Romans 1 and LGB people (and a bit more)

A lot of people like to point to Romans and say bad things about lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people.  Let's talk look at this a little. 

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
 ²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

There is is.  It sounds bad, it really is bad.  Here's the thing, these are straight people, heterosexuals that become homosexual.  They take on the persecution that homosexual people suffer every day.  Even death.  Even in Roman times.  Now that's a bad punishment.  Take note.  It's a punishment because they are losing heterosexual privilege.  It's a punishment because, at least at that time, it would have meant they couldn't have kids, and it's a punishment because not only is it homosexuality but it was degrading to them.

Most homosexuals, however, will tell you that they have known they were homosexual from an early age and in many cases their parents and friends could tell from an earlier time.  They didn't become homosexual because God was punishing them.  They just were, always.

In Romans we see people punished for REJECTING God and worshiping idols.  Let's look at in in context.

 ¹⁸ The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
 ²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

 To say that Romans condemns homosexuality is really wrong.  What it is condemning is rejecting God.  Homosexuality is a punishment and it is in and of itself ENOUGH of a punishment because scripture says they "received in themselves the due penalty for their error."

There is no justification to be mean, cruel, or to make pronouncements about the state of homosexuals.  It's hard enough to just live.  Christians are called to a HIGHER CALLING, a calling to not judge and just love.  Romans 2 talks about that. 

When we selectively limit our scripture to just a hand full of verses we miss that.

God's awesome in my book.  I love God because he sent Jesus to preach love.  Because of that, I know he loves me.  Even if every church and every Christian tells me I am unwelcome...I know God is waiting for me with open arms.

Because of that love, I'm able to better love others too.  Because it's a gift.

What I will not do, is stand idly by and watch others tell people through their actions that God doesn't love them even while the words might say that he does.

Jesus didn't pile on burdens.  He accused the phairasees of that.  If someone is LGBT and wants to reject that and be a "normal" heterosexual, I certainly think that's wonderful but if someone is LGBT and says they love God or want to know him, that door swings WIDE OPEN FOR THEM TOO.

Marriage is sacred because it is a COMMITMENT before God, it is not sacred simply because God created it thousands of years ago.  Marriage is rejecting promiscuity.  It's the formation of a three chorded union of the spouses and God.  THAT'S HOLY.  THAT'S good.  It says so right in 1 Tim 4.

Why not gay marriage and civil unions?

Health care costs. Springfield Illinois had a surprising number returned by their actuaries. $725,000/year for an estimated 65 people to get insurance with them. That's $11,153.84/for each. So against the state law, they decided behind close doors that their employees wouldn't get that coverage. I wonder, does this same debate go on behind closed doors in the states around this country? Is the real reason for marriage inequality money? We are talking about 9 million LGBT people on the conservative side. Of course the real number is likely to be much lower. ( divide by 2 because we are talking about partners, divide by 5 because only 20% of the younger crowd marries and SSM isn't going to see that) still 900,000 people at a bit over $11k/ea is actually still more than $10 billion dollars a year. Does that make you mad if you are LGBT? That the states are taking from you that much extra money? It's not just the taxes at the federal and state level. It's not just the human dignity. It's stealing a huge part of the American dream from us. That is a denial of liberty and justice. Given that it doesn't affect me personally, because I have been lucky enough to have a 'traditional' marriage for the last 17 years, is it ok for me to be mad about this for you? How much more good could we do as an economic force with an extra $10billion in our pockets every year?