ARTICLE: Romans 1 - Setting The Record "Straight"

What If My Child Is Gay?

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Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight. ISAIAH 5:20-21

Most Evangelical Christians have convinced themselves that LGBT people are afraid of the Bible or have rewritten it in an effort to “justify” their orientations. Nothing could be further from the truth! In fact, here I would like to address one of the most common New Testament passages of Scripture that is used to flatly condemn all Gay, Lesbian, and Transgendered people. It is my hope that by the time you have finished reading this article, you will be able to see clearly all the lies that are told about this segment of our human family, all in the name of God. The following Biblical passage is most frequently used to condemn, in wholesale fashion; Gay, Lesbian, and Transgendered people…

ROMANS 1:19-32

19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

It is a crime to read any passage of Scripture without taking into account the full context in which the text was written! Every Hebrew Rabbi knows this. Very few Christian ministers, however, take this into account, as they prefer to believe that the writings of the Bible stand alone and have absolutely no connection or foundation related to the circumstances surrounding the writing of any given passage.

The Roman armies had conquered the land of Israel. The people of God were subject to the Roman authorities. It was the Roman government whom the Jewish leaders insisted crucify the Lord Jesus Christ. When the Apostle Paul wrote the newly established Christian church in the actual city of Rome, he begins by pointing out the fact that the Romans were so blind and ignorant spiritually that they did not see Jesus Christ was more than a man, but rather the very God of creation Himself, manifested in human form.

Thinking they were wise, they were foolish and blind, not seeing that the very Godhead, person and image of God, had been manifested before them! Paul then goes on to say; “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves:” In other words, Paul is saying, for this reason God gave the Romans up to their own vile perversions and idolatry. We know that the idea of sexual immorality and idolatry here were married to one another as Paul’s statement clearly joins these two items together;

25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

“Worshipped and served the creature more than the creator?” The Roman people were part of a political and religious system which worshipped their sovereign, king, Caesar - as God! They magnified a man above the place of the Creator God. And then, when the Creator Himself appeared upon the earth, they did not see Him for who He was, but rather saw Him only as a mere man! Part of the Roman glorification of man was demonstrated in their devotion to phallic religions which literally viewed the male genitalia as something divine. They were so wrapped up in the idea that humanity was capable of procreation, particularly as it related to the male’s ability to “sow the seed of life” within the female womb, that they looked upon sex as something of a spiritual transaction. Sex was used as a means of pleasure, as well as a method of punishment, humiliation, and an expression of worship. For this reason, Paul writes, the Roman people had to literally set aside their natural sexual appetites in order to engage in sexual activities which served these purposes. A soldier finding an enemy king or high ranking official, would often rape (sodomize) that king as a means of humiliating he and his armies and demoralizing the conquered peoples. This action had absolutely nothing to do with sexual orientation or appetites, but was born of a sheer desire to humiliate and embarrass their conquered foe! But Paul goes on to state;

26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

Paul speaks clearly of the fact that the Romans were so vile and perverted in their sexual appetites that they CHOSE to EXCHANGE their natural sexual orientations to engage in homosexual activity, or at least bi-sexual activity, which was not natural to them. Preachers today do not differentiate between those who may have a natural (for them) orientation that is Gay-lesbian, verses one who purposely engages in homosexual sexual activity in an effort to satisfy their ever-reaching sexual desires. I know of very few Gay-Lesbian people who identify as homosexual because they are motivated only by the sexual act associated with homosexual sex. Most Gay-Lesbian people are attracted to members of their same gender for reasons which go far beyond the sexual aspect and include such factors as an emotional and relational attraction. The vast majority of Gay-Lesbian people are in fact very relationship oriented. They're not simply seeking sexual gratification, but rather a relationship within the perimeters of their Gay-Lesbian orientation. If you were to research the many dating and singles sites on the Internet today for Gay-Lesbian people, you'd find that the majority of participants on these sites clearly state they are seeking a relationship and not merely sex! The same used to be true of print publications which offered personal ads for Gay-Lesbian people. The fact that the majority of perverse, pornographic, sex-only websites in the world today are heterosexual in nature goes ignored by the religious right! They don’t care what someone does within the context of heterosexual conduct, just so long as it is heterosexual. Where the problems arise is when an individual has what is for them a natural, innate, internal attraction to and interest in members of the same sex. The truth of the matter is, most of Christendom has actually become much like the perverse Roman empire in that they practically worship the male-female ability to procreate. They've made this function the center of all civilization and the foundation of the church.

Little is said of those who cannot for one reason or another, actually produce offspring (barren women, sterile men, etc). Are they less important in the church, or less vital to the stability of our society and civilization because they cannot produce offspring? Of course not. But when we recognize that the sexual act and the ability to procreate has nothing at all to do with God’s original plan for humanity, we must validate all human relationships, sexual or otherwise, as being the actual primary building block of society, culture, and civilization! It's humanity’s ability to make a choice and a commitment to one singular mate, whatever their gender, that makes us unique and powerful. A chord of three strands or more cannot be created unless a chord of two strands has first been created. So the truth is, couples are the foundation of our society and civilization, and their ability or inability to procreate has absolutely nothing to do with their value to society. Adam was, in effect, incomplete. God created Eve specifically as a helper and companion for Him. He did not create her for the purpose of procreation! Procreation was unnecessary in the face of eternal life. Adam and Eve were originally created to live forever in the Garden of Eden. It did not become necessary that they procreate until they had disobeyed the mandate of the Lord and were demoted in nature to that place where death became a reality for them. No record is found in the Word of God of Adam and Eve having any offspring until long after they were ejected from the garden of Eden. At that moment procreation was absolutely necessary. Prior to the fall, these two were for each other exactly what God had created them to be; helpers, companions, and supports. When phallic religions celebrated man’s ability to procreate, they were in effect spitting in the face of God’s death sentence and saying, “See, we can continue anyway, even in the face of death!”

Are there people in our world who are so perverse that they're willing to set aside their natural sexual orientation in order to pursue the “forbidden” realms of same-sex activity? Of course there are! We see it happen all the time in prisons and in same-sex settings where men are forced to live only in the company of other men, and women are forced to live only in the company of other women. During the Roman era, men most often kept company with other men. Women were not as highly valued in that society, so they were frequently forced to spend the vast majority of their time with other women. It is not hard to see how a society that was so gender segregated could wind up seeing same-sex sexuality blossom, even though it was not the direct biproduct of a homosexual orientation. When one would get sexually stimulated, whoever was closest to became a potential partner in sensuous activity. At least, this was the thinking of the Roman people.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Paul makes clear the Romans were not given to acknowledge God in their thinking. They lived their lives as though there were no judgment to be faced, and no account to be given. Rules meant nothing to them as they believed that they alone answered to themselves. Many humanist thinkers exist in our world today who also embrace such thinking. They've concluded that there is no God, and therefore they may conduct themselves however they please. One needn't be homosexual to have this mind-set. In fact, some of the most perverted and decadent human beings I have ever known have been heterosexuals! I have heterosexual members of my own family who once were "swingers" and engaged in wife-swapping exploits!

29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

Paul went down a list of related behaviors which accompanied the sexual conduct of the Romans. This list can easily be seen as not at all being specific to or descriptive of Gay-Lesbian people. In fact, many of the items on this list are also mentioned by Paul in his second letter to Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:1-8

1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

Notice how convenient it is for the church to ignore the blatant similarities between Paul’s writings to the Roman church and his letter to Timothy, in which he spells out the decay that is to occur within the church in the last days! Interestingly, it's the church that is described as becoming more and more like pagan Rome. The glorification and virtual worship of the reproductive process that goes on in the church can clearly be seen. Paul’s use of the term “reprobate” in both our primary text (Romans 1:28) and his letter to Timothy (II Timothy 3:8) is generally applied to one who has known the truth, but who's chosen to walk away from it. The Romans once had a fear of God and possessed some knowledge of His existence, but during the time of the early church, they had already begun to devolve and they no longer embraced such thoughts, instead acting as though God were non-existent and judgment was a ridiculous notion. Look again at the list of attributes offered by Paul relative to these ungodly Romans:

filled with all unrighteousness

fornication

wickedness

covetousness

maliciousness

full of envy

murder

debate

deceit

malignity

whisperers

Backbiters

haters of God

despiteful

proud

boasters

inventors of evil things

disobedient to parents

Without understanding

Covenant breakers

without natural affection

implacable

unmerciful

The list offered by Paul in Romans chapter one describes a people who are nothing at all similar to the Gay-Lesbian population. Christians today act as though these things are seldom found within the mainstream, heterosexual population, in spite of the fact we know this not to be true. It's a known fact to many police forces in the world that Gay-Lesbian people are less violent and less likely to enter into violent exchanges than are their testosterone pumping heterosexual counterparts. I've personally been in a number of Gay bars and clubs in my life, and I've seen very few violent exchanges in these establishments. Yet, when my heterosexual brother asked me to accompany him to straight establishments, a night wouldn't go by without some violence or physical altercation! I've even had a number of men come after me because I spoke to, smiled at, or stood next to their girlfriends! I was no more interested in their girlfriends than I was setting myself on fire!

The state of Texas continually trains its police officers through an online system of courses. My mother, a police officer in this state, has shown me curriculum which is used to train officers relative to sexual and violent crimes. In this literature it is clearly pointed out to these police officers, that the vast majority of sexual crimes are committed by HETEROSEXUALS! They point to the fact that even when a man molests a male child, it is primarily an issue of manipulation and control, not in response to his sexual orientation. That man may be heterosexual, but he derives some twisted sense of satisfaction from manipulating and controlling a child. Most children, in their prepubescent state are very much alike anyway, so the physical aspect of the rape or incest is really moot in the abuser’s mind.

The truth today is this; the majority of psychiatric organizations long ago recognized that homosexuality was a natural, innate orientation that had nothing to do with a "lifestyle choice." Most law enforcement, medical, and psychiatric organizations in our society today know all too well that the vast majority of stereotypes perpetrated against Gay-Lesbian and Transgendered people are completely false and erroneous. Religious leaders CHOOSE to continue stirring up the Christian community with proven lies and untruths. (Yes, they're the ones making a conscious effort to perpetrate lies and stereotypes in the face of glaring facts). As Paul was writing the book of Romans, the people and civilization of Rome were in steady moral and spiritual decline. All the evils described by Paul were present in that society. Perversion and sensuality for sheer pleasure’s sake were common in that culture. To say Paul was trying to describe or label the entire homosexual community is a gross misrepresentation! His comments had nothing to do with a natural, innate sexual orientation. His commentary related specifically to those who had purposely, consciously exchanged what WAS natural for them for something that WAS NOT natural for them. Their motivation in doing so was lust alone. They weren't’ at all interested in relationships, monogamy, or any kind of godly values. Their sexual pursuits were founded upon sheer lust and sexual abandon.

The Apostle Paul makes it abundantly CLEAR that the conduct of the Roman's was in RESPONSE to their spiritual idolatry which gave birth to their godless attitudes and moral abandon. Therefore, if this chapter is addressing the issue of homosexuality in the broadest possible way, then Paul would be saying that ALL homosexuality is the by product of idolatry, lust, moral abandon, and an unwillingness to acknowledge God or to accept the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ! Look again at the ENTIRE list of attributes Paul ascribes to the Romans! IF HE IS SPEAKING OF ALL HOMOSEXUALS, THEN THE WORD OF GOD WOULD BE INACCURATE UNLESS ALL OF THESE ATTRIBUTES APPLY TO ALL HOMOSEXUALS. Some Christians will try using this passage to wholesale condemn all Gay-Lesbian people. To do so, they will also distort and ignore aspects of Paul's description to try and make this passage apply to the whole Gay-Lesbian community, rather than truthfully acknowledge that he is describing an idolatrous society run amuck that had rejected the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ and chosen to worship a human being (the creation/Caesar-the Emperor) rather than the revealed Creator. The Gay-Lesbian community has clearly demonstrated that it is not, for instance, God-hating! The fact that so many Gay-Lesbian people make every effort to know God, honor God in their daily living, worship God regularly, and acknowledge and confess Jesus Christ as Lord of all - is evidence quite to the contrary! But again, those who wish to try and make Paul's writings apply across the board to the homosexual community at large, ignore and contort his writings so as to ignore this fact.

Either the Word of God is true or it is not! If being Gay or Lesbian were anything like what Paul described as it relates to the heathen, idolatrous conduct of the people at Rome, then Gay-Lesbian people would not have even the slightest interest in knowing God or believing in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ! The Christian community PUSHES Gay-Lesbian people out of the church and away from God because any effort on the part of LGBT people to be included in the faith and accepted in the church flies in the face of Paul's description of them as God-haters! To make their claims seem correct, they try to make this a reality! Sadly, so many in the LGBT communities have been immensely hurt by the church that they do in fact turn away from God and the Christian faith. But the order in which this falling away occurs is the exact opposite of Paul's description, as he states that the spiritual decline came first and was then followed by the manifestation of an immoral, sexually rampant, godless lifestyle. For the vast majority of the LGBT population, they have been FORCED out, rejected, ostracized, and abandoned by the church of Jesus Christ. Only THEN do they pursue a godless life, as they have been made to believe they are hopelessly lost and unable to know or serve God anyway, so what difference does it make how they live their lives?

10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. 11 But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. 12 For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. MATTHEW 19:10-12

Please do not allow yourself to be fooled by those who rally haters around them, using the hateful and false accusations of twisted and contorted Scripture taken far out of context! Allow the Lord to reveal to you His love and acceptance of all people, regardless of who they are, where they come from, or what their sexual orientation. Even Jesus acknowledged in His dissertation relative to Eunuchs that 1) Some are born this way, 2) Some are made this way by others, and 3) Some choose to live this way for the kingdom of God’s sake. God understands people. He understands whether you were born a certain way or whether you were forced into a certain frame of mind by circumstances far beyond your control. In the end, the Lord never blames the victim for the crime, even though many in the mainstream church would like to make you believe so. When it is all said and done, it is God alone to whom you will answer. It is He alone who shall sit in the judgment seat! You may choose to believe the lies perpetuated about LGBT people, or you may allow your eyes to be opened to the truth. You can fear God (give Him a place in your thinking). You can love Him and be loved in return. He will accept you if you will come as you are. Allow yourself today to see the truth, for the truth, the Lord promised, will set you free!