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Just who angers God?

A lot of people are throwing around Bible passages these days, so I figured I might as well get in on the fun. I do, after all, have a dual degree in Church history, as well as religion and philosophy from a very conservative Christian college in Western New York.

A backbone of Christian morality is the Ten Commandments. In case you forgot, they come from Exodus 20, where Moses receives these laws to govern his people during their exile.

These are the 10 big ones, the rules of God taught to every school child in every Sunday school. Interesting how being LGBT isn’t on that list, even though we know that same-sex relationships already existed.

We know that Jesus came in fulfillment of the Law, as he stated in Matthew 5:17. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

He talks about the 6th commandment (murder) shortly after mentioning that he came in fulfillment of the law. Matthew 5:21-26 brings to us Jesus’ strong words about hatred and vitriol. Essentially, those who hate their neighbors are guilty of serious sins, specifically murder.

Some among us have quoted Jeremiah 6:16, and for the sake of clarity, I will not use the King James translation. “This is what the Lord says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, “We will not walk in it.”’ So what way is good? Let us, again, return to the words of Jesus.”

In Matthew 5:43-47, Jesus talks of good being the acts of loving everyone, including your enemies. If we of the LGBT community are truly the enemy, should not the religious leaders be first among those wanting to greet us and shake our hands? Would not a loving handshake and a long-term friendship be the strongest testimony of the love of Christ?

In case I go too far astray from Biblical teaching, I will check some other passages and see where Christ gets angry and chastises people.

Oh. Interesting. He never, apparently, gets angry with sinners, but only ever those who consider themselves holy. This is even so far as to correct and beat with cords the supposedly righteous people defiling the Lord’s house (John 2:12-22 has my favorite version of the story).

Reading through the texts (which I’ve done, cover to cover at least three times), I wonder where the intense vitriol and hatred of LGBT people comes from.

The Old Testament mentions same-sex relationships a handful of times, and the New Testament mentions anything LGBT only a few times. Of these passages, Romans 1, typifies the New Testament treatment of homosexuality, lumping it in with other sins we readily accept in modern culture. (Romans 1:29-31) “They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.”

Where are the protests against gossips? Where are the impassioned letters to the editor against the heartless?

Well, in case you’re confused, Jesus summed up the whole question rather simply. Matthew 22:36-40 — “...love the Lord your God... and love your neighbor as yourself.”

I wonder what words Jesus might have for some of the people in town fighting against the LGBT individual’s right to walk down the street without facing harassment. I’d like to think he would calmly like to remind them of Matthew 7.

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