Ignorance in Faith

If there is one thing God has taught us in life, it is to be non-judgmental and accepting of our place in God’s plan. This past weekend I had a fairly fierce conversation with my farther-in-law regarding homosexuality. Now, understand this man is not from this country and comes from a fairly old school background in Catholicism. I, on the other hand, have deviated from main stream Catholicism to pursue the truths in scriptures. My father-in-law has never read the bible, I have read multiple versions. This does not mean either faith in God is less, but understand that my understanding of what is actually written is different than his understanding of what a priest has told him.

 

This conversation started out the same as any, but quickly turned soar when he proclaimed that he believed homosexuality was a choice. Now, in this day and age one would assume that everyone knows that such things are not a choice and not a product of environment, but rather genetics. Some people are born with spotted skin, some born with no hair, and some born as homosexual or heterosexual. Environment simple helps progress how open a child will become about it.

 

Science aside, this statement did not sit well with his daughter, who is only a few years younger than me and quiet liberal. The conversation then turned, as I mentioned, sour and the true extent of this man’s ignorance came out. Now, I am not saying his opinion is wrong, he is entitled to it and I do not need to agree, but understand what I am about to express to you is simply, in my mind, crossing the line. When his daughter began to severely question him on his stand, and asked if he had a homosexual grandchild what he would do, his response was this:

 

Put the child in counseling.

 

That’s right, counseling, to show the child he/she has something wrong with her/him…why? Because he would have decided on his own that something is wrong with this young individual… he then continued on that no parent should accept that, and to say that would allow a boy to play with a doll, or a girl to play with a truck, would encourage them to become homosexual.

 

As you can see, this did not sit well with his very liberal daughter, and definitely not with me who lost an homosexual uncle to such madness. Despite my attempts of educating him, and unfortunately it was not educating him in the sciences of it which seem to have no effect, I educated him in the understanding that if such a child would enter the family he only hurt himself in thinking this way. You can child or a person’s sexuality anymore than you can change a person’s skin color. you can mask it, pretend it isn’t what it is, but ultimately at the end of the day it is still the same as before. I understand many people don’t agree with homosexuality and a lot of made up accusations have been connected to it, but these fallacies are simply that. not true. What he needed to understand, and people like himself, is that thinking this way will hurt you. You will alienate others, who will in turn turn their back from you; especially loved ones who you THINK you are helping. You are not helping them by pushing your opinion on them, and as I explain, you will put these people in a position on whether or not they want you in their life.

 

I ask him, why can you not simply NOT judge them and just love them? Don’t you think Jesus would simply accept them? He didn’t seem to think so and thus lies the issues here. People who do not READ the bible do not get the full education of their faith. As I told him, there is one line in a book of thousands of verses and this opinion you formed about this topic did not come the good book, but by the mouth of a man (or men) who had an opinion different from the words. You need to read, you need to educate yourself because it is these misunderstandings that lead to hatred and mistrust. God created these people just as they have you and me, even the new Pope has made mention that no man can judge another and that he did not care in regards to men or women being gay, simply to worship in God as one. Saying homosexuality is evil is like saying being a certain gender is wrong, or a certain skin color or eye color.   It is simply not in the book to be this way, in fact the book reinforces against such thought.

 

 

in the end he did not want to budge, and although he has sealed his fate with his daughter if she ever has children, he continued to believe such thoughts were religiously justified. This is why I beg all of you to read and educate yourself. Once you read the bible and take on its meanings in your own voice, you will see the truths and you will see how easily swayed a priest will become to change its verse. Sometimes for better, others for worse; but without education you will never know the difference.