Homosexuality and Christianity

A Jamaican lawyer who describes himself as a ‘homosexual Christian’ has mounted a constitutional challenge against the country’s buggery law.

I am no theologian but I venture to suggest that the concept of being simultaneously a practising homosexual and a Christian is incompatible with the Christianity of Jesus Christ and His apostles.

You can be a former homosexual who is now a Christian. You can even be a Christian struggling with homosexual desires but definitely NOT a homosexual Christian.

I hasten to state that here, the use of the noun Christian refers to a ‘born again Christian’ and Christianity means the teachings of Jesus, the Christ and His apostles as outlined in the New Testament of God’s infallible Word in the Holy Bible.

Why am I so convinced the term ‘homosexual Christian’ is an oxymoron?

My confidence is based on God’s Word in the apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, recorded in Romans 1:18-32.  In this passage of God’s Word, it says in verse 18 “the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness…….”

Verse 19 to 25 elaborate on why God’s wrath is being revealed and why God gave men (and women) over to the “sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another”.

Verse 26 to 28 detail the “sinful desires” and listed among the “sinful desires” in verse 26 and 27 is “even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error”.

If being “born again” means turning one’s back on a life of sin, accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and being born to new life through the work of the Holy Spirit, the question to answer is, will a “born again’ Christian continue indulging in sinful, homosexual practices?

The answer has to be a resounding NO, as if one is truly “born again’’, the transforming power of the Holy Spirit will remove or bring into subjection all desires for things of a homosexual nature.

Additionally, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 reads “or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

The practice of homosexuality is clearly listed among sins which will prevent us inheriting the kingdom of God.

The apostle Paul continues in verse 11 with “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God”

Verse 11 clearly states that members of the church in Corinth stopped engaging in the practices outlined in verse 9 and 10 once they “were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God”

To further bolster my argument, I cite the encounter of Jesus, the Christ and the woman caught in adultery as recorded in John 8:1-11.  It is instructive to note that the Christ did not condemn the woman but neither did He condone her sin!

In verse 11 He tells her, among other things, “go and sin no more’’. I propose that this response of the Christ is applicable to all repentant sinners, inclusive of homosexuals, desirous of turning their backs on a life of sin to follow the Christ.

There is no record in God’s Word of converts continuing their sinful practices while claiming to be followers of the Christ.

When Christians sin, the Holy Spirit will convict them and lead them to repent of the sin and receive God’s forgiveness.  Indeed, continuing in sin is reason to call into question a person’s claim to being “born again”.

If you still have doubts about whether a “born again” Christian will continue in a life of sin, I invite you to examine the life of pre-conversion Saul and post-conversion Paul.

Incidentally, proponents of the homosexual lifestyle are the only sinners espousing the view they can continue in their sinful ways while claiming to be followers of Christ.

I rest my case.

Sex, Gender and LGBTQ+

I must confess I am an old-fashioned type of guy, so when I think of a person’s sex I am thinking if the person is male or female, man or woman.   I give no thought to gender!

I am comfortable with the male and female designation. I am also aware that, sometimes as a result of complications in the development of the foetus, some babies are born with both male and female sex organs. These persons used to be referred to as hermaphrodites. 

Now I understand hermaphrodite is no longer considered a politically correct term and intersex is the preferred terminology. I am cool with that!

I am also familiar with homosexuals (both male and female variety) and cross-dressers (a term typically used to refer to men who occasionally wear clothes, makeup, and accessories culturally associated with women).

So what is gender and how is it different from one’s sex?  I went searching on Google for answers.

According to MedicalNewsToday
(https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/232363.php)

“The differences between male and female sexes are anatomical and physiological.”Sex” tends to relate to biological differences.   For instance, male and female genitalia, both internal and external are different. Similarly, the levels and types of hormones present in male and female bodies are different.”

Gender on the other hand “tends to denote the social and cultural role of each sex within a given society. Rather than being purely assigned by genetics, as sex differences generally are, people often develop their gender roles in response to their environment, including family interactions, the media, peers, and education”.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says : Gender refers to the socially constructed characteristics of women and men – such as norms, roles and relationships of and between groups of women and men. It varies from society to society and can be changed. While most people are born either male or female, they are taught appropriate norms and behaviours – including how they should interact with others of the same or opposite sex within households, communities and work places. 

I was comfortable with the definitions and was about to drop the matter when I came across a site supported by the LGBTQ+ community (https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/gender-identity-terms) that appears to have a radically different definition of gender.

In an article titled 53 Gender Identity Terms Every Ally Should Know, the author says , among other things,  “Ideally, we’d live in a world where everyone could exist as whatever gender they are without constantly having to explain or defend themselves. In a world like that, we might not have to put a name to a gender. But that’s not where we’re at right now. Instead, we live in a world where gender defaults to man or woman, and society at large rarely talks about genders that exist outside of that binary (and there are many)”.

It appears that to the LGBTQ+ community, gender and sex, as define above, is one and the same thing.

To further complicate matters and confuse my simple mind, the article went on to list 53 different gender terms complete with the disclaimer “this is not an exhaustive list”.  How thoughtful of them!

The LGBTQ+ community defines Sex as “The classification of a person as male or female”.

Great we are on the same page!!!

Unfortunately, they did not think it necessary to offer a definiton for gender. They instead offered a definition for ‘gender identity’.

Gender Identity is defined as “A person’s internal, deeply held sense of their gender. For transgender people, their own internal gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. Most people have a gender identity of man or woman (or boy or girl). For some people, their gender identity does not fit neatly into one of those two choices. Unlike gender expression, gender identity is not visible to others”.

Now we are reading from different books!!!

The gender terms include:

Transgender People whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth)
 Transsexual People who have permanently changed — or seek to change — their bodies through medical interventions, including but not limited to hormones and/or surgeries)
Transitioning Altering one’s birth sex is not a one-step procedure; it is a complex process that occurs over a long period of time);
Gender non-conformingA term used to describe some people whose gender expression is different from conventional expectations of masculinity and femininity
 Non-Binary Meaning you are somewhere outside of the categories of male and female
Agender One who does not identify with any gender
AndrogyneA person who doesn’t identify with or present as either a man or a woman, and generally has both masculine and feminine qualities
Bigender Someone who identifies with two distinct genders, such as man/woman or woman/androgyne

It is said that variety is the spice of life but this variety is just a little too spicy for me!

Whatever happened to just being man or woman, Adam or Eve?  What is Agender? If you are neither man nor woman, male or female who or what are you?

When did things become so complicated? God created Adam and Eve, male and female and things were simple. Typically, man has found a way to complicate God’s design.

I am reminded of Romans 1:21-22  “For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools”.

“Ball of confusion, that’s what the world is today”

Oh how I long for the good old days of just male or female, man or woman!!

Maybe I am just old, backward and nostalgic.

Democracy: More Questions Than Answers

The United States of America and western European countries champion democracy as the ideal system of government but just as countries and peoples have different cultures, I am beginning to wonder if any one system of government is suitable for all countries.

Should countries be allowed to implement the form of government to which the population is most responsive?

Does it follow that if democracy works in country A and satisfies the population’s aspirations it will deliver the same outcomes in country B?

Should a country’s population general level of discipline, political maturity, social and economic equality play a role in selecting the system of government?

Are modern democracies a deception with citizens appearing to have the power to hold governments accountable but in reality the government is only accountable to its financial backers?

How representative of citizens’ views is a government that does not regularly seek citizens’ views on matters of government?

Should a country continue with a system of one man/woman, one vote in effectively a two-party system, when it is clear party supporters are only interested in how they may benefit from their party forming the government and not in the development of the country for the benefit of all citizens?

Would you prefer to live in a country with limited democracy but low levels of crime, high economic growth, near equitable distribution of wealth, universal health care and an economic safety net for those fallen on hard times or one with full democracy and quality of life indicators in the negative?

Do political parties find it advantageous to keep a segment of the voting population poor, undereducated and dependent on government, thereby ensuring a solid base of easily manipulated voters?

Are politicians only concerned about the very rich and the very poor in society? After all, the very rich fund political campaigns and the very poor are the ones most likely to vote.  The middle class is neither rich enough nor sufficiently dependent on politicians to warrant much attention.

Why is there a worldwide decline in citizens’ participation in elections?

Could it be citizens are realising that democracy as practised in our modern world is not democratic?

#MeToo Movement

In 2017 and 2018, the #MeToo movement gained prominence with some of the most powerful men in entertainment, politics and even a nominee to the Supreme Court of the USA, facing allegations of sexual harassment or sexual assault.  The accusers included both males and females.

Sexual harassment, sexual assault and seduction by men occupying powerful positions is nothing new.  It has been going on from time immemorial.

It runs the gamut from King David and Bathsheba to former president of the USA Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.

I totally abhor rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment.  Indeed, I think rape (especially where the victims are children) is the most heinous act one human being can commit against another. 

Personally, I would much prefer to be charged with murder than to be accused of even one count of rape.

The thing I find most fascinating when a powerful or famous man is accused of sexual assault of a woman is the response of some women.

I am always amazed how some women, without missing a beat, are willing to vouch for the man’s innocence and imply ulterior motive on the woman’s part suggesting she is seeking to get money from the man or some other material gain!

Of course, the fact they only ‘know’ the celebrity male from television (Bill Cosby for example) and movies does not dent their confidence in his innocence.

As far as I am concerned, if a woman says she was sexually assaulted I am treating her accusation as true and the onus is on the accused to prove otherwise.

I am not naïve and I am aware that some women can be devious and are not above pulling a stunt similar to that of Potiphar’s wife, however, I still think women should receive the benefit of any doubt.

It seems to me a number of men exploit their positions and fame to extract sexual favours from women as they are aware of the prevailing attitudes towards alleged victims.

This attitude prevents many victims from reporting sexually assault for fear of being ridiculed and made to look like a liar at best and promiscuous at worse.

The situation is worse when the victim is not as well-known as the alleged perpetrator.

In my mind, there is no mystery as to why a flood of victims normally come forward after one or two brave women throw caution to the wind and go public with their experience.

As I see it, it is simply a case of victims realizing they are not alone and their reports are now more likely to be treated seriously.  Indeed, there is strength in numbers.

It is a known fact, that some men think all women should find them irresistible as a consequence of their power, wealth and fame. They therefore find it hard to believe that any woman could say ‘no’, to their advances.

Therein lies the genesis of many a case of sexual assault.

I am not willing to vouch for any person’s innocence unless I was a witness to what transpired as you never know what a person will do until they do it!

I am willing to follow where the evidence leads. In cases of false accusation, I am confident the evidence will lead to an acquittal as truth, like oil pour on water, always rises to the surface.

The Bible In The 21st Century

“The Holy Bible is an ancient text which has no relevance in the 21st century.”

How many times have we heard that statement from wise, learned, enlightened men and women seeking to undermine the authority and relevance of God’s Word in today’s world?

The statement is only partially true. I will concede the Bible is an ancient text as it was written thousands of years ago, but does its age renders it irrelevant?

My answer is a resounding no!! The Bible’s relevance is assured as long as human nature remains constant.

Mankind has made countless technological, scientific, economic, social and political advances, knowledge has increased exponentially but there has been no change to man’s innate nature?

God’s Word addresses man’s nature, his innate tendencies to rebel against his maker and God’s loving merciful and gracious actions to bring him into alignment with God’s Plans.

The apostle Paul writing to the church in Galatia (Galatians 5: 19-21), describes the actions of man’s sinful nature as “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.”

Man’s heart is described in Jeremiah 17:9 as being “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked”.

We can all agree the description of man’s nature is as applicable to us today as when the words were first written and spoken. Man’s nature, Man’s heart has not changed.

If we are honest, we will admit to having thought about, if not committed some of the things outlined above.

Many times, it is only our exposure to God’s Word and its transformative power that keeps us in check and prevents us translating our most vile thoughts into actions.

Obedience to God’s Word stops man from being consumed by his base instincts. Without the Bible there would be little restraint on man’s natural sinful tendencies.

Some of us are disturbed by some of the events recorded in the Old Testament and it is incumbent on the Church to teach more on this section of the Bible to facilitate our understanding of those events.

It is, however, extremely difficult, if not impossible, to find fault with the teachings of Jesus, the Christ and His disciples in the New Testament.

I challenge any person to read the Bible with an open mind and come to any other  conclusion than that adherence to its principles, precepts and commandments will make us better persons and the world a better place.

So is God’s Word of any relevance in today’s world?

What do you think?




 

Birthday Reflections

Today, January 6, is the anniversary of my birth or so I have been told.

Sometime ago, I can’t remember exactly when, it dawned on me that we have no way of knowing if our birth date is correct. We simply go by the date on our birth certificate supplied by our parents or hospital personnel.

Yes, I was present at my birth but I could best be described as an uninterested bystander.

Nevertheless, I thank the Lord for His mercy and grace in allowing me to complete another year. I would have perished a thousand times were it not for His grace and mercy.

It is amazing how, generally speaking, our childhood influences our adult personality. For example, I tend to be reclusive as growing up, I was said to be ‘bad’, I was always getting into ‘trouble’ with my mother so, I stayed out of her way in a corner of the house and occupied myself reading.

I also don’t appreciate being teased or made fun of as, yes you guessed it, as a child I was teased at home and at least to me, it was no laughing matter.

I tend to be shy and diffident as I did not receive much (if any) affirmation. My shyness is sometimes misconstrued as aloofness and me being full of myself when nothing could be further from the truth. Well, there might be a little truth in there somewhere.

I don’t wish to be ignored but I don’t want to be fussed over. Dealing with me requires finding the right balance and lots of understanding!

I am moody (capricious) but you will get the best out of me if you treat me with love and gentleness. I don’t like aggression, had enough as a child.

I love children more than I do adults. Children are fun, innocent and honest. Some adults are conniving and full of intrigue. Children say exactly what they mean. I like interacting with children. Once my neighbour’s four year old daughter brought me to tears by telling me I was her best friend. Maybe that’s the best thing anyone ever told me.

I don’t make a big deal over birthdays as I dislike excessive attention. The highlight of my day will be when my daughter calls to wish me a happy birthday.

Parenting is not to be taken lightly. Its importance cannot be over emphasised. Parents play a most important role in shaping adults’ personalities.

Mould your child’s or children’s personality with loving care and kindness. Loving your child or children does not mean you will not discipline, it will simply influence how you discipline.

To all mothers out there, please remember the hand that rocks the cradle still rules the world. What kind of world do you wish to rule?

Happy birthday to me!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The More Things Change, The More They Remain The Same

Xenophobia (fear or hatred of foreigners, people from different cultures or strangers) and nationalism (identification with ones’s own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations) is on the rise in parts of the United States of America and Europe.

These traits are not new and are usually exploited by leaders seeking to gain or consolidate power by stimulating our natural tendencies to cast blame on minorities in times of economic decline or impending loss of prestige or dominance on the world stage.

Today in the United States of America, immigration and immigrants are accused of taking American jobs but the reality is that most of the jobs immigrants do are low paying jobs despised by Americans.

China is accused of taking away American manufacturing jobs but the truth is, American firms relocate manufacturing facilities to China to exploit an unlimited supply of cheap labour in their quest to maximise profits.

The more things change, the more they remain the same. It is just history repeating itself as people’s innate nature remains the same from generation to generation and from one century to the next.

It is the same as in 64 A.D. when Roman emperor Nero blamed the great fire of Rome on an obscure, new Jewish religious sect called Christians and exploited xenophobia to unleash merciless persecution.

It happens all the time. Peoples from different cultures or religions can be made scapegoats for just about anything.

New Year’s Day Reflection

The long wait is over! 2019 is finally here!

 We have closed the book titled 2018 and opened page one of the 365 page book titled 2019.

When you review 2018 do not do it with sorrow or regret.  All our experiences have value.  Let’s resolve to learn the lessons embedded in the disappointments we encountered in 2018 as we give God praise for our successes.

Let us thank God for His protection, provision, preservation, mercy and grace. We could have all perished but for His mercy and grace.

As we embark on the journey of 2019, let us reflect and resolve to honour and obey the two commandments Jesus, the Christ declares the greatest, namely, “Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Following these Commandments will lead us to do everything that is pleasing in God’s sight.

As the journey continues, I pray we will take time to smell the roses and enjoy the sights and scenery along the way.

I wish us all a happy new year and hope we all make it to 2020, God willing.

Happy blogging and following!!

Protecting The Church’s Image

In 2018 the Roman Catholic church was once again rocked by a series of revelations about sexual abuse.  The revelations were not only about abuse of children but also about steps taken by bishops and other leaders in the Church to conceal and maybe even protect deviant priests.

It is now known that some bishops’ preferred course of action was to protect the Church’s image by repeatedly transferring deviant priests.

This modus operandi is not unique to the Roman Catholic church, as for some reason, it appears some Christian leaders and congregants subscribe to the view that sins committed by leaders and congregants tarnish the gospel of Jesus the Christ and must therefore be covered up at all cost.

Nothing could be further from the truth! The power and efficacy of the Gospel is not dependent on the behavior of any one Christian or group of Christians but on the life and teachings of the Christ, His disciples and the power of the Holy Spirit.

When this truth is fully grasped, the Church will recognise there is no need to cover-up sinful or criminal behavior of leaders and members. Criminal behavior will be exposed and perpetrators handed over to the authorities for the law to take its course.

The Church can then seize the opportunity to remind the world of what being a Christian means and demonstrate that the deviant leader or member operated contrary to the teachings of Jesus, the Christ.

Rather than tarnish the image of the Church, the above course of action will show to the world that the Church takes its message and mission seriously and will not permit paedophiles and other sexual deviants to hide within its walls and use it as cover for sinful, criminal acts.

The Church’s credibility is called into question when revelations of cover-ups and attempts to blame victims for the dastardly deeds of perpetrators are brought to light.

Voting is Overrated

The growing number of Jamaicans displaying disinterest in politics, especially an aversion to voting for any of the two major political parties,  has led a number of commentators to expound on the virtues of voting, i.e. marking an X next to a symbol and dipping one’s finger into ink.

To hear some tell it, refusing to mark your X and dabbing your finger with ink is democracy’s equivalent of Christianity’s blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

It is not my intention to devalue the importance of exercising the right to vote,  but it seems to me that marking an X next to a symbol is overrated. 

Accountability of elected representatives to those electing them is equally, if not more important.  Abraham Lincoln famously defined democracy as ‘Government of the people, by the people, for the people’.  While this definition implies the government must be accountable to the people at whose pleasure they govern, in practice in Jamaica, the government and members of parliament is anything but accountable. 

This lack of accountability, coupled with our tendency to vote by favourite colour, encourages politicians to make wild campaign promises they have no intention of keeping and the government to operate with scant regard for the people, safe in the knowledge they cannot be removed from office before the prime minister finds it expedient to call an election.

 Of course, by that time, the euphoria of campaigning would have erased the contemptible treatment from most memories as we prepare for the cycle to be repeated.

I submit that the number of non-voting Jamaicans will dramatically decline if a mechanism to recall non-performing MPs (disgruntled constituents describe them as “missing persons”) is built into the Constitution.

 Such a mechanism, if properly utilized, will compel MPs to be accountable to constituents or face the possibility of being recalled and replaced.

  The balance of power will be realigned in favour of the people and disinterested Jamaicans will see that their relevance is no longer limited to marking an X.

In our immature democracy, a system of recall could potentially be misused for frivolous, partisan purposes, but I am confident it is not beyond our collective competence to design a mechanism with appropriate safeguards to remove or minimize this danger.