I succeed that Dan Haseltine has the right, in this country, to free speech. He also has the right to tweet his views and opinions on any topic he desires. Knowing that same-sex marriage is a ‘hot topic’ issue and one that is bound to spark deep emotional response both for and against, one has to wonder why Dan decided to open this can of worms in the first place. Was he trying to garner some publicity for his band, knowing that any press is good press, or was he seriously seeking to understand the whole issue?
From his own tweets it would seem Dan has made up his mind on the issue and is not really seeking to garner understanding from those who are opposed to same-sex marriage. He even tweets that he really does not care what the bible says about it.
I quote:
“I don’t particularly care about Scriptures stance on what is ‘wrong,’” he stated. “I care more about how it says we should treat people.”
Perhaps this is where we all run into trouble when dealing with scripture. Instead of looking at scripture from God’s viewpoint and how He feels about an issue and why, we look at it purely from a personal viewpoint and how it makes us feel and how we wish to be treated by others, whether it is right or wrong is not up for discussion. We feel that what we want and how we feel about any given issue should be respected and honored by others and they have no right to tell us how we ought to live.
Okay if that is your position, then please do not quote the bible or even reference the sacred text, since you really do not care what it has to say anyway. Scripture is not open for private interpretation, it is a spiritual guide-book, and as such requires spiritual insight into its meaning and application. This is why so many have misapplied scripture and have misrepresented Christ in the process, because they have wanted to use the scripture to support their viewpoint and not adjusting their viewpoints to reflect scripture.
For example let us take just one commandment:
Thou shall not commit adultery. And yet many Christians do just that. They do not see anything wrong with their behavior and do not wish for anyone to tell them that what they are doing is wrong, and yet the bible is unambiguous about the issue.
And on the issue of marriage that is pretty clear as well, a man shall leave his father and mother (note it does not say father and father or mother and mother) and cling to his wife, the two shall become one flesh. Okay now we could argue what is meant by the word WIFE but it is clear what MAN is, unless of course you are confused about your gender.
Jesus addressed this issue as well and I cite the verse in context:
Matthew 19:4-9 (GW)
4 Jesus answered, “Haven’t you read that the Creator made them male and female in the beginning
5 and that he said, ‘That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and will remain united with his wife, and the two will be one’?
6 So they are no longer two but one. Therefore, don’t let anyone separate what God has joined together.”
7 The Pharisees asked him, “Why, then, did Moses order a man to give his wife a written notice to divorce her?”
8 Jesus answered them, “Moses allowed you to divorce your wives because you’re heartless. It was never this way in the beginning.
9 I can guarantee that whoever divorces his wife for any reason other than her unfaithfulness is committing adultery if he marries another woman.”
Jesus was being asked about divorce by the Pharisees, who were the religious leaders of the day. These men were supposed to be teachers of the law and they needed to be taught themselves.
You see folks the Christian community has a great deal of problems in regards to marriage, and same-sex marriage is just one of the many symptoms of a godless societal trajectory. There is a great deal of divorce and remarrying going on within the Christian community which Jesus said was committing adultery, and yet strangely nary a peep can be heard from Christian leaders on this issue of marriage.
So then if we are going to ignore adultery then we might as well ignore all other sexual sins as well and let everyone do as they please when it comes to sexual matters. After all what two consenting adults do in the privacy of their own homes is none of our business right? Oh wait you are making it our business by bringing your bedrooms out into the street where everyone must witness your conduct. If you do not wish to be judged by your conduct then I suggest you do not display your conduct before the entire population, but if you choose to make a public display of your conduct then you should expect a public outcry concerning that conduct, do not be surprised then if not everyone finds your conduct acceptable. Some may, some may not, but regardless of whether you have majority support if your conduct does not meet with God’s approval then in the end it will be a worthless pursuit, ending in unspeakable torment and misery.
So to Dan and others who wish to pursue this topic be assured that not everyone is going to agree with any position you take on the matter, and you should not be offended when someone takes issue with your position. Be ready to suffer the consequences, but I will ask you this one question:
Mark 8:36 (GW)
36 What good does it do for people to win the whole world (gain popular opinions, gain world renown) yet lose their lives?
Jesus concludes by saying, hey if you are ashamed of what my word says and teaches in this wicked world then he will have no problem being ashamed of you when it comes time to choose whom he will spend eternity with.
In other words it is okay if you do not want to follow Jesus and his teachings, and since you do not want anything to do with Jesus here and now, you will not be upset when he wants nothing to do with you in the here after right?
Mark 8:38 (GW)
38 If people are ashamed of me and what I say in this unfaithful and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of those people when he comes with the holy angels in his Father’s glory.”
So whether the entire world approves of your conduct does not really matter in the end. The one who gets the last word is Jesus and since you really do not care what he has to say, then I guess go ahead and do what you want because in the end you will have an entire life to live without Jesus. Isn’t that really what you want anyway?
Go ahead and do it your way but be aware that your way does have consequences both here and hereafter.
And that is the way I see it. What say you?