Finding Peace in the Facebook Debate of Gays vs. God

I’ve bit my tongue on the subject for a long time.. and by a long time I mean literally YEARS (mainly due to the fact that I have many Christian friends/family/figures in my life that are dear to me and I love/respect them HIGHLY… With that being said. There is a lot of heated debate going on between people who approve of Gay marriage and those who do not due to their belief that the word of God and Holy Bible is 100% truth and all encompassing.)  I’m also seeing a lot of Christians bashing the LGBT community in a verbally abusive and humiliating way that is not appropriate nor is it okay. So I’d like to make a few points here, coming from an open minded individual who is both gay and loves Jesus.

1) Nobody listens to mean people.
Arrogant, rude, and just plain MEAN comments are not going to change anyone’s mind. Mean words HURT. I think we could all be a little more conscious of words. There are young people who take their lives everyday because of violence, abuse, and bullying, especially in the LGBT community. For this reason, it is important that those reaching out to LGBT people for religious manners do it as an act of love and obedience to God.

2) Clear your own plate FIRST
Another thing we must consider before calling someone out for his or her sin is this: Matthew 7:1 “Do not Judge or you too will be Judged.” A lot of people see this part of scripture ONLY and do not take into consideration the text that follows.. Matthew 7:3 says “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”… It goes on to explain…
“You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Woaaaah! No one saw that coming.. Or maybe they just didn’t want to read on. YOU must remove the speck from your eye before calling onto your brother for his sin. The Bible tells us IT IS in fact okay to judge others as long as we are purely and genuinely living out the word of God in all aspects of our life. So let’s take a step back. There are many people out there commanding the LGBT people to change their ways and publically calling them out on their “unacceptable choices.” There is a big difference in someone putting on a façade for Facebook and someone who actually intends to do good for God (because that’s what God calls us to do, right?).  I’m not talking about the Sunday morning Christians either. I’m talking legitimate followers of the Word. Those who are not genuine followers of Christ have no business using a religious reason to fight against sin. IF you truly believe that the Holy Bible is truth, you would be busy removing your own sin. If you’re plate isn’t clean, don’t worry about anyone else’s.

3) Don’t publically humiliate someone you care about
If you are a follower of God and are trying to reach out to someone because you believe they are living in sin, please don’t do so by means of public humiliation and abuse. Calling someone disgusting or an abomination and tagging them in your Facebook status is not a way to truly reach their heart. Matthew 18:15 states “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.” One on one. IF you believe a child of God is living in sin, love on him/her! We could all use more personal conversation. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are no place for a serious talk.

4) Stay open minded; BOTH PARTIES INCLUDED
This one is the most important one of all. There are people with good intentions, who truly and whole-heartedly believe that it is their duty under God to call you out on your sins and urge you to confess them. If someone I love believes that they are doing me a disservice by not informing me that I might go to Hell because of who I choose to engage with- Can I blame them for pulling me aside?  They’re following what they believe to be 100% truth. It’s their job.. It doesn’t hurt my feelings that they believe I need to be helped or directed. I still love them unconditionally. 
I’m not saying that it’s okay to bash, shame, or abuse someone by any means- but an act of love because of something inside your heart is not something you can help. 
Now take a second and really let this sink in.. 
an act of love because of something inside your heart is not something you can help. 

Flip the table:
Once you inform someone that they should confess what you consider to be sin by the word of God, it is THEIR choice and THEIR choice alone that determines whether or not they will move forward in the LGBT community. That is between them and God. You have done your job as a Servant and the rest is up to that person.
I’m not saying that it’s okay to bash, shame, or abuse someone by any means- but an act of love because of something inside your heart is not something you can help.
(Funny how this sentence works in both situations.)

The truth is we’re all people. We all have beliefs, choices, and freedom to live the way we want; whether that is to live by religious means or not. We need to work harder in understanding each other. We need to work harder in LOVING each other.

Romans 14:1-23 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.”