Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Christianity and the Gay society in Singapore

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/singapore-pastor-lawrence-khong-s--support-377a--guide-leaked-034943128.html

I wish Pastor Khong would simply mind his own business and not pry or police the personal lives of other people. If someone is a homosexual and wants to marry another homosexual - what right does he have to prevent them from doing so.

It is frankly disgusting that he wants to equate homosexuality with murder or pedophilia. This sort of logic is like equating Christianity with Witchcraft or stone-age superstition. Hey I also can come up with an argument to ban Christianity using Khong's logic too - I mean people who want to believe in a merciful loving all powerful God who allowed WW2, the Holocaust, the Opium Wars, thousands of years of sex slavery, the Crusades, the Inquisition, 500 years of Witchcraft trials in Europe and all the almighty fucking natural disasters in the world - must be fucking crazy right? So better put all these lunatics in the circus. Sarcasm off.

First up - I've been a Christian for over 40 years - I come from a line of 4 generations of Christians. But I think that any religion Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Taoist, Hindu etc.. that seeks to police the personal morality of non-believers or even believers - and to enforce their views on them by force - is pure and simple tyranny. Whatever people do - consenting adults in their own home or bed - is their own affair - so long as no one is getting abused or hurt.

If people want to be celibate and dedicate their lives to the church for the rest of their lives (without molesting little children) - go ahead.

If people want to hold a 24 hour prayer or karoke meeting (without disturbing their neighbors) - go ahead.

If people want to pray in tongues in their church or bed - no problem.

If people want to believe that the Book of the Law ie. Leviticus is a blessing to read - sure, no one stopping you. If you want to enforce its teachings onto non-believers.... uh, I don't think so. Heck, even Jesus didn't say not one thing about homosexuals - He apparently did condemn divorce and marrying divorcees though... I say "apparently" - because Jesus never wrote anything down on paper - it was His disciples who wrote it down and who is to say they didn't embellish his account?

If people want to believe that marriage is for life and divorce or remarriage is forbidden - yeah sure, go ahead - just don't impose your beliefs on other people.

So what gives people the right to prevent a gay or lesbian couple from living together?

People talk about morality - well, sometime ago the church through the power of the state was forcing women to live with abusive husbands til the day they died. And if you study history you'll also realize that - the church is the past was actually repressive and frequently sanctioned or acquiesced to immoral wars - like the Opium War against China. (Sorry mentioned the Opium War twice already - but I'm currently reading a book about that appalling part of history when Victorian Britain (100% church national attendance rate) was forcing China to accept the Opium trade.)

I want to get married one day to a woman who loves me as much as I love her. I want to cherish and love her wholly. My inclination on this matter is as natural to me as breathing air. I didn't make a choice in the matter. I love my girl; I love her sensual forms. I love holding her and making love to her.

But this is purely natural to me - I did not make a conscious choice in the matter. I didn't wake up one morning and make up my mind to love a girl or boy.

So I fully sympathize with homosexuals, lesbians etc.. who feel the same way as I do but only that they love a member of the same gender as themselves.

Now with regard to Pastor Khong and the City Harvest and all the other blessed Christians - I say, go and live your lives the way Christ taught us - Love God and love and respect your neighbor as yourself. If you want to change the world - don't change it by trying to force your opinions onto other people's private matters. If he really wants to make a difference I suggest he follow the behavior of the early Christians - sell all they have, sell your home, sell car, and donate the funds to widows and orphans in need. Remember what Christ taught you - to store for yourself treasure in heaven.

Another blogger "lukeyishandsome" talked about casting the first stone - in reference to the story about Jesus' advice to people who wanted to stone a woman caught in adultery. An interesting question was posed - why be so obsessive about homosexuality "sin" - why not make laws banning divorce, abortion, gossiping, sex outside marriage, heathen religions etc..? Why. Its simple. The gays are an easy target. They are a minority. They are outsiders - and like the odd looking kid in the school yard - they are easy to bully.

And that is a most unChristian thing to do.

http://www.lukeyishandsome.com/2014/02/let-him-who-is-without-sin-cast-first.html


PS. I don't attend church these days. I find most Christians to be uncaring condescending narrow minded stupid hypocrites. I want to attend a church which speaks of the goodness of God and encourages positive thinking and a more holistic teaching on holiness.

I find traditional Christianity - which its teaching on drawing near to an invisible God, praying and worshiping an invisible deity and yet Christians behave dreadfully to people - to beings they can see, hear, touch - and denying the humanity of human needs - out of touch.

Christians should always remember that the Bible is NOT God. It was written by human beings who are fallible. Jesus himself did not write anything. And I greatly suspect that some of his teachings were stuff put in by other people - ie. adultery and divorce and remarriage. You also have to wonder why Mary, Thomas and some of the core disciples are not represented in the New Testament - most of which was written by Paul who never saw or talked to Jesus in person.

The thing that rings true for me however is Jesus teaching to Nicodemus - where he told him the greatest commandment was 1. Love God. 2. Love your neighbor as yourself.

I think if you follow this - you cannot deny homosexuals the right to marry each other.

Extra reading:
http://gawker.com/how-fred-phelps-and-the-westboro-baptists-are-christian-1545320301?utm_campaign=socialflow_gawker_facebook&utm_source=gawker_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow





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