by Michael G. Mickey
(11-15-08)
For years now the homosexual community has been accusing Christians and conservatives of being hate-filled and intolerant, but in the wake of California voters passing Proposition 8 making same-sex marriage illegal there, we're seeing very real evidence that the homosexual community is only loving and tolerant of views that oppose their own as long as things are going their way. Having suffered a staggering setback on November 4th, their hackles are up in a way that I've never seen the Christian community's raised toward them.
Editorial cartoonist Joel Barbee has captured the spirit of 'tolerance' we're seeing from the homosexual community in the aftermath of Proposition 8 getting shot down in his latest creation entitled "How to have 'tolerance' for little old ladies."
It hasn't been pretty
On November 9th, at a church in Michigan, a radical gay rights group infiltrated the Mount Hope Church in Delta Township. Sitting among the congregation in various areas of the church, the group suddenly sprang into action, pulling a fire alarm, rolling out a banner in the church's balcony while throwing pro-homosexual fliers at the congregants and yelling phrases like "It's okay to be gay" and "Jesus was a homo."
In a released statement, as detailed in a Lansing State Journal article, members of the church said they weren't sure why they were targeted by the group. I suspect the answer lies in the church's doctrine on homosexuality detailed later in the article which indicates it is a sin as detailed in the Word of God.
Can you begin to imagine how much press this story would be getting, how aggressively law enforcement would be being pressured to make arrests in a case like this if a group of Christians did something like this at a pro-homosexual event, especially if it was being held in a private location that they owned? A story like that, if the shoe was on the other foot, might be deemed worthy enough by the mainstream media for them to stop their near-endless worship of Barack Obama long enough to get a few shots in that would cast Christians in a poor light. I'm not positive of that, but maybe.
Intolerance by the tolerant?
Today, as I type these very words, as revealed in a OneNewsNow.com article, activist homosexual leaders are participating in a day of protest over losing traditional marriage battles in three states on November 4th.
The following is an excerpt from ONN's article:
The National Day of Protest's logo is a clenched fighting fist and features phrases such as "Fight the H8" (Fight the Hate) and "Ready to Rumble."
Florida Family Association notes the irony in that the homosexual movement that formerly preached diversity and tolerance has now become increasingly disorderly and aggressive, even intolerant, of supporters of traditional marriage by vandalizing property and staging protests at and inside churches. Matt Barber of Liberty Counsel says the demonstrations ought to be taken seriously, especially this Saturday.
"There have been threats of church burnings. There have been threats of violence, even murder against Christians," he explains. "There has been vandalism already of a number of churches."
One of today's goals, according to the Florida Family Association, is to "silence everyone who disagrees with them."
Church, this isn't a time for us to be silenced by radical homosexual activists or anyone else. Our silence leading up to these events is precisely what has brought this radicalism to our doorsteps. Having said that, I'm not, on the other hand, in any manner suggesting that the Church lift the sword against those who hate us for no reason other than our peaceful obedience to God's Word. What I'm suggesting is that we commit ourselves to standing firm in defense of the Word of God and doing so in love unless, of course, circumstances require us to defend ourselves from harm which isn't anything God would forbid us from doing.
Not only do we need to remain faithful to the Word of God's teachings, we should demand of our leaders, both in government and law enforcement, that they pursue and prosecute to the full extent of the law those who commit hate crimes against Christians as fervently as they would if a cross burning had taken place, for example.
As it was in the days of Lot
I couldn't number how many times I've had someone from the homosexual community debate me via e-mail concerning whether or not homosexuality is a sin, but one of the most common arguments I hear, believe it or not, is that God decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah not because of the mob intending to sodomize the two angels visiting with Lot in Genesis 19 but because of the violence associated with what the sexually immoral mob had in mind as they criminally threatened to break through Lot's door. That argument, I have told those who've presented it to me, is flawed, although the criminal act of trying to break down Lot's door certainly addresses the level of wickedness that existed there.
The residents of Sodom were a sexually and criminally deviant people. Not only that, they were a people so accustomed to lawlessness that, even as those who would harm Lot's angelic guests were pressing against his door, no one raised so much as a voice of protest in defense of Lot's family and home. This is true in spite of the fact that the entire city's population was in the area! Note the following from the Bible demonstrative of this, as described in Genesis 19:4-5 (emphasis added mine):
But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
The confrontation had to be ended supernaturally by the angels inside Lot's home. They had to blind the criminally motivated crowd, demonstrating precisely why we can't permit radical homosexuals to "silence everyone who disagrees with them."
I'd be remiss at this point if I didn't point out that the recent prospect of violence being perpetrated against Christians by radical elements of the homosexual agenda doesn't bring us closer, as demonstrated above, to living in a world very like the one Lot lived in - a biblical prerequisite foretold in Bible prophecy would be a sign unto us that Christ's return is drawing near. (Luke 17:28-30)
When light ceases to shine, darkness takes its place
While I don't want a conflict with any man or woman due to political differences, religious beliefs or anything else for that matter, I have to be true to myself and true to my faith in God.
To those who hold views other than mine, those who hold that homosexuality is NOT a sin in this instance, my admonition to them is that they practice what they have preached for so long by peacefully and tolerantly accepting that not everyone is in agreement with them that they should be allowed to alter God's foundation for the family, marriage as defined in the Bible. They should do what Christians have done in dealing with issues where our government has instituted rules counter to our belief system such as prohibiting the teaching of creation in our schools.
We didn't turn to hate, intimidation and violence when God was forced out of our public schools nor did we riot in the streets when same-sex marriage was permitted to occur in Massachusetts and Connecticut. We continued to stand up for God's Word through peaceful means. We are continuing along that path even now.
If you live by the sword...
Those who would attempt to impose their will on us through violence and intimidation aren't going to win us to their side. They're only going to raise the chances that people are going to be hurt when there is no cause for it.
Intimidation and thuggery invariably leads to bloodshed. It gives violent people looking for excuses to seek out people who hold viewpoints other than their own a sense that hurting others is somehow morally justifiable. You'd think the homosexual community would realize that.
While Bible-believing Christians and homosexuals dedicated to legalizing same-sex marriage will never reach agreement on that divisive issue, responsible parties from both sides need to urgently plea that no blood be shed. Failure to do so may see things spiral out of control very quickly, fast enough for a trickle of blood to turn into a river that neither side will be successful in bridging without a heavy price being paid.
Psalm 34:14: Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
Related news: Across nation, gay advocates protest marriage ban
