Unveiling the gift of love that lies within us all, during the mist of a storm, has helped many regain their strength and rebuild their courage. Yet for many Christian’s who are still struggling to gain clarity on what is ethical when faced with the issue of homosexuality, New Hampshire’s first and only, openly gay Bishop, Gene Robinson, suggests, “Gays try to whether the storm of religious ignorance, and help usher in a new awakening in the age of Christian intolerance to embrace those they have been conditioned to hate.”
For Bishop Robinson, the battle to educate a once unwelcoming congregation has become a way of living and a way of expressing the love he has found in the growth of spiritual awareness. Yet for other gay men and women, standing up and expressing the need for religious tolerance is not as easy. In an era when time seems so uncertain, the church is one place where most people turn to for guidance and inner strength. However, it is unfortunate; the church has become the last place many gay men and women turn to for guidance or spiritual rejuvenation.
As an openly gay man myself, I have always found comfort attending Sunday morning service. Albeit I have not had the challenge of being faced with a church that is intolerant of my openly gay persona, I am very much aware of congregations that preach homosexuality as an abomination and blatant slap in the face to our divine creator. Hence, I often question how people derive at such conclusion, especially since the bible teaches our God as a God of love. Even more, how could such a loving God hate something or someone he created?
Surely the verses conveyed in Leviticus 20 and Romans 1 have been the catalyst for much confusion within the church, when it comes to discussing homosexuality. Yet when I began researching the scriptures and comparing one revised edition to another, I found it strange that not every bible reads that homosexuality is an abomination. Moreover, I was taken aback to discover that homosexuality was not even a part of the English speaking language until 1975, when it was implemented into the Oxford English Dictionary, and then added to the bible in 1980.
Even more, it continues to baffle me just how much we as children of God, lack in our commitment to understand the messages of love within our written word. Albeit the bible conveys a message that such practice between two individuals of the same gender was considered against the law of the land, in that era of time, further research revealed King James ordained such intolerance, as a way of controlling the land.
During his reign as King, when taming the mass of people was a must, King James found it conducive to implement laws forbidding same sex interaction, and utilized his authority as King to pass such laws. However, when I researched the history of King James, I found that he too, was very fond of younger, same sex counter parts. Yet the church does not convey this truth, or even provide a message that would allow the church congregation to become aware of such information. Instead, it seems we are willfully continuing the pattern of ignorance demonstrated by our ancestors, who were not permitted to gain clarity on any issue, because such privileges were not forbidden.
Here it is 2008, an era of high technical intelligence, where information is open for the taking, and we are still stagnating our growth as a people over the issue of who is sleeping with whom. Contrary to what we have been taught in our church homes, it is our duty as followers and believers to take the initiative to go beyond what we have been taught, especially when we do not have the full truth on what it is we are being taught. Minister’s, Bishops, and Pastor’s gain their understanding of the scriptures by attending seminaries, where they are taught the word of historical religious studies. We as attendees of various church congregations refuse to follow the same foot-steps because our lives are consumed with day-to-day commitments, which prevent us from absorbing such in-depth understanding. This is why we strive on the teachings offered by these elected governs.
