but I want to really see someone challenge the notion that homosexuality is sin. I think as well that it is high time to acknowledge the suffering that the church has inflicted on the homosexual community. These artists that have come out and exposed themselves in front of us are to be applauded, and I think that Jesus would feel the same way, or I certainly hope that He would. Being real with who you are and who your Creator made you to be seems like the most honest path to take on our journey. The gift of life that humanity has been offered was never conditional, it is free to all regardless of race, color, gender or sexual orientation.
Seriously, Christendom can’t agree on which Bible is to be trusted, the ‘church’ can’t come to a consensus on which texts are really a part of holy scripture, yet the church is so sure about how someone else should live their life and they are so sure they know how God really feels about the subject of homosexuality? I spend enough time trying to live my own life, I don’t have anything to say about how someone else lives theirs. I guess we should look to what Christ said about this issue shouldn’t we? Yeah, He never mentioned it, maybe it’s not as important as people make it out to be?
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