Special considerations or consolation cannot be afforded any particular sin.
It is important we do not get sucked in to all the ambiguous argument which is devised for no other reason then an attempt to self justify sin.
Michael, based on what I said, did you really get the impression that I was attempting to help gay people justify sexual immorality? Just yesterday another person on this thread suggested I was trying to force something onto homosexuals which they do not want, though I never said any such thing.
It's not clear to me why these misunderstandings keep happening, though I have a suspicion.
I recently watched a horror movie with some friends about a possessed mirror. At some point, two of the characters grabbed golf clubs, intent on smashing it. However, after taking several swings they suddenly saw that they had each been hitting the wall just beside the mirror without realizing it.
Turns out, the mirror was able to warp reality around it so that even when people thought they were smashing the mirror, it was just illusion; the mirror was adept at
deflection as a means of protecting itself.***
Could these misunderstandings be something similar? I made a fairly radical suggestion and people respond as though I said something opposite to what I actually said. Here I am, taking a swing at the mirror only to find my club suddenly stuck in the wall just beside it.
But, maybe it's nothing like that in this case. Misunderstandings happen all the time. I'll clarify my thoughts again and see what happens.
On this thread there have been a lot of good arguments for why homosexuals themselves are not the problem, but rather, it is the sexual immorality they engage in which is the problem, much like fornication amongst heterosexuals. Except, the heterosexuals have an option which the gay person does not; marriage.
Even with marriage, homosexual activity is still considered wrong because the marriage itself is not recognized by God (i.e. man for woman and woman for man).
So, despite all their feelings, emotions, and desires, the gay person is left with nothing but masturbation or to train themselves to be interested in the opposite sex. At least with masturbation they've got an outlet for physical desires but imagine what it'd be like if
you were told that you cannot have a love life? You cannot touch the person you love. You cannot make your relationship legal. You cannot have that life together.
It's the truth and we should be willing to speak it boldly, but can you imagine what cold comfort it must be to have a couple bible verses tossed in your lap as proof that your romantic interests are gone for the rest of your life?
There are some people out there with enough sincerity to accept the truth just because it's the truth, no matter how inconvenient or how much it hurts. I wish we were all like that. But most of us have little of that quality. We struggle and fight. We are afraid and reactionary.
For example, how many people on this forum have heard me promoting Jesus' teachings on forsaking private ownership of material possessions and quitting our jobs working for money so that we can start new jobs working for God's kingdom of love? It's a significant part of the Kingdom of Heaven.
But, what are the most common responses to this teaching? "Jesus didn't mean it that way", "we can't work our way to Heaven", "I don't have the faith for that", "that was for another time" etc. There is a whole listof arguments like this despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Why? Isn't it because we are afraid? We don't want to let go of our stuff. We don't want to let go of our "job security". We don't want our whole life to be turned upside down, possibly ostracized by our church, our friends, or our family as crazy extremists. We don't want to let go of the respectability that comes with conforming to the economic values of this world. That worldly system is what provides for us. The system gives us work, food, clothing and security. How can we possibly turn our backs on that? It would be like despising the hand that feeds us and we would surely die if we were to take Jesus at his word and his example. (Matthew 6:24-34)
We cannot let go; it's too much to ask of us...
And yet, we see no problem, no contradiction in telling the gay person to let go, "because the Bible says so".
Is this why the misunderstandings are happening? Am I too close to hitting the mirror?
I am suggesting that if Christians get serious about making our own sacrifices we could come to be seen as an
example for other people who have issues they need to let go of, too. We could become
leaders in the arena of tough choices and sacrifices.
***
( If the mirror was a Christian, and obedience to the teachings of Jesus the golf club, the mirror would probably start babbling about the trinity, the sabbath day, working your way to Heaven or any number of other theological issues. LOL)