A Misconception About Choice and Homosexuality

Continuing my posts inspired by the recent protests against Chik-fil-A...

I had lesbian tendencies. During my addiction to porn, I liked the lesbian videos just as much as I liked the other videos. And it was, indeed, my choice to indulge in such passions, even though they never ultimately made me happy.

Of course, most homosexuals would say that their sexual tendencies are not a choice and that they are, indeed, happy with who they are. And, to a certain extent, they would be right. But let's look at this in a bit more detail.

Choice. What does it mean when we say a person has a choice when it comes to LGBT lifestyles? There was a time when I automatically thought of the lifestyle, personality and action all as choices. And, in one sense, they are. If someone holds a knife up to your neck and tells you to choose not act on your homosexual tendencies, you do have a choice to either die or change. But such a choice is not really a free choice, as it's a forced one. Still, the situation in theory allows for the idea that a person can choose not to act on those tendencies.

But if that person does what the guy with the knife orders, does the person in himself really change? No. His or her tendencies and personality remains the same at core. We cannot force a person to change, and thus, this theoretical person could be posited as being "born this way."

That said, at the heart of Christianity is a realization of the fact that we are fallen, imperfect human beings who ask God to change our hearts through a lifetime of transformation. Catch that? It's not an immediate change. Most of us will deal with our sins and temptations for the rest of our lives, even after recognizing them as wrong. I still deal with attraction to other females. I still deal with the temptation to think about or look at pornography. And some might say I was born with that tendency. I've had it at least since I was very young. But I've chosen not to act on those tendencies.

You see, you always have a choice. And that choice does not lie in what you feel you are. It lies in what you do.

I also think many Christians fail to realize that you can have the personality of what people stereotype as a homosexual personality and still be straight - still love the Lord - still be a Christian.

Can we compare the gay rights movement to the Holocaust and slavery?

Continuing my posts on the recent protests against Chik-fil-A...

A friend of mine recently compared the gay right movement to what happened to Jews during the holocaust and what happened to African Americas in American history. 

I find it difficult to accept any comparison of the homosexual plight to Jews and African Americans. Jews and African Americans were slaves, were tortured, killed, not allowed to live in any semblance to the regular lives the leading "race" was allowed to live.

I recognize that some homosexuals are made fun of, bullied and even murdered for their lifestyle, and I'll gladly stand against such intolerance and evil, but that is not a majority and that is not the right that is at issue here, nor is it something CFA has attempted against homosexuals.

A note on the religious and moral convictions behind each of these: Nazis thrived on national socialism, much of which was anti-religion, survival of the fittest idealism. They believed in stripping away people of ALL rights to the point of murder and holocaust in the interest of furthering a "master race" that lived above everyone else. The Christian convictions behind CFA's decisions and the majority of Christian ideologies that exist out there do not seek a theocracy where Christians live over everyone else and force their beliefs on others. They don't strive toward a V for Vendetta world.

The same goes for KKK and such. To compare CFA to KKK is to say CFA wants every homosexual dead. That's an extreme comparison, and a very wrong one to make. In addition, the "religious" South that allowed and supported the slavery of African Americans had no solid Biblical support of their mistreatment of the slaves. Many manipulated Scripture and took it out of context to support their ideas while others were Christian in name only and didn't really give a care about what the Bible said. But when it comes to homosexuality, the Bible is very clear in its stance, just as it is clear about the evil of promiscuity, rape, affairs and the lot.

Obviously, we don't live under a theocracy and I don't ask that we strive toward that (although no one can make political decisions without some sort of religious or moral belief influencing them).

Is homosexuality natural? A Christian perspective.

Continuing my posts on the recent protests against Chik-fil-A...

I do not want to compare homosexuals to murderers or other horrible people out there - that would not be right - but there are many things that are natural in this world that are not good. A person's tendency to look at pornography, for example. A man's choice to have an affair. There are many more examples. 

Just because something appears to be natural, does not make it right. Something completely natural can be distorted, as well, and still be considered natural at the same time, even though not perfect - not the way it was made to be.

Don't mistake me as stating two men or two women cannot have an honest, true love relationship. That's entirely possible, as proven by the gay couples that have stayed together for many years. What I'm saying here is more a statement on the Biblical perspective of whether or not that kind of relationship is acceptable and right in God's eyes.

I'm sure you already have a basic understanding of the Christian point of view on sin and a fallen world, so I won't go into that here. Besides, that part of the argument should be more reserved for those with theological inclinations. If you want to discuss it further, do so in the comments.

On Straight Vs. Gay Marriage

Continuing my posts on the recent protests against Chik-fil-A...

On the argument that a lot of straight marriages go wrong, so gays should be allowed to marry, too: 

Sure Kim Kardashian's marriage didn't last long. There's a lot of divorce out there among straight couples. There's a lot of affairs and promiscuity among the straight. But that's not reason to say it's OK for homosexuals to marry. 

For Christians, it still goes back to the foundation of the issue. There may be a lot of people out there getting it wrong - all promiscuity is evil - but, from a Christian perspective, that does not overrule what marriage was made for, that does not negate the good, and that does not prove that marriage between a man and a woman is of itself evil or wrong. It's not argument or reason to allow homosexual marriage.


How can we take the Bible at its word when it seems to condone slavery and other acts?

Continuing my posts on the recent protests against Chik-fil-A...

In discussing what the Bible says on homosexuality, I've come across many who have a misconception of what the Bible does and does not approve of. Let me lay a few summarized things out, then, for clarification.

Polygamy was never condoned by God, and the Bible states that God created man and woman, not man and woman and woman and woman. That doesn't mean people didn't practice it, though. But God used the weaknesses of man to bring about His will in spite of man's rebellion.

The Bible does not condone slavery, either. The New Testament does give advice to those in slavery to help them find some happiness and contentment within their obviously evil circumstances. But slavery is never said to be good, right, or permissible.

Similarly, bestiality, incest and rape are things that happen the the Biblical accounts, but the Bible and God never support them. Quite the opposite.

1 Cor 6 - "8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,[a] nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." Also check out Leviticus 18: 6-18 and 1 Timothy 1:9-10.

I’ve done my research, as have many atheists who have become Christians. I’m not going to base my political position on the gay marriage issue on my Christian beliefs alone. But when it comes to the Bible, the research has led me to believe it is all true. And if it is all true, I cannot go against it moral truths/statements, no matter how much I want to.

Do Christians Fear Homosexuals and Gay Rights?

In continuation of my posts on the recent protests against Chik-fil-A...

Speaking of rights, it’s not too far off to picture a future where gay rights leads to the end of the rights of private businesses and organizations like churches. Heck, even I fear losing a job some day over my views, even if those views don’t dictate a bigoted treatment of others full of hatred. 

I know a lot of those who are pro-gay rights defend their position by claiming the rest of us are just afraid, that the heart of our side does not lie with the Bible but with fear. And while I don’t agree with that entirely, I’d say that fear is definitely OK and warranted.  

Fear comes about for a reason.  If I fear somebody who flouts his anger and dresses in the uniform of a gang, is it my fault if I fear him?  If AIDS became epidemic because the homosexual community spread it, is it my fault if I fear their mindset? 

People already lose their jobs over their views and Christian standards. Teachers are banned just for mentioning creation in a classroom (without making it out to be the truth, they just put it next to evolution as a theory, and they still get lectured and thrown out). Churches are sued for not hiring homosexuals in leadership positions. Churches are sued for not allowing homosexual marriages in their churches - pastors are sued for refusing to perform the ceremony for homosexuals. 

And now we have the mayor of Boston threatening to ban Chick-fil-A from building new restaurants in the are because of its stance on gay marriage? 

You lose freedom of speech when everyone starts saying that CFA needs to change it's opinions and stances. People are doing more than disagreeing with and critiquing CFA's stances, they're calling for change, they're calling for CFA to hide it's beliefs as a private business and accept what others consider right. 

Yup, gay rights aren’t the only rights at stake here.

On Cathy, Chick-Fil-A, and Homosexuality

In continuation of my posts on the recent protests against Chik-fil-A...

A lot of people have quoted Dan Cathy, the head of Chick-Fil-A, as saying that we invite God's wrath when we shake our fists at him and refuse to listen to what the Bible says about things like homosexuality.

Advocates of gay marriage are using what Cathy said to point the finger at CFA as an anti-gay company. My quick thought on this: Cathy's words reflected what the Bible says about sin. He wasn't personally condemning homosexuals to hell. He was stating the Christian point of view. And what he said applies to any Christian's sin as much as it does to homosexuality.

Now, was it smart of Cathy to put such words out in the public forum, speaking not just for himself, but for CFA and its policies? Probably not in terms of public relations. But please, leave Cathy alone!

When Gay Rights Advocates Become the Very Thing They Fight Against

In continuation of my posts on the recent protests against Chik-fil-A...

Strangely enough, some homosexuals with agendas for gay marriage often become the very bigotry, the very hatred that they so oppose, that they so claim to be fighting against.
 As my dad writes:

I find it hateful when people call pro-family groups "hateful." I find it intolerant when people call the same groups "intolerant." I threw away my crystal ball decades ago because it didn't work so well. But "tolerant" "liberals" sure seem to know what we're all thinking and are all motivated by, don't they?

I'm glad tolerance for gays has grown over the last generation. I oppose their political lobby, however, when it asks for superior rights. They have the right to marry the opposite sex. They want more. They want to marry the same sex. That's not equality; it's superiority.

Hatred usually results from abuse or from a cycle of poor upbringing. I was beat up by a Mexican gang in high school. I don't hate them; but IF I did, and I committed a crime against a Latino, I could be tried for a hate crime. Yesterday's "extenuating circumstances," as dictated by liberality, has become a "hate crime," as dictated by the same liberals. It appears to me that liberals don't base their positions on principle. They base their positions on whatever tugs their heart strings. Today, it just happens to be the G-string.

I've been judged as a bigot and worse before, and it hurts me deeply that people judge me solely on our differences and neglect to notice how much I care about and love the homosexual friends I do have.

Can a Christian Believe in Equality without Supporting Gay Rights?

In my discussion with others on the topic of gay marriage, especially in light of Chick-fil-A's stance on the issue and in light of Jim Henson Company severing its relationship with the Christian company, I've heard people say that you cannot believe in true equality for gays without supporting gay marriage. I have two things to say in response to that. The first I posted here. The second is this:

Every day someone disagrees with another person on something. Every day someone puts differences aside and loves and cares for another person despite disagreements. Such people do not hold grudges against those they disagree with. Those people do not hate others.

Yes, it is possible and entirely real that someone can love homosexuals, care about them, be friends with them and treat them with equality and respect, never once stop to think those homosexuals are beneath them, never once hold a grudge against them, and yet still be against gay marriage. Sure, that's not always the case, but it is possible and it is real.

A person can be against gay rights without believing homosexuals inferior. One of the tenets of Christianity is that everyone is flawed and imperfect and we have no right to put ourselves above others. The problem then becomes how you define rights and equality. While homosexuals fight for gay rights, there are other rights that CFA and the organizations they donate to are fighting for.

When I say that Christians believe all are equal and that we have no right to put ourselves above others, I mean we have no right to judge or mistreat others in a discriminatory, degrading, verbal, or violent way. But when it takes on the political and law-affecting issue of gay marriage, it becomes another thing entirely. Then it takes extra thinking and consideration beyond our everyday interactions. Then it becomes a matter of defining what equality is and what should be law.


On the Grudges We Hold Against Christians and Homosexuals

In my discussion with others on the topic of gay marriage, especially in light of Chick-fil-A's stance on the issue and in light of Jim Henson Company severing its relationship with the Christian company, I've heard people say that you cannot believe in true equality for gays without supporting gay marriage. I have two things to say in response to that. The first is this:

If you say that a Christian or someone else can have a hidden, but all too real, grudge against gay equality, evidenced by his opposition to gay marriage, even with their in-person treatment of homosexuals seeming to indicate a belief in equal treatment and tolerance, then it could also be said that homosexuals who say they really love each other and just want the rights that come with marriage are actually hiding a grudge against anyone who disagrees with them - are actually hiding a desire to smite out the ability to stand up for what the Bible says is right. In a way, homosexuality can become a religion in itself when it attempts to assert itself and its opinions as right and to force all those who disagree with them to accept their opinions as right.

Chick-Fil-A Refuses to Support Gay Rights - Protesters Retaliate

This begins the first in many posts inspired by the recent negative press Chick-Fil-A has gotten for financially supporting organizations that are against gay marriage. CFA head Dan Cathy admitted the company's stance on marriage equality, and now the whole world seems out to get CFA, including GLAAD.

I'm going to break my thoughts on this issue into several posts for the sake of easy reading and time to think. I'm still thinking about the issue, myself, so many of these comments will be happening as I go along in my thought process and may develop or change. But they give rise to discussion. Please, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

I also want to add that, while I created this blog to discuss salvation and my former porn addiction, right now it is taking on things that are more current on my mind as I deal with what it means to be a Christian in the workplace, especially in a workplace that generally supports gay rights.

What do you think of CFA's stance on gay marriage?

Consider this your open forum before I start writing about my thoughts on the issue. 

I'll post links to my other posts below as I write them:

On the Grudges We Hold Against Christians and Homosexuals

Can a Christian Believe in Equality without Supporting Gay Rights?

When Gay Rights Advocates Become the Very Thing They Fight Against

On the Rights of Chik-Fil-A as a Private Business

Do Christians Fear Homosexuals and Gay Rights?