PURPOSE
The issue of homosexuality is tearing apart the fiber of our society, as well as that of our Social and Religious Institutions. It is an emotionally charged subject and most people take sides without an understanding of the real issues and their ramifications.
In this document, we will attempt to shed some light on them in
the
hopes
that it may assist all in placing this issue in its proper perspective.
BACKGROUND
and INTRODUCTION
Frame of Reference Used
We live in a primarily Judeo-Christian society with heavy Muslim
influence,
thus we will approach this work using Monotheism (1) as the frame of
reference
needed to establish internal coherence.
Once the case is established with internal coherence, an attempt will be made to establish its external coherence. The individual reader should then be the final judge of its harmony using his or her own illuminated perspective.
We encourage the agnostic (2) to read this document with an open mind. The primary objective of this document is neither to justify nor condemn homosexuality; we are only attempting to bring peace and consolation to many restless hearts through a comprehensive understanding of homosexuality.
Definitions
Primary
Normally 'Definition of Terms' is placed in the Appendix of most works. In this case, to pave the way for the understanding and coherence which we are striving to achieve, the definitions precede the work itself. The reader is encouraged to carefully read them and meditate on them.
God : The uncreated Creator. Omnipotent and Eternal. All is possible for Him except to violate the Free Will of man because He Himself granted it and God does not reverse His designs. There is no need to; they are perfect.SecondaryHomosexual : An individual generally, but not exclusively, attracted, physically and/or romantically, to a member of the same gender.
Homosexual Act : An act between two human beings of the same gender which involves the genital apparatus and which may result in a psychosomatic climax.
Sacred Scriptures : Written compendium of Laws and traditions, Divine and human, plus working examples from historical events. The source: God, Who, through inspiration, manifested them through Prophets and Apostles over the centuries. Key Examples: Jewish Torah, Christian Bible, Muslim Qur'an, Book of Mormon, etc.
[S. John 8:7] : Example of a reference from the Sacred Scriptures indicating the Book [S. John]; the Chapter [8]; the Verse [7].
Human Being : Created in the [spiritual] image of God. "...male and female created he them." [Genesis 1:26-27]Sin : An offense to God which constitutes any act by which a human being rejects the loving care of his Creator by: (a) Willfully ignoring the laws He lovingly set for the well being of His creatures; or (b) Willfully offending Him for the sake of offending Him out of malicious rebellion. The consequences of sin may be tempered by the Mercy of God.
Our Cross : Characteristics in our soul, character and/or body which propitiate the inclination to act not in our best interests according to the Divine Laws.
Love : A nurturing feeling between two human beings which prompts in him/her a desire of sharing joy and happiness with the object of his/her love. The ultimate act of love is to give up one's life for the benefit of the loved one.
Sexual Relations : The next-to-the-ultimate manifestation of love taken out of context.
Not attempting to practice the teachings of Jesus Christ (3) or violating the Ten Commandments clearly spelled out by God (4) is a more serious transgression than homosexual behavior, as defined above.
The evaluation of homosexual acts on religious grounds is of no consequence nor has any merit unless it is within the overall context of Divine Law and Tradition.
Within such valid context, any discussion of this issue must be made against the backdrop of what Jesus Christ taught us by means of the sinful woman who was to be stoned to death: "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her". [John 8:7] and .... Jesus said: Neither will I condemn thee. Go, and now go and sin no more. [John 8:11] (5)
DETAILS
The Details are developed within the established Frame of Reference.
* God said to the created man and woman: "..., Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth,..." [Genesis 1:28]
Commentary: A homosexual sexual relationship cannot yield other human beings, thus the multiplication, i.e. procreation, comes to a halt in those two individuals. In a homosexual oriented society, in the mathematical limit, the human species would become extinct.* God, in the Person of Jesus, also said: "And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell; for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee." [Matthew 11:23-24]
Commentary: Capernaum's transgression was nonbelief; lack of faith in Jesus Christ. In spite of the mighty works which Jesus Christ did in Capernaum, they refused to believe in Him.
CONCLUDING STATEMENTS
Using the God-centered Frame of Reference, it becomes quite obvious that there are more commonplace offenses, such as stiff-necked impenitence and lack of charity, which are far worse than those associated with homosexual behavior.
"To believe" is "to try to obey". If one "believes" that there is a high-speed train coming over the railroad crossing, one will "try to obey" and stay clear from the path of the train. If one does not "try to obey" the "belief" that a high-speed train is coming, then there is no "belief". One is only pretending outwardly to "believe", or as it is commonly known: "only paying lip service".
* Jesus further said, in no uncertain terms, that: "Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if you have love one to another." [John 13:33-35]
Commentary: He did not make exceptions by classifying who was "one" or who was "another".
For those whose Faith teaches them that Jesus Christ is not God, let us use an alternate approach.
In Exodus 20:1-18 God gave man the Ten Commandments (8). No explicit nor implicit mention is made of homosexual behavior. Therefore, the Commandments obviously classify many commonplace sins in a much worse category than homosexual acts.
The true problems lie in:
1.- The persecution of homosexuals; and
2.- The promotion of the proliferation of homosexual lifestyle.
With the reasons being:
Without ignoring the reasons and/or traumas which have caused the homosexual behavior in a human being, which may be compounded by the homophonic attitude, let us look at why it is not practical to promote a homosexual lifestyle where it does not already exist.
The plan of Creation, or if you are an agnostic - the plan of perpetuating the species, is being short circuited with its associated psychosomatic consequences; primarily guilt.
By actively promoting homosexuality, the human Creation is being pushed to function outside its "Normal Operating Range and Instructions" ; that is, outside "The Normal Sexual Preference Distribution Amongst the World Population and the Sacred Texts". For the agnostic view: Outside the established Laws of Nature.
If we operate a device, electronic or mechanical, outside its range of operability it may malfunction and may prematurely fail. If we promote the improper operation of industrial devices in a worldwide scale, eventually industry would fail.
In the case of a human being, the situation is far more complex for it involves the physical, emotional and spiritual components which constitute the integrated make up of a human being.
In any case, there is no need to
despair . God loves profoundly each one of His children
and
will help each one of us individually in our
journey through Time.
All He wants from us is that we allow Him to help us along. To receive that help, all we have to do is to ask Him. No one is excluded; no one!
Committed: By having covered up the spread of a spiritually deadly disease; and
Still Being Committed: By not acknowledging that they were fully aware of what they were doing - Placing their personal and the Church interests above the interests of the victims. This particular behavior is tantamount of sinning against the Holy Spirit of God.
Don't Despair! - Don't Give Up!