I feel a need to clarify

. . . but as to whether or not I have the ability, I'll leave that to you.

As long windedness is not my strong suit . . . I will try to sum up what I was getting at last time -


I think that the legal battles being fought by the homosexual community in terms of their rights reguarding civil marriage ceremonies and the subsequent ability to file jointly on their taxes or obtain "family" memberships at establishments like country clubs and pools . . . should be decided in their favor - they do have the right to all those things. I don't think they should be treated any differently than any other person.

In terms of their battles within the church, I don't think the church should adopt a homosexual marriage ceremony, and I don't think the church should be elevating active homosexuals to positions of authority (priests, bishops and the like). But I don't think the church should exclude them from the fellowship, or sacramental activities of the church.

It's really a tough issue to deal with. I still think homosexuality is a sin. But homosexuals suffer from a great deal of exclusion in the church, not because of their lifestyle, but because their lifestyle is more visible than other sins. The reason the church shouldn't decided who gets to take communion, or participate in other ways is simply because the church can only make that decision based on what it sees. But the visible isn't everything. It is really up to the individual to hash it out with God and decide if they should or shouldn't do something . . . but within a large body made up of people, what should happen and what does happen are often quite different . . . and perhaps it should be that way - this is our earthly existance; I'm not sure we're supposed to get it right much of the time.

Clear as mud, right?