Well, it came up last night at small group Bible Study. The "h" word. Do you want to know the reason why Christian groups like Focus on the Family oppose anti-bullying legislation? Hold your breath. Here it comes.
They oppose anti-bullying legislation BECAUSE THEY are AFRAID that someone will accuse THEM of bullying just for stating an opinion that homosexuality is wrong. Really. Honestly. My God. The American Cancer Society has NO problem whatsoever stating that smoking is a health risk and nobody accuses THEM of bullying. I haven't heard of any smokers driven to suicide because of the ACS's stance on smoking, though I do know a number of smokers who grumble about anti-smoking restrictions. Apparently it's never occurred to them to accuse the ACS of bullying.
So I got on my soapbox and I said that was BS. That the kind of bullying that we are talking about IS the kind that drives kids to suicide. I told them that right now as we speak there is a thread going on on the Aspergers forum I hang out on (didn't tell them which one, that'd blow my cover for sure!) about Christian groups opposing anti-bullying initiatives as this is something every Aspergers person lives with and that let's be frank, people, it doesn't reflect well on Christians. That if you want to know why people don't want to hear about Christ--there's your answer. I said, I know you guys and I know what you are like and I know that you are really caring people--hate the sin, love the sinner, but that is not what the world out there sees and as far as they are concerned that is all they need to see. I said that Christians, to be credible, need to stand up and say in no uncertain terms that bullying for ANY reason is wrong. I reminded them again about our great state's shameful "religious exemption" for bullying. People are watching. And as far as I am concerned this explanation/excuse makes things even worse. Because it looks like Christians are only interested in covering their ass.
Whether it did any good is hard to tell. I kind of think I was probably wasting my breath. But why single out homosexuality?
If I recall my Bible correctly, there's a whole lot more said about adultery than homosexuality. And not just the kind that's brought down many a public figure. According to Jesus, if a divorced person remarries, not only does he or she commit adultery but they are forcing their new spouse to do so as well. Ouch. Ooph. Buh-Buh-Buh-But. No, let's just leave adultery alone. Never mind that it has probably done more to ruin families than all the gay people that have ever lived.
There's also, if I recall correctly, a great deal said about bearing false witness, coveting, stealing, envy, greed, maliciousness, backbiting, gossip, slander. The prophet Amos had a few things to say about the business practices of his day which turn out to be not so different than the business practices of today. Things about defrauding the poor, turning widows and orphans out of their houses, and so forth. Funny we don't hear so much about those kinds of sins.
But homosexuality, now, that's a convenient target because let's face it, there's not as many of them as there are the rest of the garden-variety sinners. In yesterday's Scripture reading we learned that John the Baptist was thrown into prison because he dared to accuse a king of adultery. It would eventually cost him his head. Poor foolish John! He should have known better. He should have picked on some out-group and all would have been well. Focus on things like not washing your hands before you eat and picking grain on the Sabbath and generally hanging around with low-lives who didn't give two figs for the Law. He would have had the support of the Pharisees for sure because they were always getting on his cousin Jesus for such things. But no.
Ah, but today's so-called Christian pro-family organizations know better. They aren't about to make John's mistake. Oh, no. They seem to have forgotten the central Christian message which is (according to Calvin at least) that we are ALL depraved sinners deserving of God's wrath and that it really doesn't matter in God's eyes which sin we commit. "ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Else why would they single out one group for special attention?
They oppose anti-bullying legislation BECAUSE THEY are AFRAID that someone will accuse THEM of bullying just for stating an opinion that homosexuality is wrong. Really. Honestly. My God. The American Cancer Society has NO problem whatsoever stating that smoking is a health risk and nobody accuses THEM of bullying. I haven't heard of any smokers driven to suicide because of the ACS's stance on smoking, though I do know a number of smokers who grumble about anti-smoking restrictions. Apparently it's never occurred to them to accuse the ACS of bullying.
So I got on my soapbox and I said that was BS. That the kind of bullying that we are talking about IS the kind that drives kids to suicide. I told them that right now as we speak there is a thread going on on the Aspergers forum I hang out on (didn't tell them which one, that'd blow my cover for sure!) about Christian groups opposing anti-bullying initiatives as this is something every Aspergers person lives with and that let's be frank, people, it doesn't reflect well on Christians. That if you want to know why people don't want to hear about Christ--there's your answer. I said, I know you guys and I know what you are like and I know that you are really caring people--hate the sin, love the sinner, but that is not what the world out there sees and as far as they are concerned that is all they need to see. I said that Christians, to be credible, need to stand up and say in no uncertain terms that bullying for ANY reason is wrong. I reminded them again about our great state's shameful "religious exemption" for bullying. People are watching. And as far as I am concerned this explanation/excuse makes things even worse. Because it looks like Christians are only interested in covering their ass.
Whether it did any good is hard to tell. I kind of think I was probably wasting my breath. But why single out homosexuality?
If I recall my Bible correctly, there's a whole lot more said about adultery than homosexuality. And not just the kind that's brought down many a public figure. According to Jesus, if a divorced person remarries, not only does he or she commit adultery but they are forcing their new spouse to do so as well. Ouch. Ooph. Buh-Buh-Buh-But. No, let's just leave adultery alone. Never mind that it has probably done more to ruin families than all the gay people that have ever lived.
There's also, if I recall correctly, a great deal said about bearing false witness, coveting, stealing, envy, greed, maliciousness, backbiting, gossip, slander. The prophet Amos had a few things to say about the business practices of his day which turn out to be not so different than the business practices of today. Things about defrauding the poor, turning widows and orphans out of their houses, and so forth. Funny we don't hear so much about those kinds of sins.
But homosexuality, now, that's a convenient target because let's face it, there's not as many of them as there are the rest of the garden-variety sinners. In yesterday's Scripture reading we learned that John the Baptist was thrown into prison because he dared to accuse a king of adultery. It would eventually cost him his head. Poor foolish John! He should have known better. He should have picked on some out-group and all would have been well. Focus on things like not washing your hands before you eat and picking grain on the Sabbath and generally hanging around with low-lives who didn't give two figs for the Law. He would have had the support of the Pharisees for sure because they were always getting on his cousin Jesus for such things. But no.
Ah, but today's so-called Christian pro-family organizations know better. They aren't about to make John's mistake. Oh, no. They seem to have forgotten the central Christian message which is (according to Calvin at least) that we are ALL depraved sinners deserving of God's wrath and that it really doesn't matter in God's eyes which sin we commit. "ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Else why would they single out one group for special attention?
