the last thing anyone will accept...
people who want to change are generally greeted with cautious optimism. i'm going to use the church in this example, partly because they're supposed to be understanding, partly because they're a good cross-section of hopeful humanity, and partly because i'm bitter and this will serve to offer understanding as to the cause.
i could walk into a church and say "hi, i'm bill, and i'm an alcoholic, it's been 5 years since my last drink, thanks to God and His strength. i'm still tempted, but i resist through Christ who gives me strength". and people will sympathize, will understand, will nod in the right places and believe that God is in me and that i have some understanding of what that's all about.
now i'm not an alcoholic, i'm a homosexual. i can still probably walk into a church and say "i was a homosexual for years, it's been 5 years since my last sexual experience with another man, thanks to God and His strength. i'm still tempted, but i resist through Christ who gives me strength." and while the guys in the church might not invite me over for an all-male slumber party tomorrow night, but by and large, they will still find me credible, will still believe i want to change, and am changing, and am changed, and that God is in me and working through me despite this burden.
now, i'm not an alcoholic or a homosexual. now i'm a pedophile. (by the way, i saw the way your face wrinkled up at the thought, don't think i don't know that look). and i could walk into any church and say "i'm used to be a pedophile. it's been five years since my last inappropriate sexual experience with a child, thanks to God and His strength. (at this point, they're looking at me like there is nothing i could possibly know about God, and certainly don't have Him in my life). i'm still tempted, (now the loathing is coupled with fear as each thinks about their child and the potential risk) but i resist through Christ who gives me strength (now they're confused, they don't want to doubt christ's power, but they want any reason at all to not believe that i have access to it so that they can breathe a little easier). " and voila! instant hypocrisy. my desire to change is no different than the others, it's only the content that's different. because of the implied morality. people can understand just about anything but this. murderers can be justified, or at least understood or sympathized with. nobody wants to sypmathize with a pedophile. nobody wants to understand their point of view. and certainly nobody wants to believe that you can have those thoughts in your head and still call yourself a christian. and of course, since you're clearly not getting the whole "GOD" thing, the first thing and only thing they want to do is "SAVE" you, like i haven't been a christian for several years now, like christians are flawless, and if i just understood, i'd be saved and my life would totally change and this thought would never trouble me again. THIS is the church? this is God's earthly representation? these are His children? maybe, but i think somehow love should be more hereditary than it seems sometimes.
i could walk into a church and say "hi, i'm bill, and i'm an alcoholic, it's been 5 years since my last drink, thanks to God and His strength. i'm still tempted, but i resist through Christ who gives me strength". and people will sympathize, will understand, will nod in the right places and believe that God is in me and that i have some understanding of what that's all about.
now i'm not an alcoholic, i'm a homosexual. i can still probably walk into a church and say "i was a homosexual for years, it's been 5 years since my last sexual experience with another man, thanks to God and His strength. i'm still tempted, but i resist through Christ who gives me strength." and while the guys in the church might not invite me over for an all-male slumber party tomorrow night, but by and large, they will still find me credible, will still believe i want to change, and am changing, and am changed, and that God is in me and working through me despite this burden.
now, i'm not an alcoholic or a homosexual. now i'm a pedophile. (by the way, i saw the way your face wrinkled up at the thought, don't think i don't know that look). and i could walk into any church and say "i'm used to be a pedophile. it's been five years since my last inappropriate sexual experience with a child, thanks to God and His strength. (at this point, they're looking at me like there is nothing i could possibly know about God, and certainly don't have Him in my life). i'm still tempted, (now the loathing is coupled with fear as each thinks about their child and the potential risk) but i resist through Christ who gives me strength (now they're confused, they don't want to doubt christ's power, but they want any reason at all to not believe that i have access to it so that they can breathe a little easier). " and voila! instant hypocrisy. my desire to change is no different than the others, it's only the content that's different. because of the implied morality. people can understand just about anything but this. murderers can be justified, or at least understood or sympathized with. nobody wants to sypmathize with a pedophile. nobody wants to understand their point of view. and certainly nobody wants to believe that you can have those thoughts in your head and still call yourself a christian. and of course, since you're clearly not getting the whole "GOD" thing, the first thing and only thing they want to do is "SAVE" you, like i haven't been a christian for several years now, like christians are flawless, and if i just understood, i'd be saved and my life would totally change and this thought would never trouble me again. THIS is the church? this is God's earthly representation? these are His children? maybe, but i think somehow love should be more hereditary than it seems sometimes.
posted by Corus Aquilo at 11:12 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home