BP #21: A Letter From A Christian Concerning the Gay Issue, or Lack There Of
Dear fellow Human Beings,
I told myself when I started this blog that I would try my best to wrestle with issues from a larger perspective. I told myself that my religious views would only be used when they needed to be. And after hearing some very disgraceful remarks over the past few days concerning the Gay community, I determined that this must be one of those times.
I’ve grown up in the Christian community all of my life. From the time I was born, Christianity was at the center of my life. In fact, the first trip I ever took out of my house was to church. I went to a Christian school, have Christian friends, and generally adhere to the views of Christian philosophy. But ever since I was able to form my own opinion I have thought about the “Gay” issue and the Christian community’s reaction toward it.
Its not a secret how they react. Yes, they. Because I will not associate myself with THOSE type of Christians. Because above all, real Christians are taught to love thy neighbor, and never spread harm to other human beings. That is the message of the Bible...I promise you.
Now I’m not going to say that I fully agree with the lifestyle chosen by the LBGTQ community. I still have my reservations about fully embracing every one of the choices made. And that just shows that there is growth still going on inside of me. But what I do put my full backing behind is the notion of equality for all. As a Christian, an African American, and a human being, equality is the ultimate goal to me. For all genders, races, and orientations.
On the issue of Gay marriage, since I know all of you reading this are wondering my stance on it, I have come to a definite answer to that issue. And that is that it should in fact be legal. From coast to coast, from country to country. Marriage is a human right. Not a human right if you live a certain way. Its the right of all of us. As I have the right to be happy in my christian faith, a person has the right to be happy with their choice of husband or wife.
I know some Christians argue that having Gay Marriage legalized will cause their children to think that that is okay. And without getting into the issue of that, I say to everyone of those people this. You have the right to instill your views on YOUR children. You can teach them whatever you want. But in doing that you can’t discount the rights of a whole people group. Especially since they are doing nothing to hinder you as a person. I doubt seeing two men holding hands in the mall will be detrimental to anyone’s health. If it is, you have other problems.
So now what? As a Christian who has openly and publicly embraced the gay community, what do I now do? Do I say okay, and move on to the next blog post? No, because that is not the point of this. Thats not why I am writing this. I’m writing this to be a leader. I’m writing this to say I’m sorry. I am truly, truly sorry if anyone who is reading this feels let down or betrayed by the Christian community. From the bottom of my soul I am sorry. But most importantly, I’m writing this to make other Christians wrestle with the Christian community’s relations with the Gay one. We have to. Because the one thing this new generation will not tolerate is inequality. And I’m happy to say I am part of the generation that finally got it. Thank God Almighty, we finally got it.
Hoping this heals some hearts and mend some ties,
Eichel