Integrity News

Well, on Sunday I finally got around to writing up a blog entry about my visit with Ron Paul for the Outright Libertarians blog. You can check it out here:

Ron Paul & Don’t ask, Don’t tell

In the post, I included two quotes from Ron Paul specifically regarding DADT. One of the quotes was from a radio interview with conservative evangelical John Lofton. Evidently Mr. Lofton carefully monitors what is posted about him because he responded to my entry:

John Lofton, Recovering Republican said… What I condemn is irrelevant. God, however, in His Word — Old and New Testaments — condemns very strongly homosexuality as an abomination, a crime worthy of death.

John Lofton, Editor, TheAmericanView.com

Of course, to those who know me, it will come as no surprise that I responded:

Pepe N. Johnson said… I couldn’t agree with you more, Mr. Lofton. What you condemn IS irrelevant. And while many choose to believe the Holy Bible as the word of God, the Holy Bible isn’t the source of military law and regulation. It would also be a terrible infringement on the religious freedom of American soldiers who aren’t Christian, or Jewish, or Muslim, if we used either the Old or New Testament as the source of our military laws and regulations.

As for being a crime worthy of death, is that why MAJ Alan Rogers died? Because he was gay? NO, he GAVE his life to save the lives of two other soldiers. I can’t think of a better way to die. May his soul rest in peace.

I worked very hard to not include Bible verses, but for my readers here, I’d like to cite a couple:

John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

A lot of folks like to point out various verses in the Bible which make up “The Law,” and assert that gay people violate “The Law” by being gay. I’m no theologian, but Christ himself repeatedly says that we are justified by faith and not by the law. The law was established to show that everyone fails and falls short of the glory of God.

When asked about the No. 1 commandment, Jesus Christ said:

Matthew 22:37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

In a book dense with wisdom, it’s hard to decide what is most important or what I should remember. As for who a man lies with, I think it’s more important to remember what Christ himself taught as the “foremost commandment” as well as the supreme act of love.

Finally, I remember hearing the most simplest and profound definition of sin as being “anything that separates your soul from God.” In other words, there isn’t a list that says “A” is a sin, while “B” is not. Or that “A” is a sin on Sundays, but is okay the rest of the week. What may be a sin for you - such as eating pork - may not be a sin for me. Why? Because the prohibition against pork is a part of your tradition and aids your discipline in faith. For me, it’s a nonstarter, I can eat chops and not think twice about it. How about circumcision? For me, it doesn’t matter one way or another, but circumcision is a very important part of Judaism. For a Jew it would be a sin not to circumcise their child, but for Christians it’s mostly a matter of modern health practices. For Christians of Jewish ancestry, well, that’s another blog.

Some may say that such a definition of sin leads to moral relativism, but I disagree, I think this definition of sin emphasizes our individuality - that each of us is a unique creation of God and that each of us must develop a one-on-one relationship with God.

Speaking personally, my faith was strengthened when I finally came out to myself. For years I knew I was attracted to males. I said prayers every night to make the feelings go away. I tried dating girls and became desperate enough that I bought dirty magazines in order to “correct” my attractions. In the end, God said “No - you’re gay, get over it.” When I accepted myself for the way I was created, my sexual orientation stopped consuming my spirituality. I was able to focus on other things and become closer to God because I had accepted myself. The battle against homosexuality - not the homosexuality itself - had created distance between me and God.

Sadly, while I have moved on and my sexuality no longer controls my spirituality, evangelicals continue to hold our country hostage to their narrow view of the way things ought to be.