In what must
be one of the most offensive and un-Christian attacks by Christian fundamentalists
on homosexuals and transsexuals while claiming to defend their Christian faith is
described in the following article carried by the National Catholic Register 3/11/2013
under the headline ‘Diocese fears
recent revisions will compromise religious freedom by forcing acceptance of
homosexual behavior’.
Christian fundamentalist, seem to fear the so called loss of ‘religious
freedom’ whenever they feel challenged about their false beliefs. They now
suggest that homosexuals and transsexuals are an impediment to their faith and thereby
threatens their freedom of religion. Since faith is a gift from God one would
think these individuals should at least realize what Jesus
promised his followers in John 10:28. No
nothing can take away God’s gift of faith.
As the
article by Canadian freelance writer Steve Weatherbe states “Christian
critics, including the Diocese of Phoenix, fear the code can be used to force
churches and private businesses to hire homosexuals, to let transsexuals use
either the men’s or women’s washrooms and to justify punitive fines against
businesses that make homosexuals or transgendered feel “unwelcome.”
This is not the first time Bishop
J. Olmsted of Phoenix, AZ has tried to muddy the religious waters. In the spring of 2010 he excommunicated a
Catholic nun for her role in allowing an abortion to take place at the local hospital
when it was considered necessary to save the life of a critically ill mother of
four.
There is no question that the waters of Religious Freedom have been
muddied over the last few years. In the
Catholic world the topic is being bandied about by those who feel threatened by
the idea of same-sex attraction or marriage, the bullying of homosexual
students, and frequent but patently false accusations from homophobes connecting
sexual abuse by homosexual priests as being responsible for the sexual abuse scandal in the
Church.
Religious Freedom is now frequently used to garner political points or statements
rather than a means of ensuring the
freedom to practise one’s religion or faith. In the western world Freedom of
Religion is guaranteed under each country's individual charter along with the
inclusion of 'Separation of Church and State'.
The latter is intended to prevent the State from supporting any one religion
or from interfering with it. At the same
time it also obliges religion to leave the public sphere open to all. When both sides respect the boundaries,
secularism provides a framework for freedom of conscience, tolerance and
democracy. Secularism does not guarantee
human rights but it helps make them possible.
It seems that an awful lot of Christian fundamentalists prefer to remain
in the dark about the real causes of homosexuality (see Homosexuality: real causes ) and their understanding of transgendered
individuals. Perhaps they simply need an
excuse to vent their own anger and pain.
However, it is not a license to hurl insults and
pain on others who did not choose the cross they bear. To do so, takes away
their religious freedom. It does not give religious fundamentalists such as
bishop Olmstead the right to condemn them. Is it not time to thank God for the diversity of his many gifts. Lets each of us discover the God within especially in ALL others.
It took the Roman Catholic Church almost 500 years to accept that the
world was not the centre of the universe.
Hopefully it will not take them another 500 years to learn the real
causes behind homosexuality and transgender.
Finally, we need to understand the simple difference between ‘faith’ and ‘religion’.
Faith (Hebrew) aman, be firm, true;
Latin fides, trust, confidence.)
Faith is a gift from God that allows people to believe and trust in his love
and protection.
Religion (Latin religio,) An organisation of people who follow a special set of
rules, beliefs and practises in their effort to carry out their duties to their
god and other people, e.g. the Christian religion.
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