WRITER'S NOTE ADDED IN APRIL 2020: I do believe that some
individuals can cease having same sex attractions and/or cease having same
sex relationships. However, I am also aware that a percentage of
individuals who desire not to have same sex attraction, are not successful,
even with sincere prayer and a meaningful relationship with Jesus. I
sincerely believe that these individuals are equally as normal and
spiritual as all the others. I also know that reparative therapy does not
work for everyone.
If you have been
following this column for the twenty-seven years,
you would be aware of my views on homosexuality. Just
the title of the
articles I have written on homosexuality would provide some
insight on my views:
-
“Gays Are Not Our Problem”
-
“Overcoming the Homosexual Lifestyle”
-
“Condemnation or
Compassion”
-
“Facing My Deepest Fears”
-
“God Loves
Homosexuals”
-
“Learning to Love Homosexuals”
-
“Let's Make
Him Straight”
-
“Homosexuality: Hope or Dilemma”
(Most
of the articles were update on March 27, 2014).
These
articles can be found on my website
www.soencouragement.org . I have received many
positive responses from homosexuals who are seeking a way
out and some negative responses from those who which not to
change their lifestyle. A golden thread running through
all of these articles is that adults are free to choose
their lifestyle, even though I think the choice might be
wrong.
My concern is how involved is
the Church in pressuring the government to control the
lifestyle of anyone, including adult homosexuals. It is my
view that there should be no law preventing freedom of
expression, as long as that freedom dose not violent
religious liberty and human rights.
I humbly believe that I have
the right to share my views as a Christian with anyone.
However, it is wrong from me to impose my beliefs on
people. My lifestyle should expose my beliefs and not
impose them. The way I verbally share my own Christian
beliefs must not be coercive nor condemnatory. Similarly,
the government is not to create laws that infringe upon the
rights of others. This includes and not limited to the
freedom to worship the God you want to and share your
beliefs about that God to others. It is the freedom not to
worship and not to have any kind of religious belief. It
is the freedom to smoke, drink, be a homosexual,
be a heterosexual, commit
adultery, gambling, etc. I do not participate in smoking
or drinking. I am not a homosexual nor do I commit
adultery. I also teach that others should
seek help to avoid these
kinds of behaviors. (I now know
that some homosexual find it impossible to change their
orientation. However, it is my view they can cease
having romantic and sexual relationships).
Nevertheless, is it wrong for a government
to legislate how one should live by creating laws that
violets my rights to believe what I want to. The role of
the government is to make sure that human rights are not
violated. Destruction of lives, theft, incest, rape,
violence of any kind, are to be illegal in any country.
Being a homosexual does not fall in
any of these categories.
When the church insists that
the country have laws that express “Christian values” it
might be barking up the wrong tree. While many national
laws are similar to Biblical principles, Biblical laws are
not by default national mandates. In 2011 I wrote: “I am
even happier that by constitution The Bahamas do not require
its residents to be Christians. On the other hand, the
Constitution guarantees the right and freedom of each
individual residing in The Bahamas to live
|
"When the church insists
that the country have laws
that express “Christian
values” it might be barking
up the wrong tree.
While many national laws are
similar to Biblical
principles, Biblical laws
are not by default national
mandates."
|
|
according to his
or her conscience. In other words, The Bahamas is a secular
state and not a Christian one.”
If Biblical laws are by
default national laws, then all stores are to be closed on
Saturday because it is my belief that Saturday is the
Sabbath. Also, all people are not to eat pork. That
should be the law of the land. Are you getting my point?
Is it hard for us Christians to accept that a homosexual has
the freedom to be a homosexual? Is it hard for us
Christians to accept that a government should not limit the
right of loving and living together to only heterosexual
adults? While on one hand I am not pro-homosexual and have
a challenge with the term “marriage” applying to homosexual
couples, yet I must admit that my views are not to become a
national, legal mandate, because it violets one’s personal
freedom of expression. In the Bible we have no evidence of
homosexuality being legal or illegal. Although we do get
the idea that the homosexual lifestyle was the norm in many
ancient cultures. We only read about the way Christians are
to live and positively influence other.
It is my view that the church
should spend more time loving others and sharing the gospel
instead of trying to change national polices unless these
are policies that negatively impact simple human rights
(racism, gender equality, abuse, etc).
Here is more of what I wrote
in my article “I am Happy We Are Not a Christian Nation”:
“Today, many Christians who are fed up with the social ills
in society are being misled to think that the government
must provide some spiritual guidance for the people. They
are also saying that since we profess to be a ‘Christian
nation,’ we should have no alcohol saloons, illegal drugs,
strip joints, pornography channels, dance halls, etc. While
I do wish these were not in our country, the real problem is
not the presence of these things but the inability for
Christian leaders to promote godly Christian living, and to
teach personal censorship instead of national censorship.
Too many preachers are themselves engaged in shady
lifestyles, social impropriety, and religious and political
gerrymandering. Too many community leaders who claim to be
Christian are accomplices in crime and shady business. . . .
We are too pre-occupied with the discussion of whether or
not we are or should be a Christian nation. That is not my
concern. I am more concerned that the people live Godly
lives and that true Christians accept that all have a right
to choose how they will live, what they will watch on TV,
the music they will listen to and places they will go. That
is the freedom we are guaranteed by our constitution. What
Christians must do then is to stop condemning and start
modeling godly living. The true Christian will teach
religious tolerance and the acceptance that we are a
pluralistic society. That means everyone respects every one
of all Christian faiths and other faiths and not faiths such
as Islam, Bahai, Christian Science, Rastafarianism, atheism,
agnosticism, etc.”
I should also say again that
the church must realize that the homosexual has the right to
be a homosexual and the right to live according to his or
her beliefs or his or her sexual orientation. Do not pressure the government to do
otherwise. That will make the state a “religious state” and
I do not think we really want that. True religious freedom
and civil liberty is a hard nut to swallow for many
Christians. I ended my article in 2011 this way:
“Religious freedom is all about being able to decide how you
want to live and not having the state dictate to you. I am
truly happy The Bahamas is not a Christian nation.
(The majority of people in our country
are Christian but the government must remain secular. Christians, although in the majority, must accept
that this is a pluralistic society where all must be free to
believe or not believe anything as long as it does not infringe on human
rights.) Let’s
keep it that way.”
If you would like to find out more information about freedom over
homosexuality or for books and materials on homosexuality seek this website:
Changed Ministries
