Wednesday, February 25, 2004

Why ‘homophobic’ if we believe homosexuality is abnormal?

Why is it that people, Christian or not, are branded as “homophobes” because they, we, do not want to accept the acts of homosexuality as normal?

Mr. Ellis, I seriously doubt you would be screaming for homosexual rights if your son had not come out of the closet. In your case, your desire is to protect your son because of his choice to be gay.

I want to point out one thing to you that you seem to be missing: Homosexuals are NOT being denied any rights whatsoever. They have the same rights that you and I do: The right to marry a person of the opposite sex!

What you and others like you want to do is create special laws to allow people with abnormal behavior to continue to participate in their practices in the public eye rather than in the privacy of their own bedrooms.

You have fallen prey to the fallacy that if one does not accept your son’s behavior as normal or natural that they are intent on denying him his rights or trying to discriminate against him and others like him. Since when do sexually deviant acts become a reason for special legal status?

I think the most horrible thing you yourself are trying to propagate is in pointing fingers at people who claim to be Christians and saying that they are ignorant and self-righteous in leading the fight to deny homosexuals the legal status of marriage.

First of all, not everyone who claims to be a Christian is truly a Christian. Our Bible teaches us that we can see who is a Christian by the fruits that they bear.

I think we all agree that for decades many members of organizations such as the KKK have often claimed to be Christian, but their fruits and actions say something different.

You are trying to let yourself off too easy by making absurd claims such as the ones you have been making. Mr. Ellis, you are a bitter man and intent on protecting your son’s sexual choices just because he is your son. That is not the right reason and if you look deep enough in your heart, you will know it is not right.

I think the saying, “What would Jesus do?” is always an appropriate response to many questions we face today. Do you really believe that Jesus would practice homosexuality or ever condoned it? NO!

Anyone who ever would say or believe such a horrible thing in my own opinion would be seriously close to committing the ultimate sin, one that would lead to eternity in Hell, and it does exist.

Let me say also that anyone who would encourage violence against any man or woman because of their sexual choices needs to take a serious look in their own heart and salvation. Jesus taught peace and love, but never did he teach compromise.

As a matter of fact, Jesus taught that to allow sexual sins to permeate one’s life was one of the worst sins you can commit.

When you commit a sexual sin, homosexuality, adultery and other sexual sins, you commit the sin against God himself, because the Holy Spirit dwells in every saved Christian. Sexual sins are mentioned more times in the Bible than any other sin.

I don’t mean to espouse the Christian faith here as this paper (The Citizen) works to provide newsworthy articles of the happenings in our community. But I would be sorely remiss if I did not try to address your accusations against my own faith and beliefs.

Remember, God says to love the sinner, not the sin, and nowhere does he say turn your head and look the other way when someone tries to say that wrong is now right.

That is the real problem with our society today: What used to be wrong is now considered right. What I want to know is when this did happen, because I was raised to love everyone no matter their color, religion or beliefs? But in loving them that does not mean I have to accept their sins as OK or right rather than wrong.

I do not know what Bible you read, Mr. Ellis, but I think it may be the same one as I read; the King James or one like it. In any case you can’t show me where any disciple, or believer, Old Testament or New Testament, says that homosexuality is OK or to be accepted as good, normal or natural.

I, however, can show you many instances in the Bible when this practice was, has and always will be a sin against God. I can even point out the location (or near it, according to many archaeologists) where twin cities were destroyed because of the practice of homosexuality and other deviant desires.

I have read the Bible through many times and will continue to do so, praying for the holy spirit to show me the truth and meaning of any phrase, sentence or chapter I do not quite understand, and I am pretty educated as well so I do not depend on any other man or woman trying to tell me what the Bible says. I can read it for myself.

As for being silent, I say no and not ever, because God does and will hold me accountable for my actions but one of them will never be that I sat by in silence while others try to tell me that God is wrong and that deviant sexual desires are OK and should be allowed to continue unabated.

I say NO to allowing homosexuals to be married and I do so in love because I pray for them always in hopes that God can reach them and change them before it is too late. In your heart you know what is right; the Bible says we all have the spirit of God speaking to us in his still, sweet voice, if we would only listen.

In closing I say continue to love your son no matter what choices he makes, but let that love be true, never bending to his desires to make something that has always been wrong a right. That kind of love only kills.

John Nance

Fayetteville, Ga.