The Village Square

Loving thy neighbor, a response to the last post

This – from my friend Lea – was so good, it needed to be it’s own blog post, not buried in the comments to the last post. (You should note that while Lea and I may disagree on some issues related to homosexuality, if you THROW THINGS, I’ll be standing right in front of her…) (EDITOR’S NOTE TO LEA: Would we still be Village-Square-Ish and Loving-Thy-Neighbor-Ish if we made one exception to civility when it comes to people who look better in bathing suits than we do?)

as a conservative who agrees with carrie prejean and her right to give her opinion on a matter in a beauty pageant, i am not comfortable in the way she has been treated.

as a christian charged with the awesome responsibility to love my neighbor, i am not comfortable with the way homosexuals are treated by some in the religious right (oh, let me be a bit less obtuse… by the way homosexuals are treated by a lot of the religious right).

and as a 41 year old woman with a love of sugary foods, i don’t like anyone who can walk on a stage in high heels and a bathing suit and not die of shame. but i digress and will stick to the point.

i had this same conversation with a friend today in a slightly different way.

a friend of ours will be getting out of prison in a few months. he has served his time and yet for the rest of his life, his options are limited and his family will suffer for his mistakes. we talked about how we would view this IF IT WAS ANYONE ELSE that we didn’t know and were not personally connected to as a friend. we would have a “he should have limited options forever, he did a horrible thing and he should pay FOREVER.” attitude. but because he is a friend of ours, we think he and his family have suffered enough and if he has repented and is living in a way that is honoring as a person, that he should be done with punishment.

the side we are on makes a difference to how we interpret judgement, doesn’t it? whether we see something as “fair” or not depending on how it affects us and those who we love.

it makes me wish that i saw EVERYONE in the same light… in the light of friendship and love and concern for them as my sister and brother in this thing called life. yeah, maybe that is why Jesus told that whole parable about the good samaritan when asked, “who is my brother?” because my brother is the person who needs my care at that moment. the one in my path. the one i would be the most tempted to walk around. the one who answers the questions in the way most radically different than the way that i answer the questions…

carrie prejean is my sister and even though she looks SO much better than me in a bathing suit, i am called to treat her honorably and with respect. and perez hilton is my brother and i am called to treat him honorably and with that same respect. and maybe even more so…

Add comment May 12th, 2009

Purple Epilogue: On the rapid cultural change in acceptance of homosexuality

John Marks, writing about the culture shock experienced by conservative Christians in the wide acceptance of homosexuality today, quotes Alan Sears and Craig Osten in their book The Homosexual Agenda: Exposing the Principal Threat to Religious Freedom Today (In looking for the Amazon link for this book, I’m reminded that the culture war rages on just about everywhere, even in book reviews on Amazon):

In 1983, 30 percent of Americans said that they knew someone who was homosexual. By 2000, that figure had skyrocketed to 73 percent. In 1985, only 40 percent of those polled said they were comfortable around individuals who practice homosexual behavior. By 2000, that number had risen to 60 percent. Also in 1985, 90 percent of Americans said they would he upset if their son or daughter announced they were homosexual. By 2000, that figure stood at just 37 percent. Those of us who have dealt with the homosexual agenda issue over the years often stop me to ask in disbelief: How has I or 2 percent of the population achieved success in transforming American culture and restricting religious freedom?

Whatever side of this culture war divide you fall on, it’s worth thinking for a moment about the head-spinning change our society has undergone on this topic in a short time. It’s worth it to humanize our neighbors enough to see it from their perspective.

The liberal in me quickly says “good grief, how does accepting homosexuality restrict religious freedom?” Taking a few moments to think this through, however, I suspect the answer lies in asserting a religious opposition to gay marriage – no matter how humanly and lovingly delivered – is “hate speech.” If you pull this thread a little in other ways related to religious opposition to all manner of behavior people of faith might find immoral, it becomes easier to understand their feeling of being under siege.

And Carrie Prejean, Miss California or robbed Miss America depending on who you talk to, might be worth a mention right now. Left-leaners like me might do well to decide – regardless of her complicity in the matter – if we’re fully comfortable with the way she’s been treated.

Conservatives, help me out here…

We will be continuing our conversation with John Marks and Craig Detweiler of Purple State of Mind online by sharing excerpts from their books and video and transcript clips from our dinner conversation. A limited number of signed copies of John’s “Reasons to Believe: One Man’s Journey Among the Evangelicals and the Faith He Left Behind” and Craig Detweiler’s “Purple State of Mind: Finding Middle Ground in a Divided Culture” are available online HERE.

Add comment May 12th, 2009