I’ve recently been invited to a couple of gay weddings. So — what with being Christian and all — I asked myself the famous, “What would Jesus do?” (Which I don’t too often ask myself, actually, since Jesus could, for instance, raise people from the dead and turn water into wine, whereas I can barely drag myself out of bed in the morning and/or turn water into coffee. Safe to say many of His options are none of mine.)
Wondering what Jesus would do if he were invited to a gay wedding naturally enough led me to the New Testament. And therein I found these quotes:
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices — mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” (Matthew 23:23-24); and
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” (Matthew 23:13); and,
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.” (Matthew 23:15). And last but hardly least:
“Love your neighbor as yourself,” [said Jesus]. “There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:31)
When I next went looking for anywhere in the Bible where Jesus says anything at all about homosexuality, I learned that Jesus spent about as much time talking about gays and/or lesbians as I do talking about button collecting and/or sea horses: none. Of course, it’s entirely possible that Jesus did say many crucially informative things about homosexuality, but that when he did no one around him happened to have handy an ostrich feather, sappy stick, or whatever it was they used for pens back then. Which would make sense, actually. If you’ve spent any time at all reading the New Testament, you know that Jesus’ disciples weren’t exactly Johnnies-on-the-spot. They were just normal, everyday guys.
Which I think is kind of the whole point. Jesus most surely did love him some everyday people.
Throughout the New Testament, the only kind of people with whom Jesus consistently takes frightful exception are the very “teachers of the law and Pharisees” we see him dressing down in the passages above. One thing that often gets lost in our considerations of Jesus is the degree to which he is exactly the wrong person to piss off. And you don’t have to spend a lot of time in the New Testament before you understand that the only kind of people who seem to ever truly anger Jesus are those who put religious dogma above what he most clearly stood for, which was God’s love.
Around Jesus you can whine, lie, shift your loyalties, be late, be greedy, be too ambitious, be stupid, be a coward, be a hypochondriac, constantly complain, fall asleep at every wrong moment — you can do nothing right, and it won’t in the slightest way seem to offend him.
But you put dogma ahead of love? You transmogrify God’s law into a justification for denying God’s grace?
Then … yikes, man. Then you’ve got yourself a problem no one in this world wants.
I’m not sure how exactly we came to so often consider Jesus the soft and dreamy, namby-pamby type. (Not that there’s anything wrong with being namby-pamby! I have an uncle who’s namby-pamby!) But it’s hard to believe it came from the accounts of Jesus we have in the Gospels. That’s just not the guy on those pages.
Jesus is scary when he’s riled. And the only people who rile him are those who, in His name, set themselves up as sanctimonious judges of others.
I think I better go to the weddings of my gay friends. I’m almost scared not to. In some of his parables, Jesus wasn’t exactly fortune-cookie clear, but he didn’t even almost waffle about his “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He very explicitly declared that the “first and greatest commandment.”
If there’s any wiggle room there, I just don’t see it.
So I’ll attend my gay friends’ weddings, in the exact same spirit I’d expect them to attend a similar function of mine. And if it happens that in the course of either of their weddings or receptions I find myself wondering if I’m doing the right thing, I’ll be sure to remember the first miracle of Jesus’ recorded in the Bible. It’s when he turned water into wine.
At a wedding.
Additional Reading in Christian Issues...
- From hell to Crazy Town
- They’re here; they’re queer; they’ve plenty to fear: LGBT students form secret club at conservative Christian university [now including updates]
- When evil is serious, it reaches for a Bible and cross
- Guest post: “A Good Week to Hate Christians”
- From gay-hating fundie to righteously angry lesbian. Now what?
![John Shore on The Huffington Post](http://johnshore.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/huffpost.jpg?w=120 "John Shore on The Huffington Post\")
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DR your foolish arguments are a waste of time. My lifelong friend and brother is not only black and a Christian, but was also engaged in homosexual activity. You have no discernment or Godly wisdom. Your ignorance is painful. I’ll say it for the very last time: you follow and preach a different gospel, and you will pay the due penalty of vehement apostasy. Repent, or don’t …
James, each time you post a comment, I’ll answer back, dear. So if you don’t want to argue? Then I’d suggest not coming onto a forum spouting your hateful nonsense because you will be countered, and then dismissed. You have no authority with me or with anyone. It’s embarrassing to watch you post this kind of thing.
I’d bet a thousand dollars that the only significant relationship you have with a gay man or women is that you drop them off at their bus stop.
This blog is embarrassing …
There we go, it looks like you’re learning how to use the comment thread. Nice job!
Now what else would you life to offer us, dear? You’ve had the opportunity to show us your homophobia which is duly noted. You refused to participate in the discussion about the kids who hurt themselves that you are responsible for (what could you even possibly say to that anyway). And your 15 minutes of Christian righteous anger fame is over, you no longer represent “the Word of God” or what it means to be a “real” Christian. You just don’t, even if you believe you do which is fine, who cares. No one is listening to you anymore.
It took those of us who actually are devoted to following Christ some time to find our courage because we’ve allowed you to speak for us for quite some time which is our fault, we’ve allowed you to damage gay kids as well as adults – God have mercy on us for not stopping you earlier. But those days are over. Your opinions have now been shut down, those whom we have elected are beginning to vote for the right things regardless of their religious beliefs. You no longer have the power in this country you once enjoyed. And you know what James? In a way, I have more hope for you than I did yesterday. As you lose the ability to hide behind the Bible it’s going to force you to actually have to educate yourself. To face yourself. You have my prayers, that’s a hard thing to do. xoxo
Again, your ignorance is killing… your comments about me being responsible for kids hurting themselves is actually MORE asinine than the idea that an authentic, bible-believing Christian can be a practicing homosexual. Again, I will choose to beat this dead horse…I’m not a homophobe. I believe that the Bible is the infallible, inspired word of God, and that is profitable to all man. The bottom line is that you don’t believe this, you absolutely don’t. Look at what you’re propagating. You’ve manipulated the Gospel to support your heresy! Living as a homosexual does not represent the mark of someone that has been regenerated by God the Holy spirit. Your god is Satan, and your “doctrine” is of demons. I don’t hate homosexuals, but rather homosexuality. As I said before, it is completely asinine to think that I’m responsible for someone killing themselves!
You are 100% responsible for the gay children who kill themselves because they have received the message from you – James – that they are “evil” as a result of being a homosexual. Homosexual teenagers are the #1 group of teens to commit suicide and the large majority of those teens come from Fundamentalist Christian homes. Deny it all you want to but there is no one else who is giving them that message but you and each time you deny it, I’ll be there to tell you that you’re wrong.
You are a bigot and a homophobe and you no longer have any authority to speak to my state of salvation before God or anyone’s. Your arrogance in even thinking you do is ludicrous. You’re all puffed up on your righteous anger that doesn’t have anywhere to go anymore.
There are millions of Christians who are gay who worship alongside of all of us every Sunday. Who knows, your anger might be as a result of being one of them which is very typical of men who can’t face being gay. Regardless, you have gay men and women who are at your church with you as we speak. Trust.
Now what else do you have? This is getting boring.
I’ve wasted enough time that I’ll never get back …
Then you are dismissed.
Bye, James. Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.
p.s. If you are gay and you decide to come out, there are a lot of people who will support you. Generally this amount of religiosity and rage is from someone who is in denial of his sexuality. Take care of yourself. In the end we as a church are responsible for what you’ve become. You are our mess to fix.
James Bellamy. If you have Facebook, look me up. You’ll see my BEAUTIFUL WIFE! I’m not gay. Bye.
James, a lot of men who are married do so because they are gay. Regardless if you are or if you aren’t. you have some serious problems and I hope and pray you find the help you need before you hurt anyone else.
You’re KILLING me…i’m not gay…
James, for someone who supposedly has the real Holy Spirit instead of me, the lack of self-control you’ve shown in saying “I’m leaving! This is a waste of my time!” and then your subsequent comments demonstrate that you don’t have the self-control that is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. How about you be the man of God you say you and demonstrate self-control? Or stop wasting your time? It seems like someone with the real Truth wouldn’t come back and keep giving energy to someone who is a heretic. I think your actions say far, far more than your words.
ps – Don’t you have any respect at all for your family? Why in the world would you not protect their privacy? Ugh, you are such a homophobic bigot that you’d actually serve up pictures of your family to prove you’re not gay. What a dangerous and shocking thing to do, it’s shocking that you’d put your wife at risk like that. She didn’t choose to be a part of this conversation, what a total invasion of her privacy.
Umm… DR… what exactly is wrong with showing pictures of your wife to whomever you want? Do you think his wife isn’t OK with it (although there are too many Jameses Bellamy for those words to be very meaningful)? How can he not bring his wife into it if the two are one? Do we really need to act more as President Putin in such regards than President Obama?
Matthew the Internet is filled with lunatics. Who knows who reads here. Facebook is selective we invite the people in we trust to that experience. To expose one’s family in order to prove a point isn’t respectful or appropriate to me, though it’s a personal preference.
DR, the *world* is full of lunatics.
I consider exposure to be actual when the potential for real harm is elevated relative to that of ordinary activities (and in my understanding of the risks involved, giving one’s spouse a ride in a car is rather more dangerous than giving him or her a mention in a blog comment), as long as you’re admitting of it being a matter of personal preference, I’ve no reason to argue.
I admire and appreciate your tireless efforts on behalf of Christ, DR! I hope you understand that I only raise this tangential issue because I don’t want people like James to be too easily able to dismiss you altogether; I don’t want your valid points to suffer on account of arguments that aren’t quite as rationally defensible. That is to say, the heart of the matter here—or the matter of the heart that motivated my reply—(which I’m now sharing because I feel it would be helpful to share *why* I make certain points I make) is my feeling that it’s best we not come across too much like one of those lunatics that the world is full of (I see them all the time, perhaps most often when I look in the mirror).
*comment), ^but^ as long as…
Matthew, that’s really good feedback and I’ll take it. Thank you!
(Though for me, “being one” doesn’t mean my husband would open a subset of Internet public to pictures of me without my permission. Not cool, but again, we all have different boundaries for ourselves and I could have phrased that as mine instead of an already drawn conclusion for someone else.
It’s nonsensical to claim that you “don’t hate homosexuals, but rather homosexuality” when homosexuality becomes their very defining element when they’re being called homosexuals. I mean, at least try to be consistent and say you don’t hate people, but hate homosexuality, so then at least in theory (even though this too often fails to hold up in practice anyway) you might be loving the rest of their human nature apart from their sexuality.
As for your remark that DR’s “ignorance” is killing…
(Matthew 5:21-26)
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
“Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”
So I hope you’ll be able stick it out to conclusion of a settlement agreeable to all parties on the issues between DR and you.
God bless!
PS, how about you learn how to post on the actual forum and click “reply” to one of my comments so the conversation actually makes sense. Maybe it’s your first time on the internet (seems like it).
And another pro tip – lose the CAPS, it makes you look a little crazy.
Well DR, don’t be surprised when God commands that you leave from his presence, because he never knew you. You condone such things and have the nerve to claim Jesus?! HOW DARE YOU despise Jesus!!!! You don’t know him. You aren’t regenerated. You haven’t been made new, but rather YOU ARE DECEIVED. Enough with nonsense!
James, your “huff and puff let me blow your relationship with Jesus house down” rant might intimidate someone else, but it just sounds pathetic and ridiculous to me. Jesus is my Savior. My life is nothing without Him. He rescued me and continues to! I am perfectly safe in His arms and I don’t care if you believe that or not, it doesn’t change that fact. The bottom line is that you are having a temper tantrum because your homophobia is being exposed for what it is – homophobia. We’re no longer allowing you to use *our* faith, *our* Savior’s words and actions on the Cross to spout it. That’s different from what you’ve experienced in the past.
But get used to it because it’s working, the State of New York just passed the legal right for gay men and women to marry and the two votes that did it? That’s right, conservative Republicans who had an understanding of what “family values” meant but also have seen the light. So you know what? This morning, I’m not so worried about your kind anymore. I worry about how you hurt kids and could care less about that but it seems like even that is changing a little, people aren’t allowing parents like you to kick their children out of their homes for being “abomination”. Or better yet, they are providing your children a safe place to grow up away from you (better).
The world is changing and just like we did with those Christians like you who insisted that blacks and whites shouldn’t marry one another or worship together because of what people like you would claim the Bible said? You’re being left behind. What an ironic twist of words.
IM NOT A HOMOPHOBE. I’m am rather preaching and teaching what Jesus taught, Himself. Trust me, unless homosexuals repent, this life will be the absolute best that they ever experience. God set the precedent of marriage when he created Adam and Eve, ONE man and ONE woman. How dare we as puny, finite humans spit on what he made holy and sacred. You wanna talk about fear?! You should fear his wrath and His judgment as you all willing pursue a lifestyle that El Shaddai would NEVER approve. GOD will NOT be maligned or mocked. His word will stand forever. REPENT for his kingdom is at hand. I’m not responsible for anyone’s death, and you would do well to keep comments like that to yourself. For homosexuals that refuse to repent, this is the best it gets for them. You think that you fear God Almighty?! You have no idea what it means to fear him!
James you are a homophobic bigot that hides behind Christianity to not have to face the world you appear to be deeply afraid of. All of what you’ve posted here is being debunked as rants from people who are using God to stay in control so you don’t really have to think, interact or change. I waffle between being deeply sad for you, frightened for you and angry with you for the damage you do to the Holy name of Jesus Christ. But Christians like me just can’t allow you to speak like this anymore without being countered. You’re losing power and I’m sure that’s terrifying but the most important thing we do as a church now is make sure you dont hurt children through your rhetoric. That is our sacred calling.
And yes, you are absolutely responsible for the message gay teens here that they are an abomination before God and as a result of hearing that? Your message? They go into despair and they killthemselves. Ifyou were remotely interested in neing educated on the topic youd see that even the most comservative christians have said it’s a problem.
Their blood is on your hands. That you want to deny that doesn’t change it….no one else is telling them that but you.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Psalm 111:10)
“Let those who fear the LORD say: ‘His love endures forever.’” (Psalm 118:4)
“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:16-18)
To all (and especially the author of this post:
The verses that were used in this post were ABSOLUTELY out of context, and therefore had NOTHING to do with homosexual sin. Look people, when Lot would have male guests stay with him, the locals of Sodom would demand that lot bring those men out to be raped. God brought down fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gamorah. In Romans 1, all the people exchanged natural relationships of unnatural ones, and all paid the due penalty for their wickedness. The Bible is ABUNDANTLY clear that homosexuals will NOT inherit the kingdom of heaven unless they repent. You say that you are a Christian and are homosexual? Just as Paul said in Galatians 1, you preach a different gospel and you WILL be eternal condemned unless you repent! Period. God does not and will never approve or condone homosexuality.
You are simply a caricature of a christian who is using Christianity to promote your ignorance and homophobia and hide from its repercussions. You are rapidly losing any power you have in influencing my beautiful church and you are now being held accountable for the results of the things like this that you promote and share with gay men and women.
Change, be quiet or get out. One can be both gay and a Christian and you are directly responsible for the suicides that occur when gay children kill themselves as a result of what you’ve just said here. You are responsible for the gay men and women who reject Christianity. Best to repent of both before you actually have to face the Holy Righteousness of God the Father for the damage you’ve done to His beloved, those He sent His only Son Jesus to die for. I wouldn’t wish your fate on my worst enemy.
“What Would Jesus Do If Invited to a Gay Wedding?”
Kiss the brides?
And there you have it. Thanks, all.
Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so,
Little ones to him belong, they are weak but he is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves Patrick
Yes, Jesus loves Neil
Yes, Jesus loves Candace
Yes, Jesus loves Anna
Yes, Jesus loves Ric Booth
Yes, Jesus loves Sam
Yes, Jesus loves Skerrib
Yes, Jesus loves John
Yes, Jesus loves Tony
Yes, Jesus loves Arlywn
When I married my beloved, Jesus came to our wedding.
And he smiled.
And he danced.
And I am forever thankful.
Just going to quickly report that I did an internet search on the Greek words Anita provided above, and found some interesting reading.
For those whose minds and hearts are open to a broader discussion of whether the Bible actually does globally condemn homosexuality.
John, thank you. I am profoundly grateful that this discussion was given the freedom and the room to run that you gave it.
Anita, God bless ya, girl. I consider you a friend, and wish the wedding wasn’t already over or I’d be angling for an invite
“Anita is an accomplished Protestant minister who I GUARANTEE you knows the Bible every bit as much as you wish you did”
All I can say to that is, “So what?” Lots of atheists know the Bible well (I’m not saying she is an atheist, just that knowing the Bible doesn’t make you a Christian). Lots of apostate churches ordain gay pastors. That doesn’t make them Christians either.
If you want to say that only God can judge the salvation of gay people then go ahead. But I think you are making the opposite error of Patrick. Just because someone claims to be a Christian doesn’t mean he or she is.
Homosexual behavior is a way of shaking one’s fists at God, and same-sex unions are a full-time way of doing that.
100% of the verses addressing homosexual behavior denounce it as sin in the strongest possible terms.
100% of the verses referencing God’s ideal for marriage involve one man and one woman.
100% of the verses referencing parenting involve moms and dads with unique roles (or at least a set of male and female parents guiding the children).
0% of 31,173 Bible verses refer to homosexual behavior in a positive or even benign way or even hint at the acceptability of homosexual unions.
To be in such a union and to insist that one is in a true saving relationship with Jesus is to be “saved and confused” at best.
Obviously they have no personal relationship with Jesus? Honestly Patrick, as someone who’s had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ since the age of 5 and spent my entire life wildly crazy in love with Him, I find your remark to be the most arrogant and offensive of everything I’ve ever read on any blog and dear man, I’ve read some pretty horrendous stuff. Others will bare witness that I usually respond as graciously as possible but all I can think to say to you is “How dare you!” Your statement not only demeans my commitment to Christ but makes a mockery of what has forever been the foundation for our relationship with Christ and that’s the work that Jesus alone bore on the cross so that in believing in him and the glory of what he did for us, we might enter into communion with God. I’m sickened by what I just read. Not because I’m gay since your judgment makes no difference in what I know to be true in my life, but because I’m a Christian and I’ve seen the wounds and scars on the hearts of people who’ve taken such words from others into themselves.
This is one time I have no lighthearted or even sarcastically witty comment to add.
I think the real question is this; If these are your friends, have you spoken the truth in love to them about what Jesus would say to them about their sin just as He spoke to the Pharisees that you mention concerning their sin(s)? If these people are truly your friends the obedient and hardest thing to do is to confront them over their eternal destination. Obviously that they are gay and now “married” signifies that they have no personal relationship with Jesus. Your concern should not have been “should I go?” but rather, “should I go and tell them that without Jesus they are on thier way to hell?” This is truly loving your neighber as your self.
Oh Anna Anna Anna.
Allllllllllllrighty, then.
My feeling is that continuing this is like continuing to chew a huge wad of gum once it's utterly devoid of flavor. No fun. Time to move on.
I'm going to let Anita have the last word here, because she's the one toward whom the most people have directed the most venom—and because I've been deeply impressed by the thoughtfulness, kindness, patience, and resonating love that she evinced with each and every one of her responses. If that's what homosexual Christianity looks like, maybe we should all go out and buy Tinky Winky dolls.
Anyway, fair is fair: She gets the last word. If any of you have anything else you'd like to add to this comment chain, do so now, because once Anita's had her next say, I'm shuttin' this puppy down. Thanks to each and every one of you for your contribution to what turned out to be a dialogue much more intense and invigorating than I'd imagined it might prove to be.
Anita's right, Patrick. "Obviously that they are gay and now 'married' signifies that they have no personal relationship with Jesus," is an atocious thing to say. No matter how you feel about it, the plain fact is that there are hundreds of thousands if not millions of gay and lesbian people who are every bit as ferociously dedicated to Jesus as you are. In this particular case, you have royally screwed le' pooch, because Anita is an accomplished Protestant minister who I GUARANTEE you knows the Bible every bit as much as you wish you did. You need to apologize to her for your arrogant maligning of her passion for Christ. Do her, yourself, and all of us a favor: Let shine some of the kindess, humility and grace that all we followers of Christ are called upon—are commanded by Him, in fact—to cultivate within ourselves, and to then share with others.
I too have had many close relations at one time of my youth to have supported free love,and an end to loneliness and non-acceptance which had brought me to the study and acceptance of gay/lesbian relationships, but after i had my 5 kids (3 girls/2 boys) gays have attacked my personal life in horrible ways. Besides prowling for my boys in every public setting, i am bombarded with signage that puts down my christian lifestyle, crushing my childrens up bringing in public schools, forced sexuality in our High School to join the gay alliance club or you’ll be ostrisized by teachers and students. My question really lies in this… are you invited to be apolitically correct show that “all kinds” are welcome only if …you lay in bed with gay veiws, are you only to get acceptance if you agreeto go and show? Can your boundaries be accepted about sexuality? Are you considering acceptance to going because of the negative proplems that will be inevitable? I encourage you to have strength and realize that you can have a boundary (like I’m telling you right?) and still have relations without falling into a trap of compromise that is not pleasing to whom you follow. When Jesus Christ had dinner, did He eat with gays and enjoy Himself or did He go and eat with ex-gays? I have also witnessed ex-gay “members of the club” (it is a club) and these men have moved on with healthy mental peace and heter- marriages. In conclusion gracefully bow out for religious purposes which the couple would already be expecting. Please note that you deserve to be loved for your yes’s and your no’s.
Good question. We just went to a wedding of two former co-workers and friends – the bride was on her third marriage and the groom on his second. It appeared that they started dating seriously before the divorces were final and vacationed together. We went to be supportive and just prayed for them most of the time.
Oh joybells! We’re in the 200′s and the energy hasn’t abated yet. I feel so warm inside.
TO ARLYWN:
Excuse me??? Whatever gave you the idea that Gay people would ever be “against” a Straight couple’s wedding? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard! I’ve been to lots of weddings, and I’ve been an usher in at least three. I believe very strongly in monogamy and commitment, whether by a Straight couple or a Gay couple.
That Gay couples seek to marry is not an attack on marriage. If anything it is an ENDORSEMENT of marriage, an acknowledgment that it far better to encourage couples toward monogamy and commitment, rather than relegating them to lives of loneliness and promiscuity.
Ask any Straight couple why they choose to marry. Their answer will not be, “We want to get married so that we can have sex and make babies!” That would be absurd, since couples do not need to marry to make babies, nor is the desire to make babies a prerequisite for obtaining a marriage license.
No, the reason couples choose to marry is to make a solemn declaration, before friends and family members, that they wish to make a commitment to one another’s happiness, health, and well-being, to the exclusion of all others. Those friends and family members will subsequently act as a force of encouragement for that couple to hold fast to their vows.
THAT’S what makes marriage a good thing. Gay couples recognize that and support that.
Whew. You just saved me a ton of money in wedding gifts since that means I should no longer attend marriages of straight friends who I know gossip, are prideful, self-righteous, judgmental, who don't welcome the outcast, who ignore the plight of the homeless, who have let the sun set on their anger or have been divorced and are getting married for the second time. Wait. Now that I'm thinking about it, I should never go to another straight wedding again since how am I to know if the couple are going to practice sodomy, which the Bible calls sin. I wonder….should I ask if they intend to do so before returning my RSVP card?
Sigh…no more white taffeta for me and rice-throwing for me.
When you go to the wedding (any wedding) you are giving your blessing and your approval. You can love them, do other things with them, but as Christians, we have to stand up for righteousness, and no, I do not believe you can go to their wedding, and give your blessing.
Is it really love not to shower and surround our LGBT friends with love on such an important day of their lives? Also, I know of many straight couples who should not have married because it wasn’t healthy, but I still went to their weddings because I wanted to surround them with a loving presence.
Gays don’t believe in straight weddings?
What about all those wedding planners?
I see. And your simple question was …?
Ok, now we are past 200, are we going for 300? What's the record for blog comments in general, I wonder?
So, Anna (#221) …
Are you saying you no longer sin? Interesting. Would like to know how you manage that. Please explain.
John,
I loved the message. I truely think that through love is how we are to fellowship to people. I was just awoken with a phone call from a christian friend who is really on fire for God. I told him of this message you wrote and for a while he was hard set against it. I am not trying to change someones heart about the subject but food for thought rather to possibly help guide them in thier walk. We started talking and his friend called who was hard set against it, we went into a 3 way convo and to make a long story short he basically told me that Jesus wouldn't go simply because sin is condemed, whne they get to the part of "whosoever thinks these two shouldn't be married speak….." he said it was our duty to then bring forth the wrod as it is an abomination of God. Ugg……………This convo was one of the most stressful I have had, I agreed to disagree but think these people are missing the point.
At one point in the convo he stated it was sin, like adultery is an abomination. I then asked him if he had been to a wedding of someone who wasn't biblically separated from thier first spouse and got remarried…..How short sighted we can be when we are uncomfortable with things…..
God Bless You All!
Clarity here, I was not trying to hint that I think gays dont believe in marriage, I was attempting to point out that knowing they dont believe in the same kind of marriage….
okay how about this example instead? I doubt very seriously that Anita would consider marrying Morse, anymore that Anna would consider marrying Anita. So if Anita invites Anna to her wedding, and Anna doesnt go- because homosexuals are going to hell and so is everyone who attends the wedding, blah- then is it anymore fair for Anna to expect Anita to come to her wedding?
Does that help? I was not saying gays dont believe in marriage!!!!!!
Anna. What has satan done specifically? Dont give credit to things that havent done anything.
Its a very dark world we live in indeed…My very first Blog ever,and am sick to my stomach at what Satan has done. Wow !!!!!!!! Love All in Christ
@ John Shore How do you feel about Homosexuals being a minister? WWJS (What Would Jesus Say ?)
@ Anita, Jesus might have not demanded repentance from them to sit with them on earth,,but he did say you had to repent and sin no more to sit with him in Heaven,,,he does not expect us to contiune in our sins,,in others words he loves you but does not accept you or anyone that contiunes in that sin,,if you can say how you feel, I have to stand b-4 God in how I feel and believe.
I can't begin to imagine what area of the country you live in but here in San Francisco that's not the case at all and wouldn't you think it would given all us queers running wild in this corner of the nation? Given that most child predators are heterosexual males, how have you concluded your sons are being prowled upon by gay men? What kind of "signage" are you seeing and where that ridicules and condemns your christian faith? Are the signs similar to those that read "Fags should die!" and "God hates queers!" And I'd really be interested in any documented and proven evidence you have about youth being ostracized by school officials and faculty for not joining the Gay/Straight Alliance.
Since you seem to equate homosexuality to other sins, do you actually read in your Bible that Jesus only ate with ex-prostitutes, ex-tax collectors, and ex-sinners? Not only did Christ eat with those who were sinners but he didn't demand repentance from them as a condition to sitting with them and sharing a meal. He didn't patronize them or look down on them. He loved them. He shared bread with them. He identified with them. If you or anyone feel called to separate yourselves from "sinners" that's the right of your convictions but don't mis-characterize Jesus as ever having done the same thing, because HE. NEVER. DID.
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