I try to avoid the news generally. Not much good is ever reported, and usually a whole lot of bad. Lately a few things have been making the news that even I haven't been able to ignore. But before I get into that, I'm going to preface it with a few comments about what I believe in the way of God, free will, and choice.
I believe that from the beginning of creation we were granted by our creator the ability to make choices, whether good or bad. I feel there is some solid scriptural evidence for this. God did put the forbidden fruit in the garden with the instruction to leave it alone, but left us with the ability to walk up the tree and choose to have a piece. If he had not intended us to have the ability to choose Eve would never have been able to succumb to temptation because she never would have been able to make a choice to ignore God's will.
I think God did this because obedience and faith that is born of free will, that is from a choice to believe and adhere to the commandments is far more precious and rare than obedience and faith that is forced. He gave us the rules he wanted us to follow, he sent his Son to give us a reminder of those rules and provide an example of how to live them out, but in ALL of it, he never once took away our ability to choose differently. Maybe it would be easier if he had, because then we would all agree on everything and it would be sunshine and roses all day long.
But I have to say, I am grateful that he did not. I love a good debate, I love different ideas, I love creativity. I love how many different ways we find to express joy, sadness, anger, love, passion. I wish that more of us could recognize and respect that we were all created differently, and that we were all created with the ability to make our own choices. Free will is a God-given gift, it should be respected as such.
Which brings me finally to the news I was talking about. First, the easiest one (in my mind), is the debate surrounding same-sex marriage, and homosexual people in general. Whether you believe they choose their orientation or you believe they are created that way (I believe the latter), what you have to respect is that no matter what, they are a creation of God, and like all of God's people, they have free will and choice. They can quite simply do whatever they like, and in the end that's between them and God. Our job, our sole responsibility, is to love them. We were not sent to fix them (they aren't broken, in my humble opinion). We are a far greater witness of the love of God if we extend that unconditional love, grace, and acceptance than if we spend our time telling them how wrong and awful they are. And very simply, regardless of your private morality and belief system, you have absolutely no right to force that on a person who does not believe it. So let the churches do what they want. As far as the government goes, these people are citizens and they deserve all the rights and privileges of citizenship, including the right to be married.
Secondly, and more complicated, is the debate around abortion. Right up front, I am pro-choice. I am not pro-abortion. I wish we lived in a world where abortions were never needed, where women never felt that they had to make such an awful decision. But the sad reality is, they happen. It is not a new phenomenon. And I, again, have no right to force my personal beliefs on another human being. And we cannot ignore the rights and decisions of the person who is actually here in favor of the potential person they are carrying.
So again, as a person who believes in God, and also respects the decision of my creator to give me free will and choice, I respect that He has done the same for all my fellow human beings. And the decisions those people make are between them and God. I will not judge them for that. (Or I will try very hard not to.) I will try to love them. To support them. To offer advice if it is asked for. I will not condemn them. Because I truly believe that if Jesus were walking around today, he would not be hanging around the Vatican. He wouldn't be chilling in my church's office. And I don't think he would be carrying a torch and pitchfork and going after gays and lesbians, or standing outside the abortion clinic with a sign. What would Jesus do? Think about it, and then go do the same. Thank God you have the ability to make the choice to do so.
No comments:
Post a Comment