How Should Christians Approach Amendment One?
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By tom goergen
Special to The Pilot
It is troubling that fellow Christians are contemplating a change to our state constitution that would limit civil rights.
Please consider Christ's living and loving example when you decide on May 8. Jesus gave us the greatest Commandment, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest Commandment. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." All the law and the prophets hang on these two Commandments.
Jesus reinterpreted the Old Testament, giving us a fuller and deeper understanding, an understanding that can only come through the perspective of love. He challenged those with a too-literal interpretation. The Ten Commandments were not given us to shield God's eyes from wrong behavior and protect us from divine wrath; they were given out of love so that people could live happier, more fulfilling lives.
God loves us. In the parable of the prodigal son, the father did not wait for an apology or inflict punishment. He ran to his returning son, embraced him and celebrated.
When the older brother became angry at what he perceived to be a lack of justice, the father told him the importance of his joy at being reunited with the lost brother.
If the father in this parable represents a loving God, to whom punishment is unimportant, we should follow that example and embrace and accept our fellow men and women for what they are, not what we might prefer them to be.
When Jesus was confronted by the scribes and Pharisees with a woman caught in the act of adultery, they reiterated Mosaic Law and its proscription that she be stoned.
Jesus dispersed the crowd by saying, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." Then he said to her, "Neither do I condemn thee: Go, and sin no more."
Being a Christian is not about punishment; it is about doing the right thing and leading by example.
We may fall victim to our human vices again and again. What is important is that we do not give up, that we keep trying to follow the light as it has been given to us.
Jesus did not have to die to save us from the wrath of God. Why would God want to inflict pain and death upon the one he loved most?
How would that satisfy an almost unquenchable anger with the people he created, knowing that they had imperfections capable of generating the sort of behavior he later could not abide?
Jesus' Gospel of love revolutionizes our understanding of the Old Testament. Before Jesus, fear was necessary to keep people in line, and God's wrath to explain why his chosen people could suffer defeat and exile.
Jesus' death proves that God's love for us transcends even the human desire for life. It is a demonstration that life is fleeting, but the soul isn't and how we live our life is what allows us to become one with God, or can estrange us from him, which is the real punishment.
Science has amply demonstrated that homosexuality is primarily not a choice, but a natural condition some of us are born with. Some brains are wired differently. It is not a sin to be as God created us.
We have to understand the ancient culture and the reasons why society repressed homosexuality. Whatever our beliefs, times have changed. Knowledge and understanding have advanced. We must let others do what we may not choose to do ourselves, especially when not forced upon anyone.
Our own morality and minds should be strong enough that we can live and let live without being diminished in the slightest or demoralized in any way.
I understand feelings that our culture has in some ways degenerated and that a healthy dose of individual morality would be beneficial.
The better answer is not repression but dialogue across cultural lines, and agreement upon practical and effective ways to provide a pathway for those who wish to lift themselves up.
Let us not be hypocrites like the scribes and Pharisees, imposing the letter of an archaic law above the spirit of love that originally inspired it.
If God can create and love those among us who are different, we should not misuse state power to oppress and impinge upon the liberty of those who are living the life they were created to live and becoming the fullest divine creation they can be.
That includes the right to marry another adult, if one is blessed to find loving commitment with another, regardless of gender.
Wish them peace and happiness instead!
Tom Goergen lives in Southern Pines. Contact him at tgoergen@ nc.rr.com.
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Comments
SH59 1 year, 1 month ago
Thanks Tom, this is a great letter expressing the true spirit of Christianity and one we all need to embrace.
GoldenDreams 1 year, 1 month ago
Tom, I don't agree with everything you said, but I love the way you portrayed Christ's everlasting love toward us. I am an evangelical Christian taking some heat because I'm voting no on Amendment One. I reconcile it this way: I have my Christian faith but I also have my duty to the Constitution, which guarantees freedom for all. People will do as they are led; you cannot legislate morality.
Bentpan 1 year, 1 month ago
GoldenDreams 36 minutes ago People will do as they are led; you cannot legislate morality. Yet we have laws against bigamy, pedophilia, beastialty, etc, etc, etc so I guess we can and should, especially when the country has someone leading the country like our current president. As for Mr. Goergen apparently he's one of those christians who likes to pick and chose what he will and won't believe/follow in his religion, I guess noone told him faith not an ala carte menu.
ChristianKnight 1 year, 1 month ago
Well said Tom.
This Amendment is a discraceful political tool designed to divide people, rather than bring us together. Christ teaches us that we should seek more understanding of others through love and compassion, not judgement.
My prayers are with the people of North Carolina as they look into their hearts to deliver love and understanding, instead of judgement and personal suffering to gay families in North Carolina.
GoldenDreams 1 year, 1 month ago
Bentpan, you made a good point, but bigamy, pedophelia, and bestiality hurt people, especially women and children. Therefore, they can be legislated. Gay marriage, in and of itself, does not hurt people. I also plan to vote no on the amendment because I want to protect children of heterosexual unions of parents not married. It's possible the parents may lose medical benefits or ability to make legal decisions.
native 1 year, 1 month ago
Good letter
jdekornfeld 1 year, 1 month ago
It's odd that Bentpan doesn't admit his belief in the Bible follows an a la carte menu. If he does not keep a Kosher kitchen and ever, even once, tolerated disrespect from any of this children he does not practice what he preaches. Freedom of religion is not the same thing as my way or the highway.
JustThinking 1 year, 1 month ago
It's funny to me that Liberals only observe notions of appreciation to the Constitution when they are desperately seeking a way to justify their agendas. Christians are being influenced to tolerate this through means of "having compassion" and supporting equal rights. News flash....No human being has the RIGHT to CHANGE what GOD has made. Are animals homosexual? Someone please explain that!!! Go ahead explain it!! The evil one is prowling the earth seeking to ruin souls and it's working!
JustThinking 1 year, 1 month ago
@goldendreams, they are hurting themselves! If you truly believe in the Teaching of Christ you would know this. Vote Yes!
SH59 1 year, 1 month ago
Justthinking: "researcher Bruce Bagemihl shows that homosexual behavior has been observed in close to 1,500 species."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexu...
The_AnonymusProfit 1 year, 1 month ago
99% of christians do not practice their theology in a manner consistent with the teachings of Christ or the profits.
Amendment 1 seeks not only to continue the ban on marriage, but ban civil unions as well. The law is bad from the jump.
Again I reiterate. 2 sects of faith, Catholicism and Protestantism, the first embroiled by rampent pedophilia in the clergy due the churches stance on ministers denying our basic animal impulses based on some form of misguided attempt to be one with Christ. The other openly confirms gay and female ministers.
Liberals cant have their cake, but conservatives have to follow the same rules.
When asked what the biggest obstacle to bringing the word of GOD to the mystic regions of India,...Ghandi responded with one word. Christians.
And this is true all over the world. Using religion to move man made political agendas forward is not only sacrilegious, its Un American.
SH59 1 year, 1 month ago
JustThinking, you and Mr. Creech (from the other article today) have a serious problem with control issues and are using the Bible to hide behind. You've really shown your Achilles heel as to who you really are. Ugly hateful homophobic people who can't stand that homosexuals are finally going to be treated like equal citizens of this country.
Bentpan 1 year, 1 month ago
jdekornfeld 3 hours ago "It's odd that Bentpan doesn't admit his belief in the Bible follows an a la carte menu." Sorry I'm not a christian, however I respect those that follow their faith and know the bible expressly forbids homosexuality. For me it's a matter of common sense, it's an aberation of normal human behavior, unhealthy for both mind and body.Marriage has been between a man and a woman for over 2000 years, it is part of the bedrock of this countrys social fabric. And that the author would pervert the beliefs of the majority in this state and in fact this country to make a point to undermine that faith is offensive.
Bentpan 1 year, 1 month ago
SH59 2 hours, 15 minutes ago "researcher Bruce Bagemihl shows that homosexual behavior has been observed in close to 1,500 species."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexu...
If you wish to take your que from the lower orders go fo it. Male polarbears eat their young, Black widows spiders and praying Mantis kill and eat their mates, and there are a thousand other examples, Most of us have evolved beyond mimicing those further back on the evolutionary chain.
SH59 1 year, 1 month ago
Bentpan, I was replying to JustThinking's question whether animals show homosexual behavior and apparently they do.
LSM 1 year, 1 month ago
“Jesus did not have to die to save us from the wrath of God. Why would God want to inflict pain and death upon the one he loved most?”
Denial of the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ for the sins of the individual is the sin that will condemn one to everlasting destruction. This is the fundamental basis of all Christianity, the Faith in Jesus as The Savior. Please read all of John Chapter 3. One will see after the Good News of John 3:16 come the facts that all were condemned already in John 3:18-21.
Bentpan 1 year, 1 month ago
SH59 3 hours, 23 minutes ago Bentpan, I was replying to JustThinking's question whether animals show homosexual behavior and apparently they do.
My apologies, I misread it to justify homosexuality based on the disorder occuring in other species.
The_AnonymusProfit 1 year, 1 month ago
LSM Jesus died on the cross for the Sins of the world, when he died he took all the sin of the world in himself and descended into hell only to rise to heaven. When Jesus died humanity became once again perfect in the eyes of GOD.
But again this is not a religious argument. While the country was founded on the legal principles of the bible, we live in a country governed by a secular government whose laws are equal for all people of all creeds, backgrounds, and sexual orientations.
JustThinking 1 year ago
To SH59, I DO NOT HIDE BEHIND THE BIBLE! This is my UPFRONT thoughts and feelings concerning the matter. And guess what.....you can not control rather I accept it and tolerate it. Never have and never will and don't have to.
nothingspecial 1 year ago
Bentpan is absolutely right, Mr. Goergen shares a different view of Christianity to say the least. At best he provides those who share his beliefs with some great new sound bites and arguments to use in explaining to their God about why they're advocating a "minor change" in Christian values. Might help to throw in some colorful charts too. Good luck with that.
ghared 1 year ago
I think Mr. Goergen is right on here, especially his focus on the minstry of Christ and the portrayal of the 'elite' religious or pharisees. In the end, we all know that we have a 'choice' and even choices within our religious beliefs. Do some use the a la carte method? I would say on that avenue of thinking that 100% of christians use such a method, otherwise we wouldn't have a growing number of new religious affiliations forming every year, mostly with minor seperations from the church they grew out of- just as has been done down through the years since 33AD. No, the biggest message WAS to love one's fellow man, abide through inclusion instead of exclusion, and to live within the brotherhood of man, not seperated as elitist christians. If one believes that being gay is an egregious sin, does this mean that the believer is better than the sinner? If someone tries to live as a christian but fails through repeated vice, is he any worse than the pharisee that has sinned but once or twice.The only thing that sets a true christian apart is the belief that none of us are worthy of his grace and we cannot do enough on this earth to earn it (we can but accept it, as we accept him); but we should endeavor to always love our fellow man.