Hate the ‘Sin’: Part II

Recently I received comments on my views of the relationships between gay people and Christians.  My argument was that, hate the ‘sin’ not the person, and this applies to gays and Christians.  If you’re gay, hate the fact that someone’s homophobic, but don’t hate the person.  If you’re Christian, hate the fact that someone’s gay, but don’t hate the person.

He brought up an interesting, and very valid, point.  In the Christian point of view, he argued that homosexuality is the equivalent – and I’ll paraphrase his analogy – to someone doing drugs.  Maybe not to all Christians, but to some or many, homosexuality is a sin and therefore will send you to hell.  Hell=Bad.  Hell=Suffering.  Hell=Not fun.  Therefore Christians would try to defer gays from that sort of lifestyle because they don’t want the person to undergo such a suffering.  I’m not saying the belief is correct, because we don’t actually know.  I’m not saying that all Christians believe this or should believe this.  This is just one point of view.  Let’s put a spin to it, using the drug analogy.  Imagine your friend is doing drugs.  Obviously (if you don’t do drugs yourself), you would try to stop them from doing drugs, no?  You don’t want them to get hurt.  You don’t want them to suffer.  This is the basis of this point of view.

This all leads me to a few other issues.  Many times I hear terrible coming out stories.  A person might tell their best friend who would regularly tries to ‘convert’ you to the straight side.  If this happens to you, take this point of view to mind.  It doesn’t mean your friend hates you.  Maybe it means they’re concerned for you.  Don’t spend hours and hours agonizing over it.  It’s not healthy.  Have a heart to heart talk with your friend.

Furthermore, I was very impressed by the tone of the comments.  They were calculated, well argued in a calm way.  There were no personal attacks, no needless swearing.  He simply stated what he believed in a mature manner, with no intent to hurt anyone.  And it was clear!  Reading the comments and the discussion that ensued, I believe I found what I meant with my hate the ‘sin’ but not the person.  He believed that homosexuality was wrong, and that tolerance was not the optimal path to approach it, especially as a Christian.  He didn’t like homosexuality, and approached the issue calmly.  

When I said hate the ‘sin’ but not the person, my main problem is with the people who would picket a gay man’s funeral, words of hate painted on their signs.  Yeah, the guy’s dead, but have some respect!  Have respect for the deceased and his family and friends!  My problem is with the people who would brutally bludgeon a person, or even reduce to murdering him or her, because he or she was gay.  My main problem is with hate.

I urge you to form your own beliefs.  Every man and woman, every adult and child, have rights to thought and belief.  I simply ask you not to hate.