One December day, when I was seven years old, and alone in our house, I sneaked into my parents’ bedroom, hauled open their closet door, and found, fresh from the department store, just about every toy I had asked Santa to bring me that upcoming Christmas.
Aghast and transfixed, I then knew the brutal truth: far from being way up in the North Pole, Santa Claus was in the closet.
Har!
No, but seriously: I didn’t like my new reality. I liked my old reality, the reality in which I had believed for my entire life—the more imaginative reality. But what could I do? Try to somehow reconcile the unwrapped purchases in my parent’s closet with the whole idea of elves working away in their North Pole workshop?
Love the Santa, but hate the sales receipts? Try to pray away the pay?
Forget it. It was over. Adulthood had scored another knockout.
Perhaps you see where I am going with the metaphor.
That’s right: one day, when you’re home alone, and in no way prepared to deal with it, gay people are going to jump out of the closet and beat you up.
No, but just like the time was then upon me to accept that gift-giving Santa Claus doesn’t really exist, the time is now upon you to accept that gay-bashing Jesus Christ doesn’t really exist. But at least with your new understanding of the way things are, you get to keep Jesus Christ. I had to totally ditch Santa Claus: all of a sudden Smokey the Bear was more real. But you get to totally change your entire understanding of gay people, and still remain 100% Christian. Christianity will actually get better for you, because fully accepting gay people will decrease the amount of anger and stress, and increase the amount of love in your life.
Pffft. Upon learning there was no Santa Claus, I immediately dropped out of Little League and started smoking cigarettes. So. You know.
Here’s the thing: in days gone by, it was reasonable for Christians not to question conventional wisdom about the Bible. Because everyone used the Bible to justify slavery, for instance, Christians were okay with believing that some of their fellow human beings were just another species of farm animal they rightfully owned. Later, we Christians were entirely comfortable using the Bible to justify the atrocious idea that women are second-class citizens too simple-minded to be trusted with the vote.
And up until the Internet made readily available all kinds of previously inaccessible knowledge and information, we could be excused for believing that the Bible indisputably states that God considers homosexual love a moral abomination.
Today, however, anyone who can read, or simply watch YouTube videos, is forced to acknowledge the absolute credibility of the universe of scholarship, and the reasoning based upon it (here’s mine), which unequivocally proves that the Bible does not, in fact, oblige Christians to believe that homosexual love, in and of itself, is necessarily any less moral than is heterosexual love.
That closet door is now swung wide open. The truth of the matter is now there for anyone to behold.
Christians today who take seriously the search for truth must admit that the old axiom that homosexuality is a sin has been forever reduced in status from objective truth to subjective opinion. From fact to belief. From beyond question to unquestionably dubious.
Believing that homosexual love is a condemnable sin, in other words, is now a choice one must make.
And what Christian—what person at all?—would choose ignorant condemnation over enlightened love?
So what if there’s no Santa Claus? We still receive all the gifts. And we still get to hold hands, gather around the Christmas tree, sing all the beautiful songs, and feel all the beautiful love.
![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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I just want to throw something out there. Jesus preached that above all, we were to love our neighbor as ourselves. whether or not it is a sin to be homosexual seems a valid topic of discussion but keep in mind that discussion doesn’t have to lead to arguing and hate speech. if you disagree with homosexuality, fine. just remember to love the person and not the choices the person makes.
Do you also think incest is OK?
Why would you ask that? The two things have nothing to do with one another. Incest creates genetic anomalies – it is dangerous should a pregnancy result.
In addition, incest rarely happens between two family members of equal status, but is more likely to be forced on a younger family member by an older one. That is wrong not only because of the genetic risk, but because someone is VICTIMIZED.
Which is another way in which it has nothing whatsoever in common with committed homosexual relationships between adults.
Duh.
I’m trying to understand on what basis some people who support homosexual relationships would discriminate against adults in a loving committed incestuous relationship. The arguments seem to be based on the same type of stereotypical generalizations that people had against homosexuals in the old days. The appeals to a possible genetic abnormality that could occur in a pregnancy that could result in an incestuous relationship are echos of the cries about how you would catch AIDS if you were gay back in the 80′s. It’s also reminiscent of the old mantra about how being gay was evidence that you were abused sexually as a child. If we leave behind all of our preconceived stereotypes about incest and focus on the moral question, we can come to a better understanding of the situation.
So, would it be a sin, for instance, for a man and his adult son, having later in life discovered that they had a sexual attraction and genuine love for one another, to consensually enter into a committed sexual relationship with one another as father and son? And if it would be sinful, why?
A parent and child, even if both adults, can never, in my way of thinking, be peers. Which, therefore, puts the “equal partners” concept right out of the picture.
I have no idea if it is considered sinful, honestly. But to me, personally, a parent/child relationship that becomes romantic is just . . . psychologically, emotionally? . . . . wrong. I am only speaking of parent/child. Beyond that, well, consenting adults can do what they will.
Thanks for responding. Maybe it would be easier for you to consider the same scenario, except instead of involving a father and adult son, it would involve two adult biological brothers entering consensually into a committed sexual relationship.
Are you hiding you name, “friend,” because you’re finding yourself attracted to someone in your family?
Perhaps. Or perhaps I’m just trying to get to the bottom of an important question concerning religion and modern society by drawing a parallel that many people are very uncomfortable thinking about.
i’m intrigued by Friend’s query. i’ve considered this question as a logical extension of freedom-to-love, and in the absense of the obvious issues Mindy brought up. that in a perfect scenario (such as the two grown siblings) i see no basis for sin if the love between them is authentic. the gigantic question therein can only be answered by those involved.
with due respect to biblical comics, incest is taboo to JEWS per the old levitcus silliness, but then again Lot was still hailed as a Holy Man despite the obvious double incest **for the purpose of creating heirs** just hours after Sodom was (supposedly) destroyed for wickedness and his wife was (supposedly) magically turned to salt for daring to sneek a peek.
so there you have it. i have no real answer other than it is truly none of my damned business as a member of society until someone is either obviously victimized or (even meekly) indicates such. i love the whole person, as the great teacher commanded. and that includes everything that uniquely makes up that person.
Great read John. What gets me about the anti-gay mentality is the narrowness. Statements like this, “Leviticus 20:13 is a ‘clearly stated directive’ to hate and kill gays” just stop there without continuing onward with ALL THE OTHER SINS IN THE BIBLE, and there are over 600 sins mentioned! Adultery requires the death penalty—and Jesus calls remarried divorcees adulterers! Brides who aren’t virgins on their wedding day—yep—death. Lying, spreading discord among brethren, and more, are abominations too. So, which are sins and which are not? Does knowing what is a sin mean we should therefore not commit that “sin”? Good luck! Perhaps God just wants us to know we are hopeless in our sins, whatever types they might be. His plan of grace for us and our faith in what Jesus did for us upon the cross are fully sufficient. Perhaps He just wants us to abandon personal, ego-flared pride and take on humility, love, and an identification of equality with all fellow sinners. For those who have not yet Googled to read about the clinical study conducted by the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, backed by the American Psychological Association, on homophobic men and why they act the way they do, please read that and get some insight into those people who call themselves “Christians” and then hurl hatred. So not Christ like! One of my favorites by Rebecca Wells, “Pride covers a multitude of sins…. You can see what they’re trying to hide by the way they’re trying to hide it.” —Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. I so identify with Paul’s struggle in
Rom.7:15-23; After reading Romans ch. 1, tell the homophobe to open his Bible again and now read Romans ch. 2, especially verses 18-24. “Which is worse, my love, or your hate? Gay marriage or straight divorce?” My partner and I have truly loved and cared for each other over 41 years. That’s got to count for something! And “one man/one woman” divorce is legal? God hates divorce! If I can’t marry, you can’t divorce.
Absolutely love this line: the time is now upon you to accept that gay-bashing Jesus Christ doesn’t really exist
One of my favorites. Thanks, John!
What do you make of evangelica,l new earth, literal-Bible-believing Christians who speak out strongly against abuse/in support of secular legal equality for homosexuals but still believe that, while no more wrong than failings ALL humans share, homosexuality is still wrong and that anyone who becomes close enough to God will give it up?
I have come across some; for instance, many of those holding the “We are sorry” signs at Gay Pride events. This seems so dishonest and sneaky that it annoys me probably far more than it should. I would really love to hear your thoughts, and perhaps it would help me get a handle on this.
Thanks
As usual, priceless. Thanks John.
Or if they know their place.
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