One
of the many issues facing the Singapore church in the next decade will be the
rising LGBT issue. According to the Christian Reformed Church in North America
(CRCNA), “Homosexuality is a condition of disordered sexuality that
reflects the brokenness of our sinful world.” I fully agree to
this statement, and I sincerely hope that all brothers and sisters in Christ
take this stance too. One problem that needs to be addressed in Church is that
many congregation members do not have a definitive stance towards LGBT issues,
since Christians are viewed to be “accepting” and “full of love”. Yes, I
concede that we learn to love one another as in 1 John 4:7-8, but it does not mean we should be ignorant of one’s
mistakes just because we do not want to get into trouble. I strongly believe
that being a Christian means that we have to stand firm in our beliefs and
teachings, and not sit on the fence.
“Dear friends,
let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been
born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God,
because God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8
Another point to
be made is that we must love another as much we love others, but we cannot
accept just any practices or beliefs. As in Galatians 6:1 “Brothers, if anyone
is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a
spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” It
is not that we do not respect the individuals’ decision, but what is wrong is wrong. In Leviticus 18:22
“You must not
lie down with a male in the same way that you lie down with a woman. It is
a detestable act.”, it mentions that we must not engage
in sexual behaviour with a person of the same sex. In Mark 10: 6-9 “But at the beginning
of creation God ‘made them male and female. ‘For
this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,
and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore
what God has joined together, let no one separate.” It
is specifically stated that marriage is between a man and a woman. If God does
not favour same-sex relationships, we must not condone this behaviour either.
Most LGBT
activists state that they are “born this way”, which I beg to differ. Most
LGBTs are influenced by the environment they grew up in, or even due to
childhood trauma. A study has been conducted by Otago University
on homosexuals and bisexuals, and it is found that these individuals are more
likely to have undergone childhood traumas. "People who either identify themselves as homosexual or bisexual,
or have had a same-sex encounter or relationship, tend to come from more
disturbed backgrounds," said Research Associate Professor Elisabeth
Wells. Furthermore, God first made a man, then a woman to support the
man. Not two men nor two women. There has to be a reason why two persons of the
same gender cannot have sexual intercourse. Precisely because it is not meant
to be!
So how should the Singapore church go about resolving this
mind wrecking issue? In my opinion, we Christians must be firm about not
supporting the LGBTs. By not supporting LGBTs, I do not mean casting them out
or excluding them from our social circles. Mark 12:23 “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.’ There
is no commandment greater than these.” As their neighbours, we must love them (as
they themselves said that we should), and we do that by telling them what is
right and what is wrong. Of course, you will only earn a broken nose if you
just tell them straight. Hence we must be wise, by slowly building a
relationship with them. Knowing that they can trust us, then it may be time to
share more about our beliefs, on why do we not support homosexuality or
bisexuality.
I remember talking to my bisexual/homosexual friends on this
issue just a few months ago. Of course, they asked me, “Why then, are you still
friends with me?”. I replied, “If you hated smoking and your friend smokes,
will you just dismiss the friendship that the two of you had?” I do not know
whether that is the correct analogy that I should use, but at least they
somehow understood what I meant.
As you finish reading this essay, more and more people are
getting convinced that LGBT should be accepted! I agree that curbing this issue
is definitely not easy, but if we do not stand firm on our beliefs, who knows
what will happen in the future. With the help of our pastors and preachers, we
must raise awareness in the Singapore Church, so as to not fall into these
traps.
References:
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