Posted on FB on Sep 11, 2022
Let me begin by stating what my perspective once was on sexuality which is what I think is the current MAGA’s perspective.
God created humans as one of two sexes: male and female. Males have a penis; females have a vagina. God made them mutually sexually attracted to one another such they would desire to copulate and procreate. There are no other sexes. It is unnatural and wrong for humans with penises to want to have sex with other humans with penises and same with those having vaginas. A matter of particular importance to MAGAs is the situation where a person is born with a penis (or with both a penis and a vagina and the parents elect to have their infant’s penis removed) and this person is officially certified via a birth certificate to be a male; and then later in life, that person determines that they are mentally and emotionally a female and want to live their life as a female. If it turns out that you are sexually attracted to someone of your own sex, keep it to yourself and don’t act on it.
I no longer see things as I once did. There were two “revelations” that helped bring about my change of mind. About a dozen years ago I had lunch with a friend, and he ordered liver and onions. The ac was blowing air from his side of the table toward me. I asked him to switch chairs lest I get ill from the smell of the liver. “You don’t like liver?” he asked. “It is the best cut of beef there is.” “No! It makes me want to throw up.” I could not explain to him why I felt the way that I did, it is just the way that I am wired. No matter how much I might wish to enjoy liver, it simply is not possible. As I reflected on it, I told my friend that perhaps this was how lesbians feel about having sex with men.
The second revelation occurred about a decade ago. For the past 20 years or so, I have been meeting weekly for lunch with five men friends from 1st Pres. We attempt to have Christian based discussions. One of the guys is a retired urologist and he told us story that really impacted my thinking on this subject. A young woman came to see him who he had operated on when she was an infant. The child’s parents brought the child to the urologist because the child had both male and female genitalia (the term for this is “ambiguous genitalia.) In my friend’s opinion, the female genitalia was better formed than the male, so he recommended they remove the male genitalia and that is what was done. The young woman told my friend he had gotten it wrong. She was actually wired as a man, and “she” was scheduled to have sex change operation so that “his” physical orientation matched his emotional & mental orientation.
Based on a Google search, one out of every 2,000 people born has ambiguous genitalia or about 4 million people worldwide. So obviously my former perspective that God creates all humans to be either fully female or fully male was wrong. He creates some people who are “ambiguous”. My friend said that to avoid errors such as his, he thinks in such cases parents should wait until the child is 10-12 when it is obvious what the wiring is, do the operation then, and only at that point denote the child’s sex on their birth certificate. What I have come to learn is that even if a person has only one set of genitalia, it sometimes happens that they are wired such they are sexually attracted to others of their same sex i.e. they are born homosexuals.
Since moving to St. Francisville in 2002, I have developed personal friendships with a dozen or more admitted homosexuals. With some of them, I have felt close enough to ask them to tell me their “gay story”. In every case, they very much did not want to be gay. They wished and hoped to be hetros like most people are. However, at some point they realized that they were who they were. The question was, should they “come out” and tell their family and friends. No easy decision. In some cases, their families disowned them for being shameful blatant sinners.
My current perspective, which I think many Dems share is:
God designs and creates individual human beings – we don’t design ourselves. The empirical evidence is that a significant number of humans created by God are not cut and dried male or female – He creates people with “ambiguous genitalia” and He creates people who are physically one sex who are sexually attracted to others of their same sex. Instead of condemning such people, accept them as they are. And, if you are truly a compassionate person, commend them for having the courage to be fully authentic and expose themselves to the harsh criticism that some members of our society will dump on them.
The question is, which of these two perspectives is more in line with the teachings of Jesus? If the provisions of the Second Great Commandment are applied, accepting people for who they are is what we would want others to do for us. So I maintain that the Dems/Progressives align more with Jesus on this topic than do the MAGAs.
Most Relevant Comments
Gordon Fremaux Thank you.
Paul Peters Each to their own desires and relationships as I as a sinning human I DO NOT AND WILL NOT CLAIM TO have the insightful Godly power to judge anyone, inclusive of those with different political views. If we are really Christians and really believe in our faith, then we must at least consider what the Bible does say. The old saying, “Don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house!” Was never more appropriate. I am not judging anyone at all in any way on this is sure and want to make that clear however, what is to misunderstand here that is clearly written in Bible ——- “For this reason God gave them up to dishonourable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error’” Romans 1:26-27
Donald Payne Well said Paul Peters . We are not here to judge. But at the same time many of us can not accept that teaching to our children that it’s ok because the Bible instructs us to teach out children the ways of the Lord .
David Treppendahl Donald Payne and Paul Peters I recognize that there are a number of places in the Bible where homosexuality is condemned. And In the NT, Paul condemns them as was shown in the verse above quoted by Paul Peters. The Apostle Paul also condemns men for having long hair, women for not covering their heads in church and women for preaching the Word of God. I am not a literalist. I see the Bible as a compilation by some 40 men over the span of 1,200 years that God used to communicate his message to humans.
There are lots of contradictions in it for anyone who has an objective mind to see. Where I place the highest credence and value is on the Words of Jesus. That is why the criteria I have set is on which people group is most aligned with “the teachings of Jesus”. Jesus never says anything about homosexuality. However, He does say a lot about loving other people and about not condemning them
Donald Payne David Treppendahl abomination from God does not change. Period. It’s all good I am ready to go home to my father. All that’s happening is in Revelations. Judgement is for the father. As he will judge these and those that support them. This administration is full of lies over and over again but too many of you so blind. Keep watching CNN as they continue lose anchors
Daniel Runkle David, what you’re doing here is simply attempting to redefine or relabel the historic Christian view of human sexuality as “MAGA”.
You admittedly have changed your view from the historical Christian viewpoint. However, it’s really Christianity you’re rejecting when you do this, so that you can still attempt to call yourself a “Christian”.
This is even after you have clearly departed from Christianity. You’re just using “MAGA” as a convenient label, doublespeak for Historic Christian thought.
If you haven’t already read it, I would recommend reading J. Gresham Machen’s classic book from the 30’s, “Christianity & Liberalism.” This addresses your newly adopted worldview, which is clearly not Christianity.
I had a friend from High School who did this back when he moved to California and joined a New Age cult. However, at least he was honest enough to admit he was no longer a Christian, and gad become a New Age Humanist.
You really need to repent and turn back to Christ and historical Christianity, and depart from the heretical teaching of Bishop Spong. It’s obvious you have been brainwashed by the apostate Episcopal Church, that no longer follows the Orthodox teachings of Christ.
David Treppendahl Daniel Runkle so Daniel Just to make sure I understand you, You are saying that because I no longer condemn homosexuals as being deviants, I no longer should call my self a Christian. Is that your point?
Daniel Runkle David Treppendahl no, I’m saying that because you are following the heretical teachings of Bishop Spong, you have clearly departed from the Orthodox Christian faith. Condemning homosexuals is not the role of Christians, and I haven’t claimed that.
If you used to go around condemning homosexuals, then tgat wasn’t good. However, condoning homosexuality is not the role of Christians either. Speaking the truth in love, warning about all sin is a part of believing what the Bible warns against.
Spong teaches that there’s nothing wrong with homosexuality. However, the Bible teaches otherwise. The Bible warns about drinking to drunkeness, adultery, carnality, greed, and other sins as well.
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