Gay Rights

We have seen a huge concern about gay rights pop up in recent times. Where did it come from? Why did so many people come to the conclusion that gays are mistreated and it needs to stop? Mostly it came from Christianity. Christians have taught the world that all people are children of God. We have taught the world not to judge and not to discriminate. These are ideas that go back to Jesus. You read the parable of the Good Samaritan and you can see that we are to have compassion even on those people who are different from us.

People forget that. They see Christianity as the enemy of gay rights. Sure, Christians have said gay rights should have limits. Just like preserving an endangered species is important enough to limit our freedom to hunt, preserving marriage is worth limiting people's freedom to marry. Still the gay marriage idea is pushing a Christian idea too far. It is a failure to understand the nature of marriage rather than a misunderstanding about how gays should be treated.

What about all the Christian people who have engaged in anti-gay behavior? It has happened. People misunderstand the faith. Bad religion can result in bad acts. Homosexual acts are seen as sin but Christianity does not teach that people should go out and beat up sinners. Jesus ate with tax collectors and prostitutes. Christians don't always live that but that is the ideal in Christianity. We want to be like Jesus.

So who is the best protector of gay rights in the future? Christians. Strange but true. Human rights has always been about preventing the majority from abusing a minority. Why is that bad? It is based on the dignity of the human person. Does every human person have this dignity? Why is that? Why can't we just decide one group is icky and does not have human dignity? If you remove Christianity from the picture there is no reason. You can demonize one group and abuse on them all you want.

The first victims are likely to be Christians. We see gay groups leading the charge to rid society of anyone who holds to the Christian view. How far will they go? I am not optimistic that about any restraint. So far politicians and courts have been eager to join the mob rather than protect the abused.

So what happens next? We know. It is not like this has never happened before. When one minority gets abused then others follow. So what will protect gays from becoming the next target? Nothing. They have always been a minority that is fairly easy to demonize. Who will defend them if that happens? Christians. The precise group that refused to move when gay was trendy will be the same one that refuses to move when anti-gay becomes trendy.

People think society has become so sophisticated now that extreme abuse of a minority could not happen. It is not true. People remain sinful. When we neglect the grace of God we become capable of great evil. I would say we are still a few decades away from a truly evil society but we seem to be headed there.