Same sex marriage just became legal in my state today. I’ve been reading newspaper forums on the subject and am amazed at how angry supporters of gay marriage are. There is an amazing hatred for ANY Christian value, belief or point of view. How can one follow Christ’s command to love thy neighbor when we are facing such hatred? I am having a very hard time dealing with this. I personally feel that the gay right activists, along with abortion supporters, stem cell advocates, etc., blame us Christians for oppressing them and going to war against them and their beliefs, but I see that we are the ones being oppressed. They took our right to pray in school, they fight against any religious public display, they even want to remove the word God from our money. Does anyone have any ideas to help keep from getting angry at what I see is our nation experiencing the total falling away from morality and living a God-less life?
The Promised Land had been promised to the Jews by God, it was a land that was at one point a great Kingdom under King David. Yet, during Jesus’ time, the Romans had conquered the Promised Land and hired Jewish people to serve as taxcollectors, collecting Roman taxes from their own Jewish brethern. These taxcollectors, like the homosexuals of our society, were widely despised by their Jewish society as being among the worst of the worst… yet Jesus was cool with the taxcollectors, even made one of them one of the 12 (Matthew/Levi). On the other hand, Jesus was angry at the holier-than-thou crowd of the Pharisees. Also, Jesus didn’t get angry that the Promised Land was occupied by Romans, and he didn’t do anything to try to lead a politican revolution against the Roman occupiers to free the Promised Land. Also, Jesus didn’t get angry that the traditional Torah law wasn’t being followed strictly, in fact, Jesus and his disciples broke several of the traditional Torah laws of his society, which the Pharisees hated. That’s why we as Christians don’t follow the strict laws of the Torah, much less expect our society to have such laws.
As for same-sex marriage laws and other government laws that you see as destroying our society, it can’t be any worse than the Romans occupying the Promise Land and the Jews that weren’t strictly following all the traditional Torah laws of their society. And if Jesus didn’t get angry about that, why should you? Jesus taught us to be merciful, loving, etc… not full of hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.
Jesus didn’t call for a society of laws that made us act religious, he didn’t care about that. Instead, Jesus called for us as individuals to purify our hearts and be holy. Don’t worry about society’s laws, worry about yourself, your own holiness. Like Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount: “
I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees (those that were primarily concerned about the religious laws of their society), you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” In other words, the last thing you should be worried about is society and it’s laws, and the last thing you should be worried about is looking down on you neighbor for doing stuff you don’t like… what you should be worried about is yourself, your call to holiness.
As for how you talk about how angry supporters of gay marriage are, how are you so different from them? Both the angry supporters of gay marriage and the angry opposition of gay marriage are in the same boat… they are both angry people focusing on laws instead of purifying themselves in holiness.
As for how you talk about how “the gay right activists, along with abortion supporters, stem cell advocates, etc., blame us Christians for oppressing them and going to war against them and their beliefs,” how are you so different from them? Both of you are just as guilty as playing the angry blame-game against each other, just like the Pharisees Jesus was so angry with.
As for freedom of religion… no religion in government schools, government parks, government currency… that is a good thing. Even the Church agrees with this. The governments on this planet should not be getting involved with promoting a set religious belief system. If the Christian countries like the USA allow government schools, government parks, government currency, etc to promote Christianity, that what is wrong with Muslims countries, Buddhist countries, Hindu countries, Atheist countries, etc doing the same thing to their citizens with their government schools, government parks, government currency, etc? Look at China. The governments on this planet should stay neutral when it comes to religious beliefs… government schools, government parks, government currency, etc. should be neutral when it comes to religious beliefs. Instead, every government should allow their citizens complete religious freedom.
In short, instead of worrying about the problems you see with society, worry about learning more about Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life, worry about learning about your call to holiness.
he is happy, im happy.