THE EDITOR, Sir:
AS THE gay saga continues, I'm getting Dark Ages shivers. I fear that the Church in Jamaica is treading on dangerous grounds, and as such I have a simple suggestion to make. Let me start out with a question to the Church.
Do you suppose that God could have intervened and prevented Eve from eating the forbidden fruit? Or could He have prevented any of the other sinful acts recorded in Scripture for that matter? The answer is obviously yes. Then why didn't He do that on all those recorded occasions? Do you realise how pitifully have been the occasions that God has acted in a proactive way to foil the attempts of people to commit acts He considers wrong? The bulk of His interventions have been reactive, not proactive. That was the case in the Old Testament and it got even worse in the New Testament, with the landmark precedent set by Jesus when to the woman caught in the act of adultery, He made the pronouncement, "neither do I condemn thee".
GOD'S GOVERNMENT
I put it to you that these key phrases capture the essence of God's government. It isn't one that seeks to dictate the use of the freedom of choice, but rather to appeal for the prudent use of this "God-given" right. Note that in the quoted passages the declarations have either been followed by a charge to "sin no more", or to presuppose a submission to the Spirit as a means of reaping the eternal benefits of "no condemnation". It is quite obvious that no support is given to sinful indulgences, but God's way of showing His disapproval is not in taking away the free moral choice He gave us, but in guiding us in its judicious use. Why shouldn't His church do the same? Why do we seem to prefer to judge? Have we not read Matthew 7?
I put it to you that the Church is scared because it has largely become ineffective in helping people solve their problems, and is scared that with the proliferation of persons exercising their right to do things inconsistent with church standards, this fundamental shortcoming will become more obvious.
I challenge you that rather than trying to legislate how people should behave, why not try to positively influence their behaviour, and let them make their own choice? I challenge you to become a hospital for sin-sick souls, where the treatment is the panacea called love, along with all the other fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22,23.
In as much as Scripture does not support homosexuality, and from all appearance it seems to be a mishap of nature, I feel that it falls well within the realms of an individual's right to choose to indulge. And except that by nature all homosexuals seek to impose their lifestyle on others, as would a murderer, then it should remain their business if they want this lifestyle.
I am, etc.,
CHARLES EVANS
charock01@yahoo.com
Manchester
Via Go-Jamaica
