Matthew 6:14-15 (ESV)For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Gay people do not need to be forgiven for just being gay any more than straight people need to be forgiven for just being straight. Homosexuality is not in opposition to Christian values. Homophobia and the systemic abuse and oppression of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans-identified people is opposed to basic Christian values.
When it comes to sexual orientation, forgiveness is important to the both the gay and straight communities. The level of anger around topics related to homosexuality is harming both straight and gay people. A load of anger can make people bitter and can harm people's health. Through forgiveness people can find true peace and healthy spirituality.
Forgiveness is not amnesia. When we forgive somebody, we do not forget the past. In fact, forgetting the past can be the wrong thing to do. We can learn important life lessons from the times we've been hurt. The gay community should not forget terrible acts that governments, legislators, courts, police, churches and individuals have committed. Forgetting the past could place one at risk of not learning history's lessons. To forgive somebody is to decide not to hurt a person back after the individual hurt you. Forgiveness is not something one only needs to do once. You need to forgive every single time the desire to hurt back returns.
It seems to me that forgiveness makes sense with respect to certain specific acts that have occurred and aren't being repeated. With respect to activity that's ongoing and constantly recurring it's not sensible and usually psychologically impossible to forgive.
ReplyDeleteFor example, people involved in various hate groups whether based on racism, misogyny, homophobia, etc., that regularly promote bigotry and sometimes violence against people they dehumanize should not be forgiven. Certainly not before they've stopped and explicitly renounced those activities.
wouldn't that also apply to homosexuals that continue to practice homosexual sex acts? Being gay (or choosing to be gay) can be forgiven as long as the party involved turns away from this sin and repents
DeleteSorry, your premise that sexual relations between 2 men or 2 women are somehow less "moral" than sexual relations between a man and a woman is simply untenable.
DeleteI agree with you but isn't the core lesson here that God is the final judge and that it is not our place to condemn others. When we do that then we fall out of god's grace just as much as those who trespass.
ReplyDeleteUsually most people only forgive someone when that person repents, apologises or makes amends in some other way, which makes me think there are many people that will forgive various religious organisations when they repent and apologise for their hatred, discrimination and persecution of people just because of their sexual orientation.
ReplyDeleteSo maybe forgiveness is something that will happen, eventually, but only after one party stops waging a war. a war of words and orders.
*waves from Brighton*