Story: High school student sent home for wearing ‘homosexuality is a sin’ T-shirt, father says

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Her shirt bears the words “homosexuality is a sin” with a reference to the New Testament passage of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.
This passage in the Bible says “do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, 10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God.”

Penkoski noted that one of his daughter’s teachers has an LGBT pride sticker displayed in his classroom featuring the rainbow colors associated with the LGBT movement, which pushed to make same-sex marriage legal in across the U.S. According to Penkoski, the principal did not have any issue with the pro-LGBT display.
 
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What bothers me most is the inconsistency of it. If a school wanted to make a rule that no religious or political messages could be displayed on campus and enforced it consistently, I would be fine with that. At my high school, you couldn’t wear any clothes with writing on them, unless it was official school merchandise.

Technically, I disagree with the shirt. Experiencing same-sex attraction is not a sin, just a disordered inclination. It only becomes a sin when acted upon.
 
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I’m sure Jesus is just thrilled pink that the religion he founded has become in the hands of so many who claim to be his followers little else than a excuse and cover for hatred.

Funny that the dad chose to have his daughter wear that particular verse, rather than “Love your neighbor”, which is what Christianity is all about.
 
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Loving your neighbor also includes performing the Spiritual Works of Mercy.
 
Jbrady said:
I’m sure Jesus is just thrilled pink that the religion he founded has become in the hands of so many who claim to be his followers little else than a excuse and cover for hatred.

Funny that the dad chose to have his daughter wear that particular verse, rather than “Love your neighbor”, which is what Christianity is all about.
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Hatred? Is it hatred to NOT want someone to possibly commit sin, and thus possibly lose their soul? If I overheard someone say that they were going to rob a store and tried to prevent them would that be hatred ?

Or are you saying that anyone should be able to do what ever they want?

From my point of view, the young lady was doing exactly what you suggest: “Love your neighbor.” She is worried about their immortal souls and where they will spend eternity. By warning them, she is loving them much more than those who allow anything and everything.

Pax
 
fredystairs said:
From my point of view, the young lady was doing exactly what you suggest: “Love your neighbor.”
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I don’t buy that. At all. Nor do a rapidly growing number of Christians who doubt the sincerity of publicity stunts like this. That cover has worn so thin that it is as transparent as Saran wrap. Plausible denial is no longer plausible.
 
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How about a student wearing a “The Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon” shirt? That’s an easy enough thought to hear radio preachers say - a common enough religious sentiment in some fundamentalist circles. Sent home? Or “free speech?”
 
Jbrady said:
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fredystairs:
From my point of view, the young lady was doing exactly what you suggest: “Love your neighbor.”
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I don’t buy that. At all. Nor do a rapidly growing number of Christians who doubt the sincerity of publicity stunts like this. That cover has worn so thin that it is as transparent as Saran wrap. Plausible denial is no longer plausible.
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Maybe it is a publicity stunt, although I doubt it. The fact is that she told the truth, which is something that is becoming rarer and rarer in schools.

Pax
 
A couple of comments:
  1. From a 1st amendment perspective: If a teacher has a pride sticker on display, which seems to be allowed, then the student has the right to wear the t-shirt
  2. From a Catholic perspective, I think an axiom I learned from Archbishop Chaput comes to mind: “Truth without compassion wounds and repels, mercy without truth is a comfortable form of lying.” We can use Christ as the model here, especially when viewing his interaction with the prostitute. He did not beat her over the head with the 10 Commandments, He showed her mercy, however, He also told her to sin no more. Applied to this situation, the t-shirt won’t change anyone’s mind. Perhaps witnessing to how Christ changed their life would be more of an invitation to leave a sinful life.
  3. I remember when I was in college and listened to bombastic street preachers who visited campus. They put a horrible face on Christianity. I don’t think they changed anyone’s mind.
 
whatistrue said:
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fredystairs:
Is it hatred to NOT want someone to possibly commit sin, and thus possibly lose their soul?
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So where are the shirts that say “Robbing stores is a sin”? If it’s all and only about stopping people from sinning that is.
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Because it is understood that robbing a store is wrong. There are laws on the books that say that robbing a store is wrong and you will be punished for doing so.

For homosexual conduct however, there are no laws. They have been struck down. One does not need a t-shirt that says “Robbing stores is wrong” because everyone understands is, even if they still do it.

Nowadays, the culture is saying that homosexual activity is acceptable. Few have the courage to say that it not acceptable. The young lady in the op DOES have the courage to say that it is unacceptable.

Pax
 
Cimachol said:
What bothers me most is the inconsistency of it. If a school wanted to make a rule that no religious or political messages could be displayed on campus and enforced it consistently, I would be fine with that. At my high school, you couldn’t wear any clothes with writing on them, unless it was official school merchandise.
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I agree that prohibiting any shirt with writing on it, unless it’s an official school shirt, is the only way to solve this. Otherwise we will have kids showing up in shirts promoting everything from Bible verses to Communism and there is no way it will all get evaluated fairly.
 
fredystairs said:
Because it is understood that robbing a store is wrong.
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By some, yes. And of course there is the fact that what was printed on the shirt was not actually true (homosexuality alone is not per se sinful). So should she be praised for lying?

I just get interested when the only sins people want to admonish others about are the sexual ones. And so many get such joy out of admonishing about them, but won’t touch many others.
 
fredystairs said:
The young lady in the op DOES have the courage to say that it is unacceptable.
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I see a cowardly act on the part of the father in evading responsibility for his own hatred by packaging it disguised in the form of his daughter under the insincere cover of “religious freedom”. Sorry, stunts like this are dime a dozen, and few people are taken in anymore. Jesus did not say, “Go ye forth and be hate-driven jerks”.
 
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whatistrue said:
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fredystairs:
Because it is understood that robbing a store is wrong.
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By some, yes. And of course there is the fact that what was printed on the shirt was not actually true (homosexuality alone is not per se sinful). So should she be praised for lying?

I just get interested when the only sins people want to admonish others about are the sexual ones. And so many get such joy out of admonishing about them, but won’t touch many others.
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She had the Bible verse there for anyone to read. So I do not concur that she was necessarily lying. The t-shirt could have been clearer I agree.

Sexual sins are, generally, mortal. Rape, adultery, contraception, and homosexual activity can all be mortal. Why not speak out against those sins which can lead one to eternal damnation?

The culture today is fixated on sex. It is my personal belief is that this fixation is because the culture has rejected God and has thus turned to sexual pleasure to fill the void that the loss of joy that results when one rejects God. Sex, like any of God’s gifts, is wonderful if used in the manner that God designed it for. However, our culture has rejected the just use of the gift. Since it is so important for the family, (the domestic church,) and for the larger society, it is appropriate that those sins be called to mind.

Pax
 
Jbrady said:
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fredystairs:
The young lady in the op DOES have the courage to say that it is unacceptable.
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I see a cowardly act on the part of the father in evading responsibility for his own hatred by packaging it disguised in the form of his daughter under the insincere cover of “religious freedom”. Sorry, stunts like this are dime a dozen, and few people are taken in anymore. Jesus did not say, “Go ye forth and be hate-driven jerks”.
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So I’ll ask the question again, “Is it hateful for one to NOT want someone to lose their immortal soul?” Because that is what it comes down to.
 
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