Introduction
I just finished reading an article published in The Windsor Star journal by Don Lajoie, August 9, 2011, where a pair got themselves 36 months of imprisonment for assaulting a gay man allegedly because of his homosexuality. The victim explained that the couple “did use anti-homosexual slurs during the attack,” (Lajoie 2011, Para. 3).
I have always thought that the contemporary society is a democratized world where everyone is allowed to mind their own business but after reading this article, I now have doubts about that. No doubt there are people who cannot withstand other people’s sexuality and will even go as far as physically attacking the individual probably to ‘instill some sense into his perverted mind’ so he will join them on the other side of life- the side of, as they call it, normal people.
Homosexuality in the Contemporary Society
With more people coming up clean and confessing their sexual status, more debates on gayism have been stirred. Most of the people receive the news with feelings of abhorrence and indignation and they are not hesitant to express their feelings even if it means beating the hell out of a gay person (like the couple in this article).
On the other hand, there is always a group of human right activists who never miss out in action on the foregoing of everything concerning human beings- not to forget some concern themselves with animal rights. And of course, there are others who are indifferent to these kinds of stories leaving the ground for the other two groups. The big question that arises is, is it morally right for two people of the same sex status to engage in sexual intercourse and even culminate their relationship by walking down the aisle?
We cannot deny that the number of people who are gay is quite alarming. There are a number of even the most famous people who have come out openly and declared that they are gay. People like Ellen DeGeneres and Christian Anderson are not alien to our ears. One would think that after all this, people will get used to the idea of a living with people of a different sexuality other than theirs.
But apparently, this will never happen, at least not in the near future. We never stop listening to cases people who are daily harassed, whether being physically assaulted or being hurled at with insults, by the members of the public because of their homosexuality. Most of them are discriminated against and even isolated by their own families.
Common Good for All
We are always in a continuous journey headed towards a society that is fully democratized and liberalized. Our leaders are constantly engaged in a battle for individual fundamental rights. This is because every individual should be allowed enough freedom to live his/her life as he pleases. What happened to the believe that we should not be discriminatory against each other regardless of sex, gender, race, religion or on any other ground. We should all endeavor to create harmony amongst ourselves for the public good.
So what exactly is public good? I should think that what will be of public good is when an individual is able to choose his own path of life and follow it without fear of being discriminated or of being assaulted or insulted. In other words, a person will be allowed to create his own values and judgments and act on them without attracting ill feelings from the public so long as it is what he feels that works for him, for his own good. The human good should be what we choose as good for ourselves.
In other words, the homosexuals are looking for recognition and acceptance from the general society. Those who refuse to be associated with this idea are labeled conservatives, traditionalists, old-fashioned, and sexists, even primitive. Christianity has especially been on the receiving end of this kind of criticism.
The media and the big figures view them as fundamentalists and use this to discredit Christians who hold the belief that a man was created for a woman and vice-versa. They refer to them as social conservatives who have stubbornly refused to adapt to changing times. No one can explain why this is not being seen as a violation of the same fundamental rights which they themselves have always fought for, as a lack of tolerance to different views and practices from their side, for the common good for all.
What is Morally Good?
Can we formulate our own values and beliefs which we consider being right for us and then proceed to follow them and tolerate no criticism from other people? In one of the feature article a gay person was quoted saying that “For us, having safer sex means feeling good about who we are as gay men,” (Bartram 1994, Para. 5).
They view gayism as a blessing as opposed to a curse, as other people view it, which should be upheld rather than be embarrassed about. A columnist on the Toronto stars asked; “”Why should they (the homosexuals) be forbidden the same physical expressions of tenderness and love most people enjoy…?” (Gwyn 2011, Para. 3). So are we actually justified to deny them something so basic in life? May be not.
So we continue with our question, what can be classified as good? Most of the people will tell you that what is good is what brings happiness or pleasure to them. So the liberal will argue that if something yields happiness then the whole society should adopt it. So can we conclusively say that it is good for two people of the same sex to get married? What if we allow them to continue with their lifestyles?
We will be allowing an erosion of morals where every person will be seeking protection to continue with their vices. The prostitutes will come out asking for recognition, for acceptance, for protection. In the end there will be having all manner of ‘values’ particular to each individual. But can we live without any standard guiding principles for everyone to adhere to and uphold?
Christianity Vs Homosexuality
For so long, the Christians conception of right or wrong was applied for all our ethical as well as political policies. The biblical view is that of God as the law giver and thus the determinant of right or wrong. He defines moral law and sets the guidelines to be observed by the whole creation.
According to the book of Psalms, God is the representation of Good and uprightness; and therefore he is the one teach sinners and the whole creation the way. So God for one to qualify to be good he/she has to align to the will of God and whatever else that does not conform to this will is but evil.
The bible, in the book of Genesis, prescribes to us the right sexual relations by saying that, a man shall leave his home and be united to his wife, upon which they will become one being. So Gods way is a man marrying a woman as that is how he intended it to be from the beginning when he created the woman for the man. In Corinthians Paul said that it is important for a woman to have a husband and a man to have a wife to avoid fornication. He did not leave room for other kinds of marriages; just a man and a woman.
The book of Romans condemns the act of homosexuality in open and clear terms. Paul declares the wrath of God against all those who engage in ungodly and unrighteous acts and who have substituted the true way of life with unrighteousness. Paul here is expressing the disgust of God against those who have embraced ungodliness and unrighteousness and substituted the truth for the same. So what is this ungodliness that Paul is talking about? And what is the truth that they should uphold instead?
Romans continue to tell us that, women deviated from the natural and acceptable way of deriving pleasure from their bodies and used it in a way that is against nature. The men also, left the natural use of a woman, and started lusting for other men and having sexual relations with men, a behavior which the bible describes as unseemly and which results into punishment.
Thus the ungodliness that Paul was talking about is man having unnatural sexual relations. The unnatural refers to the act of a man lusting for a fellow man and a woman the same. Therefore, God delights doing what he himself has authorized through his own mouth or using the mounts of his anointed, through the bible.
With this in mind we cannot close of our eyes to the fact that homosexuality has been condemned in the bible, the very basis of our moral principles. Timothy says that, the scripture is given through God’s inspiration, and is important for teaching, reprimand, correction, and for leading people into righteousness.
We as right thinking members of society should therefore not yield to the demands of the minority, to recognize homosexuality as a way of life. To do so would be to undermine the origin of our moral standing which originates from God himself.
Conclusion
Democracy calls for social justice for everyone. It requires that everyone be allowed to practice what he wants, how he/she wants it and whenever they want it. And this means of course that we should accommodate diverse beliefs and lifestyles.
But Christians must not keep quiet and give up their democratic right to adhere to their own moral beliefs at the expense of the gay community. Christianity is more than just some moral guidelines. It is a way of life that every individual should be ready to adopt. All the values we uphold should be in line with the bible teachings and Christians should not shy away from correcting those who are ‘lost’.
But we should not do this through kicks and brawls but through love and patience. The human behaviour is also governed by the public policies, on what the society thinks is right or wrong. The will of the society is embodied in our own legal laws, societal norms and traditions. The government should therefore draft legal policies that advocate for normal marriages between a man and a woman and not any other way.
References
Bartram, J. (May, 1994) A Sacred Gift from God: Globe and Mail. Toronto star
Lajoie, D. (August 2011) 36 Months for Pair in Beating: The Windsor Star. Canada.com network
Gwyn, R. (July 2011) The Good Society: Moral standards and the Current Debate on Homosexuality. Reformed Reflections