GAY MARRIAGE First let me say that I am proud and impressed with how passionate so many young people are for standing up for their beliefs. I am very tempted to say nothing about this because the last thing I want to do is offend any one in any way or create hard feelings. I hope we can continue to have a friendly, open- minded discussion.
As far as Chick Fil A goes, I am not very familiar with all the things they are accused of doing so I am not prepared to respond appropriately. I do know they are closed on Sunday, but not as observation of the Sabbath. The Bible clearly defines the Sabbath as being on the day after Friday and the day before Sunday. They close Sunday to allow a day for family. I know that during my brief experience as a business owner, one of the first things my partners and I did was close on Sunday. Giving up the revenue for 1 day a week is a very courageous move for any business. Chick Fil A may have donated a few million dollars in support of Biblical marriage, but they have also donated over tens of millions to programs for underprivileged children. Chick Fil A may not be perfect and may have its faults, but I feel good about supporting a business that supports Biblical family.
I feel that I have been a Christian since I was a little kid however I did not read or study the Bible until after I turned 40. This writing is not intended to be teachings, or to change anybodies’ heartfelt belief. I intend to state my beliefs and back them up Biblically. I believe that if I claim to be Christian and do not make my best possible attempt to do what the Bible says, then I am failing to be what I claim to be.
The Bible does say that all scripture is God breathed so I believe it includes writings that God does approve of, prompted by His Holy Spirit.
I agree that many Christians and non Christians do pick and choose select verses of the Bible to support their issues. I do believe that the Bible is subject to interpretation and allows for many gray areas which makes Christianity very complex and difficult to follow sometimes. Many Christians of the very same Church do not agree on many issues. I have some very good friends that believe that Christians should not celebrate Christmas, as it was supposedly a Pagan holiday. For goodness sakes it has the word CHRIST in it, how can it be a Pagan holiday. Christians can’t even agree on Christmas. LOL. You know I love Christmas. Some very close Christian friends of mine, members of our own Bible Study group would likely disagree with some of what I have written here.
Those who oppose the Bible, occasionally refer to the verses about women being forbidden to have authority over man. The Bible does not say that a woman should not have authority over man. Many books of the Bible are actually letters from Apostle Paul. As Moses was God’s chosen messenger of the Old Testament, Apostle Paul was Gods messenger of the New Testament. The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to Timothy explaining that women should not have authority or teach over men at the church of Corinth. He was worried that these people were new converts and unqualified to teach what is in accord with Sound Doctrine. There are several other areas where Paul did give women positions of authority over men.
Some also point to societies acceptance of various skin colors as an example of how society should be tolerant of gay marriage. The Bible clearly says that from one man, God made every nation of men; we are all of one blood, so therefore we are equal according to skin color. God even punished Miriam severely for looking down on Moses and his Ethiopian dark skinned wife. While we may not always have control over the sexual desires we are born with, our behavior is more controllable than the color of our skin.
I believe we are free to love who we want to love. Apostle Paul also said it was good for man NOT to marry but allowed marriage between a man and a woman to reduce the sexual immorality. The Bible, (Jesus) clearly defines marriage as between one man and one woman. If we ignore that, then maybe we should also allow men to have multiple wives at the same time. The Bible also defines all sex outside of marriage as sin and also clearly defines Homosexuality as sin. I believe it is difficult to call ourselves CHRISTians if we deny Jesus CHRIST'S own definition of marriage.
I do not agree with the idea that a person can not be Christian if they are homosexual. That would be like saying a person can not be Christian if they are obese. Many people at our Church are definitely overweight as are many nationally known Christian Pastors. The Bible clearly calls gluttony a sin. And any abuse of our bodies, the Temple of God’s Holy Spirit is sin. I believe that many people have more control over their eating behavior than Homosexuals have over their lifestyle. Though I am no longer obese (by the grace of God) I still occasionally give in to gluttony, sin. I also knowingly drive slightly over the speed limit on a frequent basis, sin.
There are a lot of accusations of intolerance throughout this discussion about gay marriage. Fortunately God IS TOLERANT and forgives all of our sins including eating and sexual sins. Lord knows I have plenty of sins especially in my past that I am not proud of, mainly from before I was familiar with the Bible. “I’m not as good as I’m gonna get, but I’m better than I used to be,” Thank you Tim McGraw.
According to the Bible, if we just ask God, all of our sins are forgivable, except one. (Blaspheme against the Holy Spirit). We can be tolerant of sins without encouraging, endorsing, legalizing, or celebrating sin with a marriage ceremony and legal certificate.
I want everybody to be as happy in their relationship as my wife and I am. If that means allowing same sex couples to marry, so be it. If it doesn't affect me directly, I'm not gonna concern myself with what others do. I do not think Churches, cake makers or other businesses should be forced to participate in gay marriage events if it interferes with their religious beliefs.
I really have struggled with this idea of legalizing gay marriage and deciding where I stand has been very difficult. I am not anti gay. I have friended, hired, trained, promoted and awarded, many gays during my many years. There are several gays that attend our Church. Many gays are probably better Christians than I am.
As CHRISTians I believe our biggest concern should be getting to heaven and then following the great command of CHRIST, leading others to heaven. Our top 3 priorities should be SALVATION, SALVATION, SALVATION. I believe that the Bible teaches that ALL sinners may have salvation by repenting of our sins and believing in Jesus. The criminal that hung on the cross next to Jesus received salvation because he believed in Jesus and believed Jesus who he said he was, the Son of God. Mary Magdeline and Rahab, both prostitutes, sexual sinners, received protection from God because they had faith in God. If you would like to learn more about what I believe and why I believe it, you are welcome to visit my Web Site: http://timsweightlossandchristianbelief.weebly.com/christians-united.html . Or call my cell anytime.