Fallacies of modern Christendom Promises

The subject matter of gay acceptance and pride has been exponential in today’s world. With this push we are seeing Churches stop condemning gay people and even welcoming them more than many other Christians can come to accept. Who is right?

The Logical Fallacy Within Christendom’s Promises

Despite many verses in the Old Testament describing the sins of sexual immorality our modern Christendom accepts the people who dedicate their life to these sins. The current Pope has been quoted “Who am I to judge gay people?”.¹ It’s these comments that lead to a gray-area like understanding of homosexuality in Churches. The unitarians are taking lead charge in the acceptance of all identifying as an LGBT. Although the Catholic Church has remained strict in not allowing homosexuality in their ranks it’s coming out in these sects stemming from Protestantism. Although the debates are lively, we now have self-affirming queers as pastors in Christian Churches.² What we will be examining here is the logical fallacy within scripture about how living a life as a gay person explicitly goes against the importance of teachings from Christ. 

Something that is important to remember is that teachings aren’t there to be picked and chosen by yourself to follow as you desire. Our current destructive era is described in 1 Timothy 7 “They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.” Continuing the following lines we are told that the law is for those who are sexually immoral. Now, what is the law? We are taught this by Moses in Leviticus containing such truths as “If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.” (Leviticus 20:13). With the establishment of Jesus’ new covenant and the image as the Redeemer we can see that we are to bring morality to save these hurt individuals. If we look into what Paul wrote in 1 Romans 26-27 that having impure sexual desires are in fact a punishment given from God himself “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.”

The Christian concept of salvation is riddled throughout the New Testament. A promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ in God’s Kingdom. Salvation comes from being rescued. Stated in Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” What the Pope has unfortunately forgotten is that his chair is the chair of Peter. The ritual required to enter God’s Kingdom is described by the first Pope “and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God” (1 Peter 21). A baptism is a ceremony in which you become ‘reborn’. This idea is spoken by Jesus in John 3: “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit… You must be born again.” The insistence of acceptance has been perverted. Again, the law is for those who are sexually immoral. What does the law state? “Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.” (Leviticus 18:22). 

The aspect of a pledge to God is extremely important. It’s within this dialogue where we know those who continue their sin will be punished. The promise to God commits your actions, very clearly mapped out in Deuteronomy that neglecting your promises is sin “If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin.” (Deuteronomy 23:21). Choosing to believe that these homosexual relationships come with no fault is plain wrong. God doesn’t want us to invent our own situational morality where we can try to claim ‘I was born that way’, no, you were punished as described before: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:9-10). To continually retort how God loves and welcomes all to his Church is only half of the statement. The ability to resist our temptations is what separates Christians from the rest. With this full acceptance of those who act in sexual morality may lead to many pastors proudly stating their homosexuality. If these people shall be disregarded from a loving relationship that leads to a family, maybe it’s entirely within their right to remain chaste and become teachers of the law: but will they also be the keepers? Do not toil about the delusions of the outside world, and you mustn’t “throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (Hebrews 10:35-36). 

1.  DeutscheWelle – Pope Francis and homosexuality in the Catholic CHURCH:
2. Shelby Fleig- The Des Moines Register

Works Cited

DeutscheWelle  “Pope Francis and homosexuality in the Catholic Church: an analysis” Retrieved on: https://www.dw.com/en/pope-francis-and-homosexuality-in-the-catholic-church-an-analysis/a-55371918
Fleig, Shelby “Iowa pastor facing church trial for being ‘self-avowed practicing homosexual’ takes leave of absence” The Des Moines Register. Retrieved on https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2019/11/14/openly-queer-united-methodist-pastor-anna-blaedel-takes-leave-absence/4184201002/