I have just finished helping a fellow writer by critiquing a
male/male romance story. What is interesting
is, I am a devout Lutheran who believes in strict adherence to the teachings of
the Bible and also believes that same Bible condemns homosexuality. So, why would someone with my religious
belief system support a story about a homosexual romance by helping the author
critique it? The answer is it is my
opinion the writing profession demands it.
Of all the disciplines, I believe writing should involve the free flow
of ideas, even ones I or someone else may disagree with.
It is not up to any one individual to judge what is right or
wrong; or appropriate or inappropriate.
We are all equal in that the most we can do is say it is our opinion this is right and that is
wrong. God in heaven has perfect knowledge
of right and wrong and the most any of us can do is pray for knowledge of His
mind and hope we are doing His will.
I'm sure many gays and social liberals are applauding my
words at the moment. They may be joyful that they have 'gotten through' to
another religious conservative. My
response to this reaction is 'not so fast'.
I'm finding that a lot of the people who seek tolerance
of the gay lifestyle are also equally intolerant of traditional religion. Many of
the same people who are politically correct about not mocking homosexuals have
no reservations about mocking Jesus or traditional Christians. My response is that the door swings both
ways. Just as it is wrong for someone to
not be tolerated for their sexual lifestyle, it is equally wrong to not
tolerate someone for their religious beliefs.
Looking at it logically, there are two possibilities. Homosexuality is a sin in the eyes of God,
or it isn't. If it is not a sin,
homosexuals have not committed wrong against God by practicing their
lifestyle. If it is a sin, God is loving
and forgiving. I'm convinced things will
sort out at the time of judgment. In the
meantime, if we are to follow God's commandments, we are obligated to
treat our neighbor with respect regardless of his or her opinions on social
matters.
