I am NOT a bigot. I am NOT a hick. I am NOT uneducated. I am NOT racist. I am NOT unloving. I am NOT a hater of any person or group of people.
I AM a Christian. I AM a Navy wife. I AM a nurse. I DO love all people. And I am entitled to whatever opinion I choose to have. My opinion is not based off of outdated mandates, but on a Bible that still remains true to every part of life today. I am a Christian before I am anything else. I am also a sinner, just like every other person on this earth. I do not deny the fact that there is sin in my life, pride, anger, and gossip just to name a few. Sin is sin and God hates all sin the same. God looks at my pride and anger the same way He looks at a person's homosexuality, alcoholism, or sex before marriage. He hates all of it. That's why He sent His son, to save us from all of the sins that enslave us. He gave us a way out so we don't have to live in sin our entire lives.
God has also called us to love each other, just as He loves us. It is because of His love that I live my life the way I do. It is because of His love for me that I am able to love anyone, to love my patients at the hospital, my clients at the clinic and every other person I come in contact with. So yes, people may call me unloving and a bigot because, based on the Bible, I don't believe that homosexuality is ok, but i still love any person who calls themselves gay. I love my family members who have adopted that lifestyle. I love any patient that I come in contact with who lives that lifestyle. And I would love any person who I may come in contact with who lives with that lifestyle. Just like I love the patient who comes in with COPD because they've smoked for 30 years or the young, scared, teenage girl who comes to me telling me they're pregnant. I love them and give my life to help them.
My last point before I'm done, I mentioned that I am a Navy wife. This country is a country that is known for freedom of religion and freedom to express any thought or opinion a person has without being attacked for it. It's why this country is so great. My husband fights and gives his life every day so that we can all enjoy those freedoms. So just like every person against the amendment has that right, I have the right to be for it, my family has the right to be for it, every person who voted for it has the right to be for it. That is the freedom my husband defends. And that is why I will not be ashamed at all for what I believe, no matter what name I am being called while doing it.
The bible condemns homosexuality in the same book that it says it is ok to own slaves. The bible states that those who work on the sabbath should be killed. The bible says eating shellfish is a sin. The bible states that I may not approach the altar if there is a defect in my sight (you wear glasses, right?) Does your husband in the navy trim his beard? This is clearly a sin as well only a mere chapter away from where homosexuality is an abomination.
ReplyDeleteMy point is not to argue with you about the bible or Christianity. I myself am I Christian. But why can one so easily turn a blind eye to these other sins from the same book of the bible?
If this in fact is your argument, that you consider homosexuality a sin, then tell me, where do you stand on these other issues?
Sarah, I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts on the amendment with us. Juan and I debated about this amendment long and hard. And our stance is against it.
ReplyDeleteThis amendment does not change marriage in the state of North Carolina. What it does is add fuel to the fire that quite honestly has burned for way to long. I am not saying I am supporting homosexuality but I do support freedom. 50 years ago there were laws stating that inter racial couples were not allowed to marry. Juan and I would not have been able to be protected as a couple back then...... and we still get disapproving looks from time to time as an interracial couple. Most Christians are not like you looking on with love but instead are filled with judgment a condemnation....
Phil, they way I understand the passages that you speak of in the Old Testement, the sins you talked about were regulations put on the Jewish people who eventually became the Saducees and Pharisees. Those regulations were not all given by God for every person, they were regulations, 100s of them that man came up with and put on the people. In the New Testement it is talked about time and again that any sexual sin outside of marriage between one husband and one wife is a sin, including homosexuality, sex outside of marriage, lust, anything like that is still a sin. No, I don't think that eating shellfish or trimming your beard is a sin, I think it would be very legalistic to think that, but there are far too many passages in the Bible Old and New Testement to say that homosexuality is not a sin.
ReplyDeleteBrenna, I understand your stand point. I think this has nothing to do with hate, at least from a Christian's point of view. I know my family didn't vote for it out of hate, I know my church back home didn't vote for it out of hate, but I do understand where ya'll are coming from. Like I said, this country is wonderful, cause we are all allowed to have our own opinions. I hate that ya'llve been subjected to any type of racism in your marriage, that is never ok. I love ya'll and I looking forward to see you Friday.