Thursday, August 2, 2012

Do Christians hate those who disagree?

   I remember when I was a very young boy watching my father paint our house. The man was an absolute master. Exceptionally talented. He carried within him an artistic ability that most people will never know.
   No matter what he set his mind to when it came to painting - be it a home or a piece of art - the end result would always amaze me. He would pour himself over every last detail until it was perfect in his eyes. While doing so, he would correct things I never knew were wrong in the first place. He just knew somehow that it needed to be better.
   One summer, when I was about 14, he decided to take me under his wing to teach me the right way to paint. I'll never forget the first time he handed me a brush and watched me as I painted the first few strokes. Before the brush traveled more than two inches, he shouted "Stop!"

   "What's wrong, Dad?" I asked as I jumped away from the wall.

   He then spoke for a good five minutes about the proper way to hold a brush, where to begin my first stroke on the wall, how the bristles should lay into the corner, how to feather the paint as to not leave excess paint on the wall, and on and on the lesson went. By the end of the day, we were both frustrated. I was frustrated because I thought he was picking on everything I did, and he was frustrated because he truly wanted to teach me how to do things the right way, knowing that if I listened, any job I took on from that day forward would not only go well for me, but the finished product would be just as beautiful as if he himself had done it.........He was right. I went on for many years after that summer painting countless houses, and recieved many compliments for the work I had done.

   I can't imagine what his response would've been had I come to him a few days later with a sponge, and said "Dad, I'm gonna use this from now on to paint houses instead of a brush. It just feels more natural in my hands."
   If I had thought that way, I'm quite certain that with enough practice I would be able to pull it off. Sure, I'd have to invent my own ways of hiding the imperfections, and the corners might be a bit of a mess, but even those could be given a bit of an artistic spin to make them look closer to the genuine article.
   He may have eventually accepted that this was just my way of doing things. He would never agree that it was the right way to do it, and he could undoubtedly show me many hard, cold facts to prove that his way way the best way for everyone involved, but he would accept that I do what I do, and accept that I'm happy with that.

   But what if I then came to him and said "Dad, this is not a sponge..........it's a brush, just like yours?" And what if I went further and said; "Not only do I believe this is a brush, but you have to accept the fact that it is. And furthermore, I want the schools to teach that it's a brush, equal in every way to yours. And I don't ever want it said again that my brush is in any way inferior to yours. In fact, I want stores to begin selling these as paintbrushes."

   He would probably hold up his brush, look at me very sincerely, and say; "Son, this brush I am holding was specifically and perfectly designed for one purpose. To paint. The sponge you are holding was not designed for this, but you have modified your use of it to accomplish your goal. You've done some beautiful things with it, and your work has value. But it will never be brush."

   Would I be reasonable to then call him intolerant? To accuse him of using hate-speech? Would I label him as being a bigot? Would I call his remarks "anti-sponge?"

   As rediculous as that example may sound, it's exactly what's been going on within the whole gay marriage argument.

   A quick, preliminary glance at the male and female anatomy would point out the obvious conclusion that these two bodies were specifically designed to fit together perfectly. A deeper study of the emotional and psychological qualities of each sex would show that, when approached as originally intended by God Himself, the two coming together as one become far greater than just the sum of their parts. There is an amazing interconnectivity that makes each better simply by the addition of the other.

   As Christians, we believe that the institution of marriage was not created by man. It was created by God Himself. Since we did not create it, we have no right to re-define what it is, no matter how compelling we feel our arguments might be to do so.

   Does this mean that we hate homosexuals? Absolutely not. Does this make us bigots? Intolerent? Again, absolutely not. It simply means that we believe there is a perfect union, created and ordained by God Himself, and this union is what we call marriage. It was beautifully created and ordained by a very personal, loving God, and it is the very best union known to man. It is absolute perfection. It was His gift to us, that we might know the incredible love and intimacy that can only be found there.

   For us, as believers, to be asked to agree that a relationship between two people of the same sex is absolutely equal in every way to a perfect union, created by God Himself, between a man and a woman, is simply unreasonable.  

It makes about as much sense as a young boy demanding that his father call a sponge.......... a brush.

   Does that mean that homosexuals are somehow less valuable than us? Absolutely not. Does it mean that God loves them less than us? Absolutely not. It simply means they are trying to paint a house with a sponge, and somehow they have succeeded in convincing many others that they're really using a brush, and that us "conservative brush-painters" are evil and intolerent for continuing to insist there's a better way.

  

  

2 comments:

  1. Very well-written my brother and friend. We are called to love everyone... right where they are at, yet not to agree with all thier choices. To not be against, is to be for... yet we use the words of Christ to convey the Truth, encourage them to receive the free gift of freedom and identity in Christ alone. And let them know that we too, still have struggles and are not "above" them but simply have received and embraced a life of purpose beyond ourselves. Love how the Spirit gives you these awesome revelations and gnarly applications/metaphors to encourage and shed the Light of God on what most consider "touchy topics" that need this Light. Rock on Steve... :D

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  2. Thank you, Katie. I suppose I had the same knee-jerk reaction that most people have just before stepping out to speak some truth in this area. The word "controversial" came to mind. But then I sat back and remembered that there's nothing controversial about the truth if it's spoken in love. Many will agree or disagree with what was said here, but won't comment out of fear of "getting involved" with such a hot button issue. But I've grown so tired of the lack of honest debate in this country. I hear people label each other, mock each other, throw names at each other, etc.. But there's no genuine, heartfelt dialogue. Meanwhile, common sense is thrown out the window, and people are forced to accept (at least on a subconscious level) the theory that God's thoughts on this must have somehow changed. I am in no way "better" than anyone, and I would never want to give anyone the impression that I feel as though I am. We all struggle with sin in our lives - each and every one of us. But as a very wise person once said; "Don't hate others because they sin differently than you."

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