In recent times, I’ve heard discussions for the LGBT movement where people make statements such as: “A person should not be discriminated against for any reason.”
Now the statement is good enough, I supposed, but I was wondering: Is this true for the Sexual Offender or the Sexual Predator? Can we make the identical argument for ex-cons?
Do people who live in gated communities really love people of color who live outside gated communities?
Are folks in urban-suburban areas content to permit drug offender facilities within their communities, their neighborhoods?
Quite clearly, it seems we love everyone just as long as they don’t live near us! No, we don’t want the homeless our in the communities, and surely we don’t want them scavenging around near any businesses.
What person in their right mind would want a convicted murderer living next door to them? And since we shouldn’t discriminate, then it would be okay then if they were teachers or sport coaches for our kids?
In fact, when it comes down to it we see that those folks who just love everyone, really don’t love that many people at all. We see that they love people as long as those people are like them and certainly don’t live next door to them.
Highlighting this Christian hypocrisy, I read one local church’s website and it states that any Sex Offender must register with them and can only use the bathroom under direct supervision. Now how is that for full grace? Come on now, and we have the nerve to say that all sins are forgiven to them.
It seems we expect Christ to forgive all sins, but not Christians.
It appears that some people are simply better than other people: this is indicated by the way people are treated. Simply look at the opposition one finds when a community discovers that a half-way house is going to be located in their neighborhood. Of course, we need them, the community states, but they need them elsewhere: not where they live.
Any American with a casual knowledge of real estate knows that deed restrictions are one method of keeping undesirables out. Another way of restricting usage is by zoning through square footage that will determine the cost of the home. All of these are at least cleaver mechanism to keep rift raft out and only desirables in.
All of this brings us back to the original statement about people who just love everybody. Not only is the statement a hideous joke, it is a statement that would provoke vomiting to any serious minded Christian. In the meantime, we should concentrate on loving each other one by one and let everyone else fall in place once we have mastered the smaller task of ones.
Hard Times Ministries 
I discriminate. I wont lie.
I see a difference between LBGT and pedophilia. I also see where they overlap. I have LBGT friends who I love whole heartedly – even made friends with a couple of pedophiles in prison… men I love (with Christian love, not sexual).
So. Yes. I discriminate. and I think your post, at least at the start and end, calls the bluff on “loving everybody” – a phrase that pays the bills, but does not have a lot of substance with a lot of people when you get right down to it. And I join you in calling that bluff.
However, I sense there is complexity here (at least in my mind) that your post is not acknowledging. I love LBGT, and I am sure Jesus loves LBGT too. But I in no way think he endorses the sin that goes with LBGT. And this is where my view faces complexities. Actually, I see this as fairly simple – sortof a love the sinner/hate the sin kinda thing. At that level, not so complicated, but the minute I state that, I SEEM to alienate my LBGT friends who I have great respect and affection for, btw.
In today’s social/political climate, my view is considered narrow minded and dreaded. Barely a soft version of condemnation where this sinner is doomed to burn in hell for eternity for suffering a misunderstood orientation – be careful not to call it an affliction or condition (again, this is part of that complexity). No. We want to say the person was born this way, but we sure don’t want to suggest it is a disease, but a perfectly acceptable alternative (which starts sounding like choice again).
So, let me be clear here. I made no condemnation in my view. The fact that such might seem to be heard in it is in fact due to the sensitivities of the hearer, not the speaker. And I am quite clear that my LBGT friends have been victimized for their orientation over the years quite unfairly and with NO LOVE whatsoever. But I have kids, and I don’t know yet just what orientation they will shake out with upon sexual maturity, but I am quite sure that I will love my kids no matter what! So… I have to fit somewhere else in this picture than among the haters! And for that matter, I have great sensitivity for the fact that a person with such orientation suffers for it (but this of course starts sounding like disease). No. I have yet to hear a single testimony of a LBGT whose story doesn’t involve suffering! But I am quite sure, none of them suffered at my hands! And I find it extremely offensive that my view at just this point pigeon holes me so drastically! Now, I am a victim for holding a less than endorsing view??? I don’t believe anyone burns in hell, why would I believe LBGT does? But no one sticks around to ask that of me.
So, I hope that is clear. But it probably isn’t. But I am not the one insisting on all this complexity. I think people wanting to be empowered by a victim status whether LBGT or anything else, need to wield that power very very very carefully. You have my sincere sympathy! Accept that! It is authentic!
And finally, I too am a sinner. I have not sinned the LBGT sins, but I have plenty of sexual sin in my life. I have not ground to stand on while condemning a brother of sins which are only a couple shades different from mine. And I find homosexuality listed right along side greed and others that get a pass with most of my Christian friends every day.
But you know what? This is why I normally don’t touch the LBGT issue(s). I have to carve out my view from a HUGE pile of BS just to say the simplest statements – EVERYTHIME! All in a meager effort to not be misconstrued or come off as some alienating jerk. How about if you are that sensitive that you cant handle my view… what if maybe your the jerk???? It is in the realm of possibility!
But If I lost you by now, then you weren’t listening, and I am out of steam caring. (Not you Tom, but ANY who might read here).
So, now let me get to the point I really want to make:
My discrimination does not negate the value of the person. I believe all have value… innate value before God. But I will also treat people like sheep. Sheep in need of a shepherd. Not all homeless people need the same things. They may have equal innate value as humans, but so do my kids and yet I treat them all a bit differently under various circumstances. I have one who thrives, absolutely thrives!, when his mom and I ride his ass hard! I mean we seemingly have to bust his chops about stuff just to get his attention, much less to actually discipline him to behave in some acceptable manner. But we have another one who even the slightest tone of confrontation makes him melt. I merely look at that one with a cross expression, and he straightens up! And thus I treat them very differently, but I value them the same.
We democratize every aspect of life, and then it seems we are somehow mistreating people when we discriminate how we deal with them. And that CAN be a legitimate concern, but it isn’t always. And when I apply this to homeless people, I am mindful that I have some friends who actually think they WANT to live out doors in the alley free from so much expectations. Others are just so hardcore alcoholic that they smell of piss from 2 weeks ago! Meanwhile, I know some who are just sure they need to live as clean as possible and hope against hope to be back to indoor living in a few days or weeks! The kind of help I give, the kind of expectations I bring, would be different for different people TO A LARGE DEGREE, and thus would be discrimination after a fashion, but not necessarily a matter of valuing some and not others.
And here’s the real kicker: Ultimately I think WE ALL BELONG IN THE HOUSE OF GOD TOGETHER – each differing member bringing their complimentary part to the whole. All of us needing careful shepherding from our shepherds to help us to fit together. And I am quite clear that a number of my homeless friends do not share any part of this ideal with me! THUS, some of these people belong in my guest bedroom tonight, some a few nights from now. Some belong in our church building, others in a motel. Some in a tent, but all of them in some form or another moving toward the HOUSE of GOD, finding our fit in GOD’s plan for HUMAN LIFE – and not every whim any of us happen to feel – or FEEL. We are to be reshaped into the creature God wants us to be, not just whatever misgiven idea we happen to have embraced.
And this, then, if you can deal with all my LBGT explanations, starts speaking to that too along with a lot of other things as well. Yes. I loved a pedophile who came to my Bible study in prison. No. I did not trust him with my kids alone in a dark room. But yes, I did trust him in my Bible study. And I WISHED we had a jail environment that actually brought him comfort WHILE at the same time keeping him away from innocent kids! Afterall, the man told me he could not help himself for his urges (sounds very much like either disease or orientation) but that he wanted not to be that way (and I believed him, and felt the pain of his suffering). I couldn’t help but wonder how a church might minister to such a one as that. We would certainly have to break down a lot of preconceived ideas! We would have to get into some very new territory! I can only imagine what that would involve. Probably huge investment!!!! But then the man was of child of
God with innate value which would make the very expensive shepherding worth it!
Anyway, I read your post. I thought I definitely join you in calling the bluff on “love everybody” but I felt there needed to be more distinction (at least for me to join in). Some topics need to be handled carefully and avoid kneejerk reactions as much as possible. This seemed like one of those to me.
Thanx for posting…
X
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I love your reply. Yes, they are very difficult questions, I don’t doubt that. And no, actually none can be compared to each other. What I believe is that Christians should HONEST! Cut out the BS that Christians love everyone. No, they don’t! In fact, some are extremely difficult to love. For example: I find drug users very difficult as the ones I have been around lie like hell for their lifestyle. The problems I have with the LGBT movement is the political agenda aside from the effects on kids. No, you can’t convince me that a six year old child is convinced they have the wrong body and I think it’s a crime to give them hormones. Personally, I don’ t care if they have sex with their local door knobs, but then again, you can’t convince me either that it’s healthy and ‘normal.’
The truth be told: Jesus didn’t let all into his inner circle either and condemned the existing church leadership.
At the same time, these hard question must be answered and should be discussed openly among the church rather than mostly what happens now is for it to be avoided.
Take for example same sex marriage: this is something that should never have been part of government ot begin with (Marriage). If it is spiritual and i say that it is, it should remained only in the church. I maintain the government has no authority to marry, only God. That the government has no authority to divorce: Only God. Everything else i render unto Caesar.
Thank you for your thoughts. Don’t fret over my questions though as I mean only to provoke thought: not put anything in stone.
However, the love thing is important to me as I believe the church as a whole has received a pass on this and simply are not honest with it. In fact, there is very little love from the church and it should be expanded. This all begins by being honest; another way of confessing our sins or short comings. Tom Thank you again
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You said:
However, the love thing is important to me as I believe the church as a whole has received a pass on this and simply are not honest with it.
Yeah… that touches the nerve with me too.
But here’s the context where I am living with it at the moment…
I am thinking of the church that kicked me out for insisting we open the doors to the street homeless on cold winter nights. I am thinking about all the good things that church did and still does. I joined them because I wanted to be a part of those good things. Some of those good things are still happening. And I thank God for those things from those people everyday. This must really be acknowledged.
But I also cant help but think about how the same people very bald-face kicked everyone out when it suit them to do so. And I recall how a few of the street homeless dared to call into question the love of this church. AND that was when the pastor/leadership suddenly acted offended. They couldn’t believe that these ungrateful homeless folk could call them unloving!
And the thing is… there was enough smoke-n-mirror effect there to really cloud the thing. I mean, yeah. I cant say the church and her leadership really did not love the homeless… After all, they did a lot of really good things for the homeless there, and they still do! But on those occasions when they ran everyone out and even said things like “Don’t care where you go, but you cant stay here” (sounds like my bar at closing time), that was a very unloving thing to say and do!
To my way of thinking, NONE of that ever got sorted out.
Now, maybe I am just jaded for saying this, but I do note that the pastor and leadership there definitely got PAID. They got their reward!!! Yes, they did some good and “loving” things. But they got paid too. Then they did some very unloving things and acted all miffed when their love was called into question.
Now, I will admit, I am asking you to take my word for this. I am the witness to these events (at least as they unfolded in this locale), but I insist they are true. They really happened. These are facts, not just interpretation. And so, I am either a liar or they are the picture I paint. I leave not room for anything in between.
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