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?

To Continue

In light of an article Curly suggested after reading my last post . . .

I would like to add something to my statements -

The church should not take it upon itself to allow or deny a person participation in the sacrament of Eucharist . . . it's not the job of the church to decide who can and cannot partake. Whether a person should or shouldn't take communion is between them and God, and if we were brutally honest more often . . . we wouldn't take communion half as often as we do (I too am guilty of that one).

Also - Wyman, glad to know I'm not alone on this one - it's one of the few issues on which I get all "separation of church and state" on folks.

Raising Controversy

I'm really not trying to raise eyebrows, or give people frown wrinkles . . . really.

I've just been thinking about some stuff, and I'm fairly sure my conclusions are going to make some people angry . . . somewhere . . . if they find out about them. Unfortunately, I'm feeling a need to get some of these thoughts off my chest - so here goes.

I think homosexuality is a sin in the eyes of God.
Therefore:
- Homosexual unions should not be honored in the church.
- A homosexual marriage ceremony should not be canonized.
- Active homosexuals should not be placed in positions of high authority in
the church. Just as people who sodomize young boys, or embezzel money, or lie uncontrollably should not be placed in positions of high authority.
- I'm not particularly comfortable with calling a homosexual union a "marriage"

But . . .
- I see no reason not to allow homosexual unions in the civil and legal sense.
- I don't think the federal or state goverments should outlaw homosexual unions.

And . . .
- I see no reason to treat homosexuals as second class citizens, they are
people after all
- There is nothing especially wrong with someone living a homosexual lifestyle that isn't wrong with all of us (we're all sinners, it's in Romans), so they deserve the same respect and love that I'd give anyone else.
- And for that matter, I know a bunch of really cool people; some of them are gay. No.big.deal.

Have I offended you yet? Or at least confused you?

As a species we tend to fear what we do not understand, and while that's a fairly good survival instinct in the wild, in society it's not a habit we should be proud of or try to maintain.

Ok, I'm done being offensive now.