Here's one for you:
How many times have you sat in church and heard the preacher say that the ancient old Testament cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by God because of their sexual immorality? How many times have you heard a preacher on the radio or on TV say something like, "If we don't stop the homosexuals and their agenda in this country and God doesn't destroy the US, God owes Sodom and Gomorrah and apology!!!"? It's obvious, right? I mean Sodom must have been the most evil because it's where we get the common term for male, homosexual intercourse, right? (hint: add a "y" at the end)
See if this blows your mind like it did mine. The prophet, Ezekial, is saying these are God's actual words:
Ezekial 16:49 " 'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen. (The text is the New International Version. The emphasis is mine.)
Hmm...where does God say Sodom's sins were the "sicko pervert homosexuals"? the "fags"? the "cross-dressers"? That's odd. This passage doesn't mention ANY of those things.
Arrogant? Overfed? Unconcerned? They didn't help the poor and needy...? Whose sins do those sound like...? Here's some more to think about:
-The wealthiest 5th of the world’s people consume 86 percent of all goods and services, while the poorest 5th consume 1 percent.
-The U.S. spends 10 billion annually on foreign aid. Americans spend 33 billion annually on diet and weight loss products.
-The average church in America spends around 95% of their budget on internal administration, staff, and building expenses.
-In N.W. Arkansas, just among 4 prominent churches, over $50 million dollars will be spent to construct new church buildings. (one of these churches' pastor is so concerned about the "homosexual agenda" that he wrote a book about it in the last year...)
-If everybody in America who calls themselves Christians actually gave a tithe (10%) of their income, the American church would have $143 Billion more money every year than it does.
-U.N. estimates that $60-$70 billion would provide access to basic services like education and health care to all the poor of the earth. ($143-$60= we'd have a lot left over and we would have done something actually good in the world instead of just adding more church buildings and parking lots...)
-Hunger could be eliminated worldwide by 2015 if every American would give .14 cents a day - $51 .00 per year.
This is what church should be about. This is what Christianity should be about. Why are homophobic, hate-filled, idiot biggots being the loudest representative of what the church is "about"?
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(a friend compiled these statistics and I copied them. So, I don't have documentation as to the accuracy of all this, but it's coming from a trusted source. And I could get the documentation if anybody wants to get cagey.)
3 comments:
yes.yes.this is where our attention should be. well said, well written.
Good job, Derry. This blog entry was awesome. That was a verse I had read a long time ago but couldn't find it recently while thinking about this whole issue. When I saw it on your blog, I opened up my battered old Student NIV Bible, and, lo and behold, there it was underlined. When we lived in the ghetto of 47th Street down here in Fort Smith (we've since moved to the demi-ghetto of Albert Pike Ave.), we had this very flamboyantly homosexual neighbor coming to our house all the time. He asked me some questions about God and my faith and even suggested that he thought about going to church, and I said to myself, "It really is a shame that I can't bring him to church." Now, I like the church we attend down here, and I love the people there a lot. But, in general, you can't bring openly homosexual people to conservative churches in America. People will be weirded out, people will be creeped out, people will fear the imminent lightning bolts and plagues. The message being given repeatedly to gay people is, "You need to change and stop being gay before you can enter the building and hear about Jesus. The hymn 'Just as I am' don't apply to you, fruity Mcgee." It's a shame and shouldn't be that way and, doggone it my brethren and sistren, quit that crap! Quit it now before the spiritual slappings around occur! Anyway, good job, Der-Der.
"I would like for you to be more clear on your meanings regarding this blog."
What is it about people that comment on YOUR blog always thinking you have to explain yourself to them.
If you disagree with Derek, disagree, if you agree, agree. If you don't like what he says, fine.
And by the way, I'm glad you have met your quota of homosexual friends...
Why do people feel like they have to justify their comments, with, "Don't get me wrong, I have friends who are homosexuals."
Do you go around and say, well I have four friends, they're liars, oh and these three friends, they're my gossipping friends... oh and I almost forgot my envious one.
Think about what Derek was saying... get out there and make a difference in the world...
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphonas and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." - James 1:27
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