Friday 6 June 2014

The Homosexual Issue


Many are probably unaware of recent events in the Mozilla organisation which is responsible for, among other things, the popular open source web browser Firefox. On March 24th, 2014 Mozilla promoted Brendan Eich to the position of CEO. This led to protests and boycotts by the homosexual community because Eich previously donated a sum of money in support of California's Proposition 8, a state constitutional amendment that affirmed marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The amendment did not prevent a homosexual person from marrying another person of the opposite gender. On April 3rd, 2014 Eich resigned his position. The public apology released by Mozilla certainly confirms that support for Brendan Eich evaporated. Although Eich has apparently resigned of his own accord, the attitudes displayed immediately after his departure show a lack of support within the organisation which was likely a contributing factor for the resignation.

Being a computer programmer and technology nerd in general, I like to keep myself informed on developments related to technology. I am quite aware of the rapidly developing prejudice and hatred for people such as myself who believe in and are unwilling to compromise the truth of the bible in order to be politically correct. Still, I was very unsettled to learn of Eich's resignation, knowing that he was forced to quit his job because he chose to support his values through political activism. It has taken me some time to process all of this, but I wanted to write about the homosexual issue. I will attempt to address some of the lies about conservative Christian beliefs that are perpetuated by the homosexual agenda and provide a biblical foundation for my opposition of homosexuality.

Abortion supporters prefer terms like pro-choice and women's rights to that of abortion or baby murder. It makes publicity easier if you can present your platform in a positive light. It looks better if you can say you are supporting equal rights and freedom of choice than saying you are in support of murdering helpless babies. Homosexual propagandists have been very successful at playing these word games as well. By characterising their fight as a fight for equality, they have taken what was a term for the fight against racism and associated it with homosexual rights. They would have us believe that the right to be treated as an equal regardless of appearance is the same as the right to do as we please regardless of morality.

Homosexual propagandists use a straw man argument to attack Christians opposed to homosexuality. They have created a god who superficially is like God, but loves a person's every thought, choice, and act, absent any true sense of morality. This is a god who loves everyone including their sin, rather than God who loves everyone despite their sin. They point to this permissive substitute, accusing any Christian who opposes it of hatred. If this god, whom everyone is supposed to think is God, doesn't object to homosexuality, then the motivation for Christian opposition must be hatred. Yes, God is loving and He does love everyone. However, society does not have a true understanding of what that means. The societal definition of love demands not only acceptance of a person, but acceptance and support for their every choice and action. Homosexual propaganda has promoted this definition of love, accusing all opposition of hatred.

Homosexual supporters love to characterise those who oppose the homosexual agenda as homophobes. Technically this is the irrational fear of homosexuals, but homosexual propagandists have expanded the definition to include anyone who disagrees with their choice of lifestyle, whom they accuse of hatred. In fact, this is the exact opposite of how God wants a Christian to treat those who participate in homosexual activity. The bible gives no room for a Christian to harbour any sort of hatred or malice towards another person and this includes those who identify as homosexual. As a Christian, I neither hate nor fear a homosexual person, though I do feel a great deal of anguish when I consider the eternal suffering they face should they choose to reject God's offer of salvation.

The bible makes it clear, God defines homosexual activity as sinful. Genesis 19:1-13 is an account of the sinful conditions of Sodom and God's decision to destroy the city.

In Leviticus 18:22, homosexuality is characterised as an abomination.

Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable. (Leviticus 18:22)
God has an intense aversion to homosexuality, considering it to be detestable and shameful behaviour.

Romans 1:22-27 teaches that homosexuality results from not acknowledging God. When people are unrepentant, continuing in their sin, He gives them over to further depravity and allows them to sink deeper into sin.

22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
(Romans 1:23-27)

God considers homosexuality to be dishonourable and unnatural (contrary to nature). It does not honour Him and ultimately will lead to an eternity in hell.

9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

In our society, homosexuality is more often viewed as normal. Even within some churches, homosexuality is never acknowledged as a sin. However, the bible makes it quite clear, homosexuality is a sin. It is a lifestyle of those who refuse to acknowledge God. Like any other sinner, the unrepentant homosexual, that is a person who continues in wilful disobedience to God, will spend eternity in hell for their transgressions. The good news is, God is gracious and merciful. Jesus gave his life on the cross as payment for our sins. Accept God's offer of salvation in repentance, believe in Jesus Christ for your salvation, and He will graciously forgive you of all your transgressions! He will give you victory over your sin.

There is a major flaw in logic which cannot accept that we as Christians object to the homosexual lifestyle without assigning it as hatred or malice toward homosexual people. Objecting to a persons choices, even hating those choices, is not the same thing as hating the person. Nobody agrees with everything another person does. This does not mean they hate the other person. The bible instructs us to love one another. It also shows us very clearly what the fate will be for those who don't repent. To ignore the sin of homosexuality instead of opposing it is to watch silently as people head to their own destruction. As a Christian, I cannot say of myself that I have a loving attitude towards homosexuals if I am silent, any more than I could say I am loving as I stand idly by and watch a blind person step out into traffic. The two choices, loving the person and ignoring the sin are mutually exclusive.