God Is Love But Not That Kind of Love
As usual, I’m late to the party on this. Seeing as its Holy Thursday and this news has been going on since Monday. But, in case you didn’t know this and like me live under a rock (hey, its nice and cozy and I don’t have to worry about nearly as much), California’s Proposition 8, which was passed by the citizens of California making homosexual “marriage” illegal, is now up in front of the Supreme Court.
So, as usual in just about anything political that rallies behind the liberal cause, everyone went to Facebook and changed there profile picture to a red equals sign. Because, you know, changing your Facebook profile picture to something actually does something (makes sense right?). Remember the days when people actually made signs and went to their local government center to protest? Oh, that’s too hard, let’s just change our Facebook picture, because that’s pretty much the same thing!
But, in all seriousness, what I’m finding is a new trend. Many people are supporting “marriage equality”. This surprises me to a great deal, considering we have people trying to use morality, religion, and in some cases God. You know the old mantra “God is Love”? That means its okay for two people to do whatever they want with each other in the name of “love”. This gives a whole new meaning to the song “Stop! In the name of love!”
Let me address the true meaning to how God is love, in the reality and truth of this message.
How is it, that so many Catholics and Christians can be for this? The answer is simple enough. They don’t know Christ, they don’t care to know Christ and they don’t want to know Christ. Why this simple answer? The second you even mention that homosexual behavior (not being homosexual) is sinful, the knee jerk reaction is “Judge not, lest ye be judged!…” This quote from Luke 6:37 when Jesus tells us not to judge is used incorrectly, all the time. Its used as basically a “shut up” card. Unfortunately, they then will tell you that we should let them go about and live there lives, all along ignoring Jesus when he told the woman caught in adultery to “go and sin no more”.
Another common misconception you hear is “well…Jesus never spoke about marriage specifically, so really we can do whatever we want!”. Wrong. Jesus is very clear in Matthew 19:4-6 “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” (Just a side note, this is also why divorce is not allowed).
On top of this, no one reads the Gospels that speak directly of what Jesus has told us to do (if we are to follow Him, we are to obey Him and do as He says) and uses it to challenge them to grow. When they get to a reading that is too hard or difficult, like those during the Bread of Life discourse in John 6, they walk away saying “this teaching is too difficult, how are we to follow?” So, they create their own interpretation (like Protestants do all the time) and create a God in their own image. Because, you know, heresy is cool!
God is indeed truly love. But love also is having to say ‘no’ from time to time. If a family member is struggling with drugs or alcohol, would it be loving to say to them “oh, I know this is hurting you, but I am going to let you go ahead because it makes you happy and I don’t want to appear to be a bigot, cause you know, God is love!” or is it more loving to say “look, you are causing harm to yourself, you need help”. Obviously the latter. (Did I mention I can read minds and some of you are going “but that’s not the same!”)
It is a good analogy. In both cases, the person is born with a condition. One person is born with homosexual tendencies, the other with a tendency to abuse drugs or alcohol. Just to be fair let’s throw in someone who has a tendency to sleep with women left and right. In each scenario, the respective person has been born with a tendency to do something that is not within human nature. The loving thing with each respective individual, is to point out that what they are doing is wrong and they need help to correct this behavior (yes, even the adulterous male). The success for each individual, would be to not engage in their respective unhealthy behavior. For the adulterous man, to stop sleeping with random women and to either A) marry a woman who he can spend the rest of his life with and commit himself to her or B) live single and not engage in adultery. For the druggie/alcoholic, to stop using these. For the man or woman struggling with homosexual tendencies to A) not engage in these acts and live out life single or B) train themselves to think differently.
Now, what happens if the three people mentioned above fail? Does this mean they are useless and horrible people doomed to Hell? Of course not. As Catholics we believe that the Sacrament of Reconciliation should be used often and confession will get you back on track. This is the most loving realization about Catholicism of all. God loves us so much, that He knows that we will occasionally fail and so He granted us confession so that we can be back in good graces with Him.
Finally, I don’t think the Supreme Court ruling will be in favor of traditional marriage. I am predicting an over turn of DOMA, and the start of legalization of homosexual “marriage” across the country. One by one, we need to educate our friends and family members about God’s Truth, not man’s “truth”.
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