Thursday, July 03, 2003
Just a quick thought. There has been a lot of discussion about the text of Pauls Letter to the Romans (in the GTNG mailing list) and it's one of the places that people claim that Homosexuals will be punished by God. What about Romans 2:1-3:
Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. You say "we know that God's judgment on those who do such things is in accordance with the truth." Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgemtn of God?
Is Paul only saying "It takes one to know one?" Isn't it dangerous for any of us to claim who is welcome in Church (from God's point of view) and who will be blessed or punished by God?
Remember Jesus' preaching : "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get." (Matthew 7:1-2)
If any of us can be full participants in God's Love, then every one of us belongs in God's Love and should be given full participatory rights. I believe that if any institutional church has a sacrament and denies that sacrament to any member or person, then they have not come fully into God's Love.
When people are broken the Church should be there to help them heal. People who suffer addiction need help from specialists but also from the Church. They should not be denied at the door because of their brokenness. They should be welcomed so they may heal. Is being a homosexual person part of being a broken person? I think not.
¶ 7:14 PM
Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. You say "we know that God's judgment on those who do such things is in accordance with the truth." Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgemtn of God?
Is Paul only saying "It takes one to know one?" Isn't it dangerous for any of us to claim who is welcome in Church (from God's point of view) and who will be blessed or punished by God?
Remember Jesus' preaching : "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get." (Matthew 7:1-2)
If any of us can be full participants in God's Love, then every one of us belongs in God's Love and should be given full participatory rights. I believe that if any institutional church has a sacrament and denies that sacrament to any member or person, then they have not come fully into God's Love.
When people are broken the Church should be there to help them heal. People who suffer addiction need help from specialists but also from the Church. They should not be denied at the door because of their brokenness. They should be welcomed so they may heal. Is being a homosexual person part of being a broken person? I think not.
¶ 7:14 PM
