I've been thinking lately about the issue of homosexuality, especially in light of what's happened in California in recent days. Why is this debate so polarizing? Why is it likened to the civil rights movement? What makes this different than so many other issues?
I think it has to do with a case of mistaken identity. Let me role play for a moment...
I'm nervous, so bear with me. There's something I want to tell you. In fact, I need to tell you. It's something I've known for a while now, but just been too scared to admit. I've been afraid of what people would think of me if they knew, so I've just kept it to myself. But after lots of thought, I've realized that I shouldn't really be worried about that. Who cares what other people think of me?! That doesn't change who I am! So, I've decided that I need to tell someone, I've got to come out of the closet and just let it out. So here I go...
I am...............................I'm a liar.
I know you're thinking, "No, not my son!" But, you don't have to worry. In fact, you're just going to have to get over it. You should be proud of me for discovering this about myself. It's who I am!
You're probably also wondering how long I've known. Well, I started realizing it when I realized that I could get away with things that I didn't want others to know I did, like the one time I broke your antique vase when I was six...yeah, that was me...and I grew to understand this more fully when I realized it would also help other people think better of me than I really am, and it just grew from there.
The frustrating thing about it is the complete injustice I've endured because of this. It's not my choice, it's who I am, but people just don't seem to get it. They look at me funny when they find out who I am. The judicial system doesn't tolerate me or others like me. Neither does the church...I can be a good Christian and still be a liar! There are plenty of lying clergy! Yeah, yeah...the Bible does say, "Thou shalt not lie." But that's not really what it means. Those ten commandments are all outdated anyway. They were for people a few thousand years ago. They obviously aren't meant for today. I get churched folk coming up to me all the time telling me I'm going to hell, but they just don't get the fact that God made me this way.
There are some good things happening though. I've started a group for liars...all different kinds, from little white liars to people who tell the most amazing kinds! It's great...we're all really supportive of each other and have been able to organize rallies and get publicity to help further our cause! We're even working hard to pass legislation to legalize lying. Just the other day, I was contacted by a scientist who heard about us, and he told us he was working on getting a grant so that he could begin looking for a lying gene that would prove this is just a part of who we are, and he's pretty sure it exists based on past studies! Isn't that exciting?!?!
Does anyone else see a major problem here? In this scenario, the person has taken their sin and made it their identity...they've made it who they are. This, to me, is what makes this issue of homosexuality so polarizing. When one speaks against homosexuality, it becomes nearly impossible to separate it from the person. Speaking against it is speaking against the person themself. It's easy to say that lying is wrong because there aren't people, on a large scale, who've made it their identity. It's the same for a myriad of other vices. But not so with homosexuality. This is the challenge we are faced with...
