Because I Can… the random thoughts of Marc Scott

A few months ago this blog was really starting to cook.  I was actually quite shocked at how my random thoughts on random things had drawn so much interest.  With very little effort I was drawing well over 200 visitors a day.  As I settled in, as I became more comfortable, as I shared from a more personal place, those numbers started to dwindle.

I am a Christian.  I believe in God.  I believe in the Bible.  My faith is the single most important aspect of my life.  As a result, when I share my thoughts, opinions, stories, etc. that is going to come out.  The more of that that comes out, the fewer people that seem to want to read it.  On some days, my blog traffic is now 1/5 of what it was 2 months ago.

If I hadn’t alienated everybody before, then I am quite confident I’ll alienate a few today.  I’m OK with that.  I’ll likely upset some people.  No doubt it’ll possibly cost me a few clients as well.  I guess I’ll take my chances.

I’ve been following along today with the aftermath of the Miss USA Pageant.  More specifically, I’ve been following along with the aftermath of Miss California’s answer to a question asked by Perez Hilton regarding the topic of gay marriage.

“We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised.” Miss California USA, Carrie Prejean

Personally, I thought it was a fantastic answer.  Diplomatic, considerate, yet, honest.  However, understanding the society that we live in, I also knew that she was setting herself up to ridiculed, outcast and torn down by everybody with a voice and a way to make it heard.

On his Twitter site, Perez has spent the day ripping on Miss California quite hard, and he’s been gathering a great deal of support from others who are more than willing to pick up a stone and cast it.  I won’t even bother to post some of the quotes,  they aren’t worth your time.  I can’t help but find an irony in this though.

Miss California answered the question honestly, and she did so with no anger, no hate, no disrespect.  To Perez, and the likes, her opinion was seemingly unacceptable.  Yet, it’s OK for him and his supporters to respond with hatred and anger?  Am I the only one that sees a bit of a double standard here?  Have you ever noticed that, to the majority, if your opinion on gay marriage isn’t “in support of it” then your opinion is wrong?

With regards to the issue of gay marriage, the Bible is pretty clear.  It’s not OK.  God intended marriage to be between a man and a woman.

It’s funny how over time, through shifts in society, culture, and even the church, certain sins have become “more acceptable” than others.  For example, greed is a sin.  Yet, how often do you see the church frowning upon people living in luxury?  As long as they’re cutting their weekly cheque for 10%, nobody seems to complain.  Could they downsize their life and donate money to bring clean drinking water to villages in Africa?  Most certainly.  But the church doesn’t seem to make a big fuss about the sin of greed anymore, and so it is, now, for the most part, overlooked.

How about divorce?  God is pretty clear on divorce.  In fact, He seems to be equally clear on his feelings about divorce as He is about His feelings on marriage being between a man and woman.  Yet, today, divorce is mostly accepted among the church.  Look at me!  I’m divorced.  It’s my single greatest regret, and the ramifications of it reach further than I could possibly ever express.  But you know what, like the one that lies, like the one that lusts, like the one that engages in a sexual relationship outside of God’s intended plan between a married man and a woman, I’m a sinner.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23

There is not one of us who is innocent.  There is not one of us who is more, or less, a sinner than another.  Yet, there is not one of us who can escape the love of God.  Homosexuality is a sin.  I don’t make the rules, I just read God’s plan as it’s written out for us in the Bible.  Perhaps the church has blurred the lines on certain sins making some more or less acceptable but trust me, that isn’t how God sees it!  God loves me, despite my divorce, and God loves the homosexual just the same.

The greater problem at hand is the church’s overwhelming incompetence when dealing with issues like this.  The question needs not to be about the sin, but rather about how we treat the sinner.  Banishing the gays to hell, condemning them for their sins, spewing words of anger and hatred are the very reason why the church is losing it’s voice on the issue.

Judgement is no more for me give than it is for you.  Our call is simple.  Our call is to love.  We do not have to accept the sin.  I personally don’t accept homosexuality and gay marriage anymore than I accept murder or divorce.  However, we do have to love the sinner.  Since we are all sinners, then that means there is NONE that should be cast aside!