A Reason to Grieve

It was not easy to find. Very little mention anywhere on the internet. Nothing on my homepage news section. So I had to go to Foxnews.com. It was hidden deep on the page two levels under politics and obscurely worded on the White House daily agenda section like this:

1805 President Obama will host a reception to commemorate the enactment of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. He will deliver brief remarks at 6:05 PM, and will be joined by Attorney General Eric Holder, civil rights community leaders and others.

Let me expand. This evening at a few minutes after 6 the president will sign the latest installment of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. He will be joined by lesbian, gay and transgendered activists to celebrate the occassion. These people are now the most protected minority in America. Look for lawsuits to be flying from the cubicles of ACLU lawyers as early as tomorrow morning.

As a Christian I am commanded to pray for our leaders and I do. I am told to love others and treat them as I want to be treated and I try. But it is getting harder and harder to turn the other cheek. I think of all our founding fathers and past presidents. How it would burden them to know that a country founded on a firm belief in the truth of God's Word has fallen so far from it's roots.

May I stately as firmly as I know how in the love of Christ. God loves every man, woman, boy and girl equally and abundantly. He loved us all so much that He gave the ultimate sacrifice to bring us all to a saving relationship with Himself. However, we must not forget that while His love for us was the motivation for His death on the cross; our sin was the ugly scar that made his painful death necessary. How it must grieve the heart of God when people flaunt, protect, and promote their sin openly before the world. It should grieve the heart of His children as well.  

Comments

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=539163936]

Just throwing out some food for thought here. Why should we as Christians be opposed to any bill that seeks to punish those who act out violently against those whom they hate? While I do not support the gay and lesbian lifestyle I find it hard to cheer when someone in that lifestyle is brutally murdered by a "good ole boy" who just doesnt like them. I know there is a political can of worms behind all of this but think how the church must seem to the outside world when we appear to condone brutality against the very people Jesus calls us to love unconditionally.

[Evan King]

"Thou shall love thy neighbor" Do i believe the gay and lesbian lifestyle is correct? no. Do i believe that any human on this planet should be demonized, discriminated against, or punished for how they feel or what they believe? An even bigger no. This Bill is similar to that of the Equal Rights Act of 1964. Do you think that was wrong too? Do Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, or even women have the same rights as white men? I love all men, women, races, orientations, the same, because that is what i am instructed to do.

[Ross Turner]

I see no need to classify crimes by "hate" or "passion" or any other categorization that attempts to know what a person is thinking or feeling when perpetuating a crime. It is irrelevant. A crime is a crime. Is there assault? is there rape? has a murder been commited? Punish the act, equally and consistently.

With regard to loving our neighbors, as Christians this is commanded. God loves each of us, no matter our background or choices. However, His justice also applies to each of us equally. Our sin separates us from Him because of his holiness, but His love compelled him to sacrifice Himself for us to bridge that gap. he did not say, "I Love you, so I must accept you in your sin and approve of it" but instead said, "I love you, but hate the sin, and must deal with it in order that we may be reconciled." Thus was the need for the cross and the empty tomb.

We as Christians must love, but at the same time, we don't have the right to pick and choose which Scripture we will live by and which we won't. God's Word from Genesis to Revelation ia alive and pertinent to how we live and interact with those around us. God abhors sin of all kinds, and is clear in providing insight into what is allowed and what is not. We must love the person, but hate the sin. We must not in the name of compromising tolerance begin to condone that which is abominable.

Romans 1:32b condemns this kind of tolerance when it speaks of those who "...not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."

Lastly, if we want our nation to return to it's God fearing roots, it begins with us. It begins with believers. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." We who are His people and called by His name bear the responsibility to be the first in repentance and prayer for the forgiveness and healing of our land.

America, bless God.

[Beverly Billingsley]

All crime should be treated and punished equally, no matter who the victim. That being said, this bill is an underhanded attack on Christian values,it opens the way for the law to be used to prosecute pastors who preach the biblical view of homosexuality.(check out citizenlink.com, search: hate crime) We are on the slppery slope to a post christian era in America, and that makes me turn to God and cry Abba, Father help us, forgive us.

[twitter.com/RevScottie]

Please everyone take time to read the bill before spreading what amounts to gossip from folks like citizenlink.com The bill specifically says:

Exempt from prosecution...if such exercise of religion, speech, expression, or association was not intended to: (A) plan or prepare for an act of physical violence; or (B) incite an imminent act of physical violence against another. (This was actually a concern of the ACLU so be careful before you demonize them in every situation. Sometimes they are on the side of religion)

So unless your pastor is preaching that homosexuals need to have violent acts committed against them he will not be prosecuted for his biblical view. If he is preaching that I hope he rots in jail because that is not part of the Gospel.

I consider myself a conservative in my political views but I urge you not to get your news from folks like Fox News, Focus on the Family, 700 club, etc. They are not fair and unbiased in their news coverage. They will twist the news into what they think conservative Christians want to hear. Its how they make money.

[HD]

If one says that "folks like Fox News, Focus on the Family, 700 club, etc" are "not fair and unbiased in their news coverage", then I wonder which group of humans on any broadcast one would say IS completely fair and unbiased in their news coverage? Hmmm...

We all agree that violence against any fellow human being is wrong. We all want to keep our non-violent religious freedoms. We all want to keep our non-violent freedoms of speech. Why fight over words if we all essentially agree.

1Cor1:10NIV

[Amy Serret]

I want to commend Pastor Duggan for taking a stand on this issue. Now more than ever we need to stand for Christ and what He means in our lives. When I read Pastor Ken's blog and read the responses I began to think about that phrase, "What would Jesus do?" What would Jesus do? What would Jesus say? Well, Jesus was never short on words when it came to the law that is for sure. I believe that He would have acted as Pastor Ken has and voiced His opinion about the Act. Jesus would have also assured those of this "minority" that even though they are who they are He still loves them,however, SIN IS SIN!!!! There is no gray area it is still sin!! Homosexuality in any aspect is sin just as abortion, adultery, idolatry, and witchcraft. These sinful natures, Paul says in God's Word are acts of sinful nature and those who practice such will not inherit the Kingdom of God ( Galatians 5). We read that homosexuality is an abomination to the Lord in Leviticus and Romans where they are of a reprobate mind ( just like today). Homosexuality is a choice....God does not make mistakes and He definitely does not make sin!
It does grieve my heart that this country has tolerated this type of behavior. It grieves my heart to know that people have forgotten their First Love....the Lord Jesus Christ. I was reading something the other day in regards to Christianity and today. Being a Christian today is like being an illegal alien. I know about this because my ex-husband was an illegal alien so I know how it is to be afraid of policeman and government officials. However, as a Christian I think of it an honor of being an illegal alien because this world is not my home and I am only here on a temporary basis. I have my green card and my residency but I am not a citizen of this world. I have been bought with much higher price by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus Christ paid my immigration papers a long time ago. He bought it with His blood and instilled in me a fire of the Holy Spirit. I will stand up for Him. People should remember what happened to the Israelites when they flaunted their sins before God ?!?!?! They were destroyed. The Lord's hand is outstretched to this country and has been for several centuries, however, I am not sure how much He will let this country endure. "Even so come quickly Lord Jesus".