Poppa reading to Emmy
I have a hard time when pastors claim that a sure sign of the downfall of society is the acceptance of same sex relationships. It happened again this morning at church. (I do believe that homosexuality is not God's design but by making this sin an "agenda" breeds hatred and separation.) Haven't they noticed the prevalence of violence? The family structure breaking down? (children left with screens instead of parents) Have they noted that divorce is accepted and celebrated like marriage? Have they seen all those in need that are not getting their needs met? (basic needs like good food)
What I am trying to say is that same sex marriage is the least of our worries as Christians. Our pastor mentioned how it is becoming obvious in the public school systems, this downfall - when children read books with parents named Anne and Mary (I forget the actual names he mentioned).
As a parent, when I am looking through the children's books at the library I have often come across books where the children go to their Dad's house on the weekends and their Mom's house other times (children of divorce) and tears will often come to my eyes as I remember the hurt and sadness of being a child when my parents divorced. Sometimes, too, I will come across a book about a family with two Dads or two Moms and I may cringe a bit and wonder but I never feel sad. There is no hurt there. If the two parents are loving, committed to one another then their children probably don't feel anywhere near the hurt, confusion, anger and sadness that children of divorce feel.
I don't hear the Christian church preaching about divorce. Do you know that Jesus spoke very clearly about divorce but never spoke of homosexuality? I can find 12 verses in the new testament that speak of divorce and only two that mention homosexuality. Where should we be focused - building up and supporting family or focusing on a small minority? I believe we should be focused on supporting other families by showing them Christ's love through our actions because society is going to be a lot more broken when children are not brought up in loving homes than they will be in a home that happens to have two Dads.
Mike just told me that Pope Francis talked about this recently so I did a Google search and found this -
"Some mass media articles make it sound as if Pope Francis is saying abortion, homosexual behavior, etc. are okay. When they make that sort of claim, they really miss Francis' point," said Sheeran. "Before anything else, the Church, and every Christian, must take as their model the loving, forgiving, Jesus. We must preach the love of Christ in season and out. That's the Good News."
Sheeran also told CP that he was "delighted" that Pope Francis was calling upon Christians "to focus above all on the loving mercy of Jesus for every one of us sinners."
"The Pope wants us to put first things first. What comes first is that Jesus loves all of us even when we sin. A heavy emphasis on homosexuality and abortion can sound like I'm focusing on other people's sins and ignoring my own," said Sheeran. "Trained in Jesuit spirituality, Francis emphasizes that Jesus dwells in every soul, dwells there even in the midst of our sins. First and foremost, Jesus loves. His love nudges us to a better life. So it's a mistake for Christians to focus on sin when it's Jesus' love that comes first."
From Christianpost.com
