There is, surely, an
atmosphere of unease with the growing consciousness of minority rights. At the
centre of these minority communities is that of homosexuals whose plight seems
to appear in every document that exchanges hands between government and its
Western cooperating partners.
Demands by these partners
sounded heavy on the previous government because the issue was one of the items to be addressed
if the donors were to resuscitate the much needed aid.
We are anxiously waiting to see what the current government is going to handle that particular issue in the light that aid has started trickling in.
In the midst of that tension,
churches have taken their own specific stands some of which are too extreme to
be taken by men of God.
Some months ago, CCAP Nkhoma
Synod made scathing remarks on homosexuality and made it clear that as a
church, they are going to organize a protest march to parliament if the
lawmakers decide to bring the issue of gay rights under discussion. An
acceptable move because it is biblical that homosexuality is evil but isn’t it
the church’s prerogative to minister to sinners?
This issue needs to be looked
at from three perspectives, legal, cultural and religious.
It is within government’s jurisdiction
to consider legalization of homosexuality by weighing the pros and cons of such
an action.
Culturally, homosexuality is
labeled as a taboo such that verbal tirades such as ‘homosexuals are dogs or
animals’ and many more unpronounceable phrases are common.
It is thereby surprising to
see the church trying to play the roles of state and cultural institutions at
once.
Christianity, just like all religions,
is defined by love, a virtue that is at the core of all undertakings of such
institutions.
It, therefore, remains
disheartening to note that religion nowadays has become divisive in nature
whereby personalities are segregated and condemned on so many platforms, sexual
orientation inclusive.
Painful is the fact that, the
more the Christian fraternity sidelines the gay community, the more their
intent defeats the whole purpose of spreading the gospel as commanded by Jesus
Christ before he ascended to heaven.
To this day, any Christ-centered
church should base its principles on that command. The spreading of the gospel
is therefore an endeavor that should not be undertaken with emotional strings
attached.
The approach taken in
preaching Christ should not magnify one sin and blow it out of proportion
because the bible tells us that we are all sinners (Romans 3:12).
Outlining all sins would be a
frantic and endless struggle but to single out one from that long list is
surely misplaced egoism and self justification.
The moment any Christian
starts pointing out other people’s sins, that is when love starts to fade away.
The big question is “How does
Christianity embrace gays and lesbians?” The notion does not arise from a blank
page.
In a country which has deep
roots in culture and religion, there is need to answer the above question in
relation to these two institutions.
Having received cold reaction
from other institutions relief would have been sought in the Christian spectrum
due to the element of love that defines the creed.
Sadly and unfortunately, in a
country where it is estimated that 80 percent of the population are Christians,
the approach towards homosexuals has been a contrast to the ideals that
circumscribe the creed.
Much as homosexuality has “rightly”
been highlighted as sin, it is the treatment of human beings who have
homosexual orientations that brings tears to an objective heart.
Whether we accept them or not
in the body of Christ, it does not change the fact that homosexuals exist.
Denying the act does not mean denying their existence.
Have you thought about it
that the person sitting next to you in church might be gay? What about the
beautiful lady who all guys at church think she is a senior spinster yet she is
lesbian? At the point of knowing their sexual status, do you boot them out of
the church system or handle them with love so as to show them the way to
Christ? Isn’t coming to church the consequence of our inborn sin?
If we are to take a look at
our filthy pasts, don’t we think we would have deserved the same condemnation,
if that was to be endorsed as the right approach towards any sin?
As government is still
contemplating whether to legalize homosexuality, it is the Christian community
that can offer a solution by showing love to the gay community thereby offering
them insight on the will of God in their lives.
Only when the church becomes sober
to look into gay rights critically then the issue will be broken down into
smallest pieces. Some aspects can be taken on board thereby bringing the church
into right perspective in as far as homosexuality is concerned.
There is a Christian idiom which
says, “What Would Jesus Do?” It then exposes the most fundamental question, “If
he were to be in our generation, would he have condemned homosexuals as we do?
I beg to differ; surely he would have embraced them to show them the truth.
By “embracing” we might be
dealing with issues of semantics but no matter how diverse our perceptions may
be, it is high time Christianity found a way of dealing with homosexuality
except “ignoring it”.
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