dorkelf
Active Member
The topic came up in Guild Wars alliance chat yesterday evening. I'm not sure if the fellow who brought up the topic is active in these forums, but Heiscomingsoon was kind enough to direct him here and hopefully he'll get a chance to join in on this conversation.
I want to say first that homosexuality is a 'hot button' issue - most people have very strong personal opinions about it and it is hard to discuss it without offending other's beliefs and convictions. We’ve had members of our guild leave after similar forum or alliance chat discussions, usually after an ad hominem (personal) attack to the tune of ‘you can’t be a Christian if you hold that view’. Frankly I was reluctant to post this at all. But it did come up, and this is the right forum for it - so better to address it here rather than Guild Wars alliance chat.
There will differences of opinion on this issue, just as there are on Bible versions, young earth/old earth, or a host of other topics. I think it is important for anyone who participates in the discussion to respect those who hold different views.
With that said, here are some of the questions I wanted to bring up:
1 Is homosexuality as a gender preference a sin?
2 Is homosexuality as sexual practice a sin?
3 If yes to either above - should this sin be distinguished from other sins such as lust, greed, stealing, etc.?
4 Should homosexuals (gender preference) who abstain from practice be accepted or rejected by the Christian church?
5 Should active homosexuals (sexual practice) be accepted or rejected by the Christian church?
6 What should the overall message of the Church be in regards to homosexuality as a gender preference?
7 What should the overall message of the Church be in regards to homosexuality as a sexual practice?
And here are my own answers to these questions:
1 My BEST understanding of current scientific and medical research is that homosexuality (as a sexual preference) is a mental disorder, likely brought on by early childhood trauma, which creates an uncontrollable (but perhaps treatable) inclination towards the same sex. Therefore, because I believe sin has to involve an actual CHOICE to do what is immoral, I don’t think an involuntary PREFERENCE for ANYTHING can be inherently sinful.
2 I think it is very explicit in the Bible that homosexual practice is sinful.
3 I personally think that some sins are more despicable to God than others, but I don’t know that I could back that up solidly with scripture. What I do believe and would be able to support is that the ‘wages’ of sin aren’t determined by what the sin was, or how offensive it was to God.
4 I abhor the idea of punishing someone for an admitted inclination if that person has never acted upon that inclination.
5 Jesus’ modeled the role of a physician, and like he said…those who are sick are the only ones who need him. I think it is horrible that we so often turn away those with visible ‘symptoms’ of sin in order to preserve a comfortable church environment for ourselves!
6 I think the Church should stand behind all sinners and aid them. We’re dreadful wretches just like them. We can only hope in God’s promise that our own sins are overcome by His love, and share that promise with others.
7 Homosexual practice is NEVER mentioned in a positive light anywhere in the Bible, and its association with sin is very difficult to dismiss. I think the Church should be unified in condemning homosexual practice as a sin.
Paul
I want to say first that homosexuality is a 'hot button' issue - most people have very strong personal opinions about it and it is hard to discuss it without offending other's beliefs and convictions. We’ve had members of our guild leave after similar forum or alliance chat discussions, usually after an ad hominem (personal) attack to the tune of ‘you can’t be a Christian if you hold that view’. Frankly I was reluctant to post this at all. But it did come up, and this is the right forum for it - so better to address it here rather than Guild Wars alliance chat.
There will differences of opinion on this issue, just as there are on Bible versions, young earth/old earth, or a host of other topics. I think it is important for anyone who participates in the discussion to respect those who hold different views.
With that said, here are some of the questions I wanted to bring up:
1 Is homosexuality as a gender preference a sin?
2 Is homosexuality as sexual practice a sin?
3 If yes to either above - should this sin be distinguished from other sins such as lust, greed, stealing, etc.?
4 Should homosexuals (gender preference) who abstain from practice be accepted or rejected by the Christian church?
5 Should active homosexuals (sexual practice) be accepted or rejected by the Christian church?
6 What should the overall message of the Church be in regards to homosexuality as a gender preference?
7 What should the overall message of the Church be in regards to homosexuality as a sexual practice?
And here are my own answers to these questions:
1 My BEST understanding of current scientific and medical research is that homosexuality (as a sexual preference) is a mental disorder, likely brought on by early childhood trauma, which creates an uncontrollable (but perhaps treatable) inclination towards the same sex. Therefore, because I believe sin has to involve an actual CHOICE to do what is immoral, I don’t think an involuntary PREFERENCE for ANYTHING can be inherently sinful.
2 I think it is very explicit in the Bible that homosexual practice is sinful.
3 I personally think that some sins are more despicable to God than others, but I don’t know that I could back that up solidly with scripture. What I do believe and would be able to support is that the ‘wages’ of sin aren’t determined by what the sin was, or how offensive it was to God.
4 I abhor the idea of punishing someone for an admitted inclination if that person has never acted upon that inclination.
5 Jesus’ modeled the role of a physician, and like he said…those who are sick are the only ones who need him. I think it is horrible that we so often turn away those with visible ‘symptoms’ of sin in order to preserve a comfortable church environment for ourselves!
6 I think the Church should stand behind all sinners and aid them. We’re dreadful wretches just like them. We can only hope in God’s promise that our own sins are overcome by His love, and share that promise with others.
7 Homosexual practice is NEVER mentioned in a positive light anywhere in the Bible, and its association with sin is very difficult to dismiss. I think the Church should be unified in condemning homosexual practice as a sin.
Paul