And you, too.
I think you misunderstood me. I meant by "straight" people those who are spreading justice, and fighting corruption in all its types. I didnt mean refer to the sexual orientation, but rather to the moral ethical side. I was talking in general....
OH! Ah-ha- the light bulb goes on! I'm sorry; I had completely misunderstood. Certainly, I think that in general there is a resistance among many people to justice, mercy, and even, sadly, to love and compassion. I have a lot of ideas about why that is, but I can sum it up by saying that I believe that in order to become a vessel of God's grace, love, and justice, we have to empty out our ego-selves. We have to look at our flaws and we have to resolve to submit to God in us, rather than following after every little feeling and thought. I believe this is what Jesus taught, and also what is taught in other religions when people are willing to look for what they can give God, and not what God can give them.
But this process of transformation requires work on our part- work that can be hard, uncomfortable, even painful. It requires diligence and honesty in how we look at ourselves. In order for us to forgive and love ourselves, we have to know what we are forgiving- that is, what we do wrong and the mistakes we make. All that seems to be upsetting to many people, so it is easier to resist it. Some people resist it by doing whatever they want. Other people are religious, but still resist it by insisting they are better than other people or by mostly focusing on other people's sins rather than their own. But all of that avoids looking at one's own sin, one's own mistakes and weaknesses and flaws, and offering them to God in resolution to work toward fixing them, asking for God's grace and mercy in helping us change them. When we focus on other people's sins, unless it is something that directly harms us (like murder or stealing), we are just avoiding dealing with our own. Even when we uphold justice for things that harm others, such as murder, it should be done without passion or anger. That is my belief.
Yet, Path of One, I have to admit that I am still in confusion to decide about the sexual orientation: is it genetic or not? Though, I believe that God cant punish others for something they have no control about...
Based on science, I believe that there is sufficient evidence that sexual orientation is genetic. What that means is that people are born oriented to be sexually attracted to the opposite sex, the same sex, both sexes (though maybe not equally), or to no one. Yes, some people have no sexual feelings- and that is also an orientation.
I do not believe God punishes people for their orientation, but I think that if people use their sexuality in ways that harm other people or themselves, if they do not respect the sacredness of sexual union... then it is not so much that God punishes them, but that the consequences of this sin happen in their own life and in those that are harmed. I believe it is not so much that God punishes us, but that we will have to face the suffering and pain we cause through our selfishness to others and to God, and this process would cause us to feel that pain and that separation from God.
Personally, I am for separation of church and state, so I believe the government should not make laws restricting homosexuality, but I understand that in Islam, this is not something that makes sense. So I am not sure of what the correct answer is in Islam. We debate about it in the U.S.- some Christians and Jews believe that homosexuality is a matter that should be handled only religiously and between the individual and God, while others believe that the government should have laws restricting the rights of homosexuals.
What I know is that I sin in many ways, and yet I still have equal rights in my government. So I believe that even if homosexuality is a sin, they should get the same equal rights I get as a sinner.
All that said, I do not believe homosexuality is a sin, but rather a way that someone is born. But I do believe that sexuality is not something that should just be for one's pleasure, because it is an act that brings together people in intimacy that can cause psychological harm when misused. So, I suppose I would say to me the ethics of sexuality don't have to do with whom one has sexual relations, but rather why and under what circumstances. There are many more heterosexual sexual unions that are immoral than homosexual ones, simply by virtue of sheer population size. When 95% of the population is heterosexual, and a good chunk of them are committing adultery or having sex without thought for their partner's well-being... you get the idea. There are many more sexual sins in that group than the other one, even if you consider homosexual acts sinful.
I think that we focus on homosexuality as sinful so we do not have to face the sinfulness of heterosexuality. At least, that is what happens in the U.S. a lot. Our divorce rate is 50% on average, in some areas 65%. Many young people do not respect their bodies and sexuality, and there is a lot of sexual abuse and assault. 30% of women are sexually assaulted in their lifetime. That is a huge number.
I find all of this heterosexual sin far more troubling for many reasons. First, because its sheer volume. Second, because the focus on gay marriage means that attention is taken away from the harm caused by heterosexual unions that are not in caring, comitted relationships. Third, because children without planning can only come from heterosexual unions. I am very concerned about children that are unwanted and neglected, and we have a lot of them. Homosexual unions don't produce unwanted children, so at least if there is harm done, it is harm between two adults and not harm to children.
If sexual orientation is just a matter of desire, sister, then I think that there should be solutions to this deviation....
Whether a sin or not, I think there are always solutions to desire. Just because we have a desire does not mean we must act on it. Furthermore, we do have a capacity to overcome our desires through conscious, consistent direction of our bodies and minds.
Even though I do not believe homosexuality is a sin, I do believe that sexuality in general is something within our control. We do not need sex, even though we may desire it strongly. Saying that we cannot control our impulses is, unless we are mentally disabled, an excuse.
I think the question is not can we avoid acting on our desires, because people clearly do. That is what marriage is based upon- that we can say "no" to our attraction to other people outside our marriage. The question is more about fairness, to me. If homosexual people are born that way, is it fair to expect them to never have a marriage because of their genetics? Is it fair for other people to tell them they do not have equal rights?
In my country, our constitution says no. My conscience tells me "no" as well. I believe that as long as this act is consensual and someone is not hurting another person, then if they are sinning they need to fix this between themselves and God. I believe this way because I know that I sin and make mistakes, and I don't believe God sees my sins any differently than a homosexual person. Sin is sin and the only way around it, in my opinion, is deciding to work hard at fixing it, with God's help and mercy.
I believe that a Holy Book is the book of instruction of us. Once we get away from God's teachings, we are going to suffer...we are going to witness the experience of making "mistakes" to learn...we are going to deviate, suffer and pay the price to come back to Him...Once we break out His Word because of our egos, desires, and whims, we are going to gain short lived pleasure, and a deep sadding regret... There is no benefit in a pleasure followed by regret....We are fool, and weak... and because of our folishness, lack of insight, short knowledge, and weakness, we make wrong choices....
I agree. I don't believe in hell or that God punishes us, but I think we are inherently punished by our own sins. What I mean is that I do think that whether we choose to do it right now in our lives, or later after our death, we have to face all the things we do wrong and how they caused pain and suffering to others and to God. And we can only ignore that while we are alive.
If we learn to listen to God while we are alive, we still have to face our sins and weaknesses, and I can say that at least for me, it still hurts. It is a painful process to see how I hurt others or fall short of what God would have me be. But I think it hurts less by doing this one day at a time than saving it all up for when we die, partly because we do a little each day and partly because as we do this, God transforms us and with His mercy and grace, we become better all the time.
Because of our arrogance, we ignore God's teachings, take the road not taken, enter in a circle of short/superficial pleasure, discomfort, depression, and suffering to realize at the end that with Him our happiness lies, and to come back to Him...
Our arrogance, and our fear. I think a lot of people are afraid to look at themselves honestly and to come to God. When we commit ourselves to God, I believe we are called to give up ourselves completely. This is a process and takes time, but it means that we are supposed to put aside ourselves, so to speak, so that we make room for God to have His will in us. I believe that at its highest potential, this is what I see in Jesus. Complete selflessness, God's will coming through completely in his life. He is my example, and while I fall short, I am grateful for God's grace and mercy that bridges the gap, and I hope that I become more and more perfected.
Peace to you, sister.
