Check Your Mirror

If you’re a Christian or claim to be, please do Christianity and the world a favor and stop quoting the Bible to rip on gay people.

When did you last look in the mirror, dish out 15 Bible verses and throw them in your own face?

Any fixation on gay men and women gets old real fast.

It’s not what Jesus would do. It’s shallow. It’s hypocritical.

Honestly, I don’t see you getting all worked up about:

Your gluttony
Your illegal viewing habits
Your gambling issues
Your anger management problems
Your gossiping
Your pride
Your adultery
Your domestic violence
Your envy
Your jealousy
Your bragging
Your lies
Your stealing
Your stinginess.

Should I go on?

Sure, you can cite the Bible and make a case that homosexuality is a sin. You can refute arguments like Jesus not mentioning homosexuality along with many topics.

And then what? What’s your goal? You want a gay person to tearfully repent in front of you? Will you recommend that he or she pray away the gay?

Will you suggest, “Stop thinking that way. Stop acting that way.”

What is your expertise on the nature and orientation of gay people?

Try to have a reasonable conversation with a gay person who gives you permission to your Biblical point of view. And then don’t mention anything about sexual orientation.

Practice restraint.

Instead of a rant that looks nothing like Jesus, focus on your story and your sins. Be transparent about a few of your many faults that Jesus died for on the cross. Express your gratitude for his sacrifice. Point out that that your sins had alienated you from God. Explain that you were reconciled with God when you desired to turn from your sins and accepted the gift of salvation.

Otherwise, what are you accomplishing? Are you amplifying God’s Word while demeaning a human being? Great job Bible Mike or Bible Jane.

Unfortunately, maybe you just like to ignore your mirror and prefer to claim homosexuals are responsible for our moral decay.

Gay people aren’t responsible for society’s ills. We are, all of us.

It’s our racism and judgmentalism. It’s our tribal mentality. It’s our need to attack others with hate saturated words. It’s our materialism. It’s our support for nationalism. It’s our disdain for immigrants (including those who already have paperwork, pay taxes and endure lengthy processes). It’s our indifference to antisemitism and Israel’s gen*cide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Collectively, we don’t do enough about climate change, poverty, mental health, gun control, people with special needs and those who age out of the foster care system. We can’t count on companies to self-regulate. We won’t create or enforce rules to protect people from faulty consumer products, including toys.

Every year people complain about Pride Month, including extra flag sightings, festivals and parades. Vital world problems seem less important to some people who care more about drag queens reading stories to preschoolers in libraries – events they don’t need to attend. Have an issue? Close your Bible and call the library.

How about family life?

You wouldn’t be wrong to say being raised by two men or two women is different from the traditional family structure. Given the challenges that can exist in many families, that difference may not be a disadvantage. After all, a household’s health and stability are determined far more by the love, safety, and support it provides than by whether the parents are heterosexual. Some children in seemingly ideal homes still experience emotional, physical, or sexual abuse.

So-called Christian men sometimes treat women like doormats. These weak men claim to be the head of a household and lord over their spouses. They’re sometimes the same men who don’t pray with their kids or help them study their Bibles. Maybe a “Christian” man will neglect a son or daughter while golfing, hanging out with drinking buddies or staring at dancers at a “Gentlemen’s Club.”

Before you post another Bible verse just to feel good about yourself, see what the Old Testament or New Testament says about how to live in this world. Those pages often don’t spell everything out with clear instructions. You’re responsible for processing the wisdom.

God expects us to love. It’s not that hard to do – if you first deal with the face you see in the mirror.