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A famous British general once told John Wesley, "I never forgive!" To
which Wesley replied, "Then, Sir, you had better never sin."
The only comment that Jesus made about his own "model prayer' in Matthew
6:14-15 concerned forgiveness: "If you forgive others of their
transgressions, God will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive
others, then God will not forgive your transgressions."
This has explosive implications for evangelical church people who claim
that they have a Bible basis for rejecting and judging homosexuals and
that God and they cannot forgive GLBT people for being homosexual!
The biblical word for forgive means "to let go". God forgives us by
letting go of our disobedience and failures. We forgive others by
letting go of our resentment and judgmental rejection of other people
when they have hurt us.
For many centuries, the churches have claimed to be the channel through
which people are forgiven for their sins. An elaborate system of
confessions, penance, penalties, offerings, prayers, repentance, and
absolution has been developed to give structure and visible expression
to the path to forgiveness. There is no evidence, however, that God has
ever forgiven anyone for anything! Forgiveness from God is accepted and
believed by faith.
Once multitudes of people were convinced that they are "born in sin" and
are "lost" and doomed to burn in torment for eternity in hell without
the church's offer of forgiveness, the financial and political power of
the church was guaranteed for 2,000 years. The use of guilt and the
offer of forgiveness by the churches to build and maintain religious and
financial empires is so alien to the spirit and teachings of Jesus that
one stands amazed in the presence of the high hypocrisy and low theology
that prevails in the religious world today.
Multitudes of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender people have wept and
prayed and cried out to God to forgive them of their sexual orientation
and to save them from the unspeakable terrors that religious pretenders
to the honor of God have convinced them are the clear teachings of the
"word of God" against them. Jesus was not a religious terrorist. He
did not take hostage the sexuality and spirituality of homosexual
believers as the homophobic legalistic fundamentalists try to do today.
Jesus was a genius many centuries ahead of his time. Jesus certainly
knew about sexual orientation and knew that ten percent of his followers
and his enemies were homosexuals! Yet Jesus never mentioned
homosexuality or raged against homosexuals as evil wicked sinners who
deserved to fry in hell. Instead, Jesus raged against the evil wicked
Scribes and Pharisees who rejected and judged others and were a "brood
of snakes on their way to the fires of hell" (Matthew 23:33)! Read all
of Matthew 23 for the rest of the story.
Also see my web site material on Legalism as Idolatry at my website, where you can click on the relevant Bible passages that give the
teachings of Jesus on God's love and forgiveness.
One of the incredibly abusive uses of religion in our time is the
distortion of the Gospel of Jesus from a message of God's unconditional
love and acceptance of all people into the destructive abusive use of
the Bible to undermine the self-esteem of GLBT people and to instill
self-destructive attitudes of self-hate and suicidal lifestyle choices.
Although there is no evidence that God has forgiven you, there is
abundant evidence in your own life and heart when you forgive (let go of
anger and resentment) others and when others forgive you. You also know
it when you have forgiven yourself and accepted yourself as God's
child. Letting go of the low self-esteem and denial of your own value
and worth to God that homophobia creates is a blessed relief that can
lift your spirits and give you fresh meaning in life.
Think of all of the ways that Jesus expressed God's inclusive love for
you and all people. Make a list of the evidence in the Gospels that God
loves you just as you are. Consider the reason for the name of this
on-line GLBT Christian newsmagazine, "WHOSOEVER": John 3:16-17: "God so
loved you (the world) that God gave Jesus so that you (whosoever) might
believe in Jesus and not throw your life away (perish), but have eternal
(a full and meaningful) life; for God did not send Jesus into the world
to condemn you but that you should be liberated through Jesus."
"God is love." Your love for yourself and your GLBT brothers and
sisters and for your same-sex partner is a gift from God you. You do
not need forgiveness for being a practicing homosexual, for that is how
God made you. All of us need to be forgiven for waiting so long to
challenge the religious lies and distortions of the Bible to abuse,
oppress and destroy so much of our GLBT family.
Let go of abusive religion as a first step into spiritual health and
wholeness. God has already forgiven you for all that you have done to
"miss the mark" of God's will for you as a GLBT person. Enjoy your
friendship and companionship with God. You have had God with you all
along, whether you knew it or not.
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How Good Do We Have to Be? : A New Understanding of Guilt and Forgiveness by Harold S. Kushner
by Rembert Truluck
Websites:
Steps To Recovery From Bible Abuse
Also In This Issue:
Offering Hope and Healing to Those Hurt by Religion: An Interview with Dr. Rembert Truluck
Dear God, Please Forgive Me for Not Being Gay
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