Sexuality Part 1

There are people who believe that homosexuality is one of the worst sins; and then there are people who believe that you're homophobic and a bigot for disapproving of homosexuality. But there are people, like me, who are in between. I think both those positions have problems.

Let me start with the people who believe that homosexuality is one of the worst sins ( and this belief is evidenced by their hatred of gays). Those on this side argue that homosexuality is wrong because it goes against the relationship that God created between a man and a woman. This is very true. But what these people fail to consider is that God also created a perfect world. Everything was as it should be. Then man sinned. Then things were not as they should be. If they want to compare before the fall to after the fall, they need to take the part about everything being perfect and apply it to our current situation. Obviously everything is not perfect.

But they have verses to support their claim that homosexuality is so bad (I'm going to comment on several translations.):

New International Version (©1984)
"'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable." To whom? To God? Yes, it is detestable to God because that's not what he wanted when he created man. NIV has never impressed me though.

New Living Translation (©2007)
"Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin." Isn't all sin detestable? 

English Standard Version (©2001)
"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination." But I'm failing to see why this abomination is worse than the others.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
"Never have sexual intercourse with a man as with a woman. It is disgusting." Am I missing something? Men and women are too different for a man to have sexual intercourse with a man the way he has sexual intercourse with a woman. Men and woman are physically incapable of that. 

 Okay, so some of these translations are odd, but you get the idea. Men are not supposed to have sex with men and women are not supposed to have sex with women. It is sin by the Bible's (God's) standards. But the Bible also classifies many other things as sin, like gluttony. Are gluttons called out as much as gays? Do we need to start a movement for the rights of gluttons? The idea is that sin is sin, regardless of what kind it is. Certainly, choosing a sinful lifestyle is unacceptable by Biblical standards, but you have to remember that all non-Christians are living in sin apart from God and thus their behavior seems expected and fairly normal (for lack of a better word). 

 

Ideas

Well, I haven't posted in a while, mostly because I've been busy and I haven't had much inspiration. I want to post on something super interesting. So, I'm going to think about it for a while. I'd also be excited to see what anyone who happens to read this is interested in hearing about, so feel free to post a comment with a topic that interests you.

Thinking

Being a critical thinker is important. Having influences in your life encourage you to think critically is important. However, homeschooling parents don't seem to see that value in that, or perhaps they don't know what they're doing to their children. You see, I've noticed that homeschooled kids from super conservative Christian homes can't seem to think for themselves. Why? Because they have been told what to believe from and early age. They have been drowned in Christian material and opinions to the point where everything that doesn't fit into their narrow view of life is wrong. Now, I don't have a problem with people having opinions. I don't have a problem when they decide to argue their opinions. I do have a problem when these people decide to present a faulty argument for their position and end the argument by saying that God will judge me for being wrong.

What horrifies me is that all these people are convinced that what they're doing is right to the point that they can't possibly change they're position. I have seen people argue to the point where I was sure they had no choice but to admit they were wrong, but they didn't. These people have been so well trained to believe that what they've been taught is right that they can't even admit when  they're wrong.


This points to a character flaw: pride. Now, we all have pride, some more than others, and some for no reason, but we all have it. Homeschool parents elevate their children level of pride by providing all the answers and not looking into counterarguments. Their children grow up believing that they have all the answers. That's why they can't carry on a good argument. Their perspective is so limited that they can't process new ideas in a healthy way.

I was like that. I had been told a number of things about the Bible, homosexuals, government, and abortion that simply aren't true (yes, I do believe abortion is murder). When I eventually attended a government school, I had to answer questions relating to this stuff, and guess what? When I answered a question, nobody said anything for a while. I got the "you're stupid" stare from everyone including the teacher. I learned to check my facts better after a few weeks.

Unfortunately, certain brands of homeschooling don't allow children to be exposed to a wide range of ideas because parents fear that their children will be contaminated by the world.