Can o' Worms #1

My title obviously has hinted at the fact that this blog will open a big, ol' can of worms. And that's completely okay. How boring would it be if we all had the same opinions and views? Very. Please feel free to express your opinions in the comment section of this blog. You will not offend me, I don't think. :0) Homosexuality and Marriage. Now, first of all, let me say that I've been thinking about this topic quite a bit. This topic bears, what seems like, constant news coverage. Everyone has a heated opinion on it. So I'm going to give you mine! I am not a homosexual. I was raised to believe that homosexuality was wrong, that it was a sin. Unfortunately, I was raised in a time in which we treated homosexuals like second class citizens. We, for too long, hated the sinner and their sin, instead of loving the people and allowing Christ to transform their lives. So Christiandom has effectively shot themselves in the foot when it comes to homosexuals. They pretty much want nothing to do with conservative, Christians. And rightly so. Would you want to listen, take advice from, or be friends with a group of people who constantly attacked you and your lifestyle? Of course not! You're gonna go hang with the crowd that likes you for who you are and tells you "hey, you're okay!" Question: Shouldn't we, as followers of Christ, have been the ones to say "hey, I don't agree with your lifestlye, but you know where I stand and I'm still gonna love you?" Answer: Yes. But we didn't. Let me say this....I'm not a liberal Democrat. Even if I were, I could still love Jesus. I know some of you don't agree with that, but nowhere in the Bible does it state that we have to choose the correct political party in order to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. So now we live in a world where society has continued to decay, all manner of sin and evil exists, and the homosexuals are hurt, fighting mad, and want their place in the sun. They want to be recognized. They do not want to be treated like second class citizens. I kind of get that. I put myself in their shoes. If Christians were mistreated (and I realize they have been for centuries, but here in America, we honestly know nothing of real persecution), if I were made fun of, if people looked down their nose at me because they didn't agree with how I lived my life, if they told me my beliefs were wrong and I couldn't attend their gatherings.....would I be mad enough to push MY agenda in their face? Yes. Having said all that, I don't want my future children growing up in a world in which homosexuality is an accepted lifestyle. Because I believe that God intended marriage to be between one man and one woman. The truth is, homosexuality is listed as a sin, among many, many others. Many sins in which I commit, you commit, we all commit sometimes on a daily basis! How is it different, really? We say sin is sin is sin....but do we really mean that? We treat homosexuality as a much larger sin than I believe God ever really intended. I think it stems from the fact that we don't understand having feelings for someone of the same sex. It seems unnatural to me. And it is. There's no disputing that. But how do I proceed? What I mean is......I don't agree with it, but if the Great Commission is to win the lost....and I believe homosexuals are lost....how will I win them? Will I win them with the shenanigans of the Self-Righteous Baptist Church who, out of anger and rage, protest everything with handheld signs? Will I win them by ignoring them? But maybe the question is......do I want to win them at all?? Are we too scared to sit down at the table with the tax collectors, in order to show them love? What if someone sees me at that table full of tax collectors and assumes I am a tax collector myself? Can't the tax collectors find their own way to Jesus, without my help? I just don't know.