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A recent letter to the editor in a North American denominational church publication highlights the double standard often existing in the two ‘sides’ of the political battles regarding sexuality. The writer quotes as follows from the movie ‘Conclave…’
“There is only one sin I have come to fear above all others - CERTAINTY. Certainty is the great enemy of unity, the deadly enemy of tolerance.”
The writer then goes on to criticize those in her church tradition who have the certainty to declare that the concept of a homosexual identity is evil and destructive. Ironically, a couple of sentences later the writer states “...we must have mercy and compassion for our LBGTQ+ siblings and those who support them.” Now the label ‘LBGTQ+ identity’ is articulated as though it is a biological CERTAINTY. No acknowledgement that this may be a painful and traumatic disorder often rooted in childhood perceptions of abandonment and abuse.
As we have noted in earlier Alliance newsletters, self-righteous looking down upon the sinfulness of homosexuality or disliked birth gender, from the church pew, can be an idolatry labeled self-righteous certainty. Very similarly the above referenced writer designates her particular self-righteous certainty as superior to the competing pew sitter’s self-righteous certainty. These two sides each proclaim their ‘righteousness’ while bowing down to their chosen ‘god,’ One doctrine a hedonistic false ‘identity,’ the other a self-righteous ‘one-upmanship!’
Laura Perry Smalts, in her article titled ‘One Woman’s Journey from Transgender to Transformed’ (Salvo. Winter 2024) begins by saying…
“If I had known in 2007 that God’s creation of male and female was not only good but impossible to alter, I would have saved myself a tremendous amount of pain and suffering… Looking back I see the threads of lies that had been woven into my heart. They sowed bitterness and envy in the depths of my soul, which led me to reject myself and long to be someone else.”
Realities we can prayerfully and humbly face…
- Self-righteous finger-pointing, from opposing directions, resolves nothing.
- Injury and brokenness call for compassionate access to healing relationships.
- Engaging lovingly with discouraged, suffering and sometimes arrogant folk requires hospitality, inquiry, endurance, selflessness, and a befriending loyalty.
- Individuals with unwanted same sex attraction or disliked birth sex, are engulfed by a politicized false science which declares the dead-end false doctrine of ‘sexual identity’ with absolute certainty!
- The amazingly successful social order for marriage, family, procreation, and sexual intimacy, the family upon which our democracy was imperfectly, yet successfully built, is largely not addressed in the woke media of our day,
- The loneliness, discouragement, isolation – perception of ‘failure to fit in’ must encounter the consistent warmth of the family of Jesus.
Please consider awakening this Holy journey in your environment, please reach out to us at the Alliance (contactus@therapeuticchoice.com) The ALLIANCE Ethics, Family and Faith Division is anxious to discuss an initial meeting in your environment as part of a continent wide effort to establish a safe spiritual network of informed volunteers, reaching out with inspired hospitality.
By Andy Visser, Chair of the Alliance ETHICS, FAMILY & FAITH DIVISION
andy.visser@therapeuticchoice.com
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