We all need objective truth. But we never really know it. Until it hits us personally.
Picture this. Your son comes home from school one day. He says, “Dad. I’m a homosexual. I have a gay boyfriend.” What can you say?
You try to reason with your son. Discourage him. Correct him. Your son persistently asks you, “Why?” You are forced to dig deeper and deeper into your presuppositions that determine your value system. When you hit rock bottom, you’re going to say “I’m not going to approve of it. I didn’t raise you to be gay.” Your son will shrug, and walk away. And you’re going to sit by yourself on the dining table. Confused, frustrated, angry, and helpless.You’re going to wish you can appeal to some kind of authority that is higher than yourself, so you can convince your son. You’ll scramble to look for a kind of authority that is binding. A kind of standard that is absolutely true, definitely right, that you can totally trust. An objective truth that can be no two ways about it.
That kind of authority can come about only if there is such a thing as absolute truth. Absolute truth can come about only when there is someone in absolute authority. Who else is absolute, except for God alone?
Without God and His authority in Scriptures, there is no real way to argue with your son about homosexuality. He is going to throw words like prejudice, cultural relativism, universality of love, generation gap, and freedom of choice at you. Deep down inside, you just know that it is wrong. But you don’t know how to articulate it. You’ll find yourself desperately helpless to nail it down for your son. Unless God speaks.
That’s why any responsible parent will not dichotomize the Christian faith from the reality of life. Thus it is important for families to recognize the supreme authority of Scripture on the first level, apply it to issues in everyday life on the second level, and openly discuss it with the family over the dining table on the third level.
Now, blow up this picture into a national context. Then, try to look at it from a global context. I believe you’ll begin to see why it makes perfect sense to govern a country based on the highest authority – God Himself.
Since the very beginning, God already instituted His laws. He showed His people how to live, because He loved them. He gave them the 10 commandments.
His people broke all of them. So, are the 10 commandments redundant then?
No, they are not. Repentance has meaning because the commandments were instituted in the first place. If God never gave the 10 commandments because He foresaw its unfeasibility, how will people ever know the right from the wrong? If people will never know the right from the wrong, how will people ever come to know Him? If people can never know Him, what meaning is there in their very own existence?
None at all.
That’s why I have reason to believe that God’s laws should be instituted on all levels. Starting from the family unit, extending to the country’s government, and reaching out to global realization. So people can have a chance to obey. So people can have a chance to know God.
Sure, people can choose to disobey. But that choice to disobey is possible only after the absolute standard of truth is set from the beginning. Not before. Adam and Eve had freedom of choice only after the tree of forbidden fruit was put in the Garden of Eden. Not before. Real choice came into being only after a standard of right and wrong was set. Without a standard that distinguishes between the two, there is no such thing as freedom of choice.
So, does God’s truth infringe on human rights? Is God's rule oppresive? I don’t think so. Rather, the institution of God’s truth is what really gives mankind the ability, and the freedom to choose. It is "the truth that shall make you free".
“Free at last, free at last. Thank God almighty, we’re free at last!” – Martin Luther King.
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Relevant but irreverent joke:
Four fathers were sitting at a coffee shop.
The first one said: "My son is a prominent lawyer! He just bought a new car for his girlfriend!"
The second one boasted: "My son is a great doctor! He recently bought a new house as a birthday present for his girl!"
The third one bragged: "My son is a successful CEO! Why, just last week he gave his girlfriend Platinum cards from six major credit card companies!"
The fourth father sat sadly with his head hanging low. The other three turned and asked him: "Hey buddy! What's wrong?"
The fourth father wept and cried out: "I'm terribly disappointed. I found out that my son is a flamboyant gay! In fact, his lovers recently gave him a car, a house and a bunch credit cards!"
DEAR JOSHUA
ARE THERE GAYS / HOMOSEXUALS IN USM LIFEGUARD CORPS.
PLEASE GIVE SOME ADVICE BECOS I WANT HELP FREN WHO IS .....
FREEKIN
Please look up http://www.r-l-m.com/ for more about Real Love Ministry.
Pastor Edmund Smith runs the Real Love Ministry, an organization devoted to helping and gently encouraging homosexuals out of their old lifestyle. They teach and show that real love can be found in a loving and caring God, not just in human relationships that are ultimately imperfect and temporary.
Edmund Smith himself was homosexual for a long time, since he was a boy. His father didn't show him love, so he grew up with a longing for the love of a man. He sought it in various homosexual relationships, until he found the love of God.
His life was turned around, and now his mission is to help others to discover that perfect love for themselves. His personal experiences and testimony are especially relevant to this ministry. Everything that a gay or lesbian is going through, he has gone through before. His need for love from men is nowadays fulfilled, through non-sexual friendships with men and through the love of the perfect man, Jesus.
My own view of it is below. To summarize: Homosexuality is NOT natural and automatic. It is forbidden by God (who knows what's really best for us). Continuing a homosexual lifestyle will only lead to hurt and disappointment.
Fom God's PoV (point of view): It is expressly and specifically forbidden in the Bible. In fact, it is denounced as a terrible sin many times throughout the whole Bible, both Old and New Testaments. Who do you love more, God? Or yourself and your partner? To wit: God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.
From other-beliefs PoV: Various major religions condemn and discourage it. Traditional society frowns on it, the elders kick them out of the village.
From a humanist PoV, children who grow up with only one parent are often dysfunctional and have psychological/emotional problems. Apa lagi la, if the child has 2 dads or 2 mums doing weird things and freaking away all the child's friends. This is on top of all the pain that the rest of the family feels.
From an emotional PoV: Two keys cannot fit well. Neither can two keyholes. Men are mainly physical in relationships, women are mainly emotional. You need both to have a healthy relationship.
From a psychological PoV: There are arguments over whether homosexual tendencies are inborn (genetic) or caused by outside influences. Here's my straight to the point reasoning: Say a young boy is just starting to become sexually aware. He is confused over the gender he is attracted to (could be both). If you let things work themselves out, likely he should end up liking girls. But now, throw an experienced older gay guy into the picture, who influences and encourages the boy to embrace these urges - probably with sexual stimulation that the boy has never experienced before. Keep on at it, and the boy will be fully fledged, when he never had a chace to decide for himself. Thus, one is not born gay, and must take responsibility for the choice.
From a responsibility PoV: So maybe one has very strong urges (temptations) to be that way. That is what holiness is about - I may be tempted by a skimpily dressed girl or a pile of money left on the table. But I don't succumb to the urge, do the deed and then reason that it's okay because I feel that's the way I am. I fight the temptation and run away from sin.
From a natural PoV: Is homosexuality unnatural? Look at it this way... Natural selection is where the weak creatures die quickly, and the fitter creatures survive and have more offspring. Therefore more creatures like itself appear. If a creature is homosexual, it will have NO OFFSPRING unless it 'cheats' and has a heterosexual fling! Within one generation, homosexual creatures will die out. (But this doesn't fully work for humans, since our behaviour is affected by our mind more than our genetic code, and humans are the biggest cheats around).
Conclusion: It is a personal choice to embrace and encourage homosexual tendencies, in which case they will grow stronger. If you discourage them, they will lessen.
Selvin: Hey, are you a lifeguard in USM? What's your real name ah?
I don't think there were any homosexuals in the Corps during my time. At least, not that I know of la. If there were, I'm thankful I didn't get hit on :)
You personally know some people in the Lifeguard Corps who are gay?
DEAR JOSHUA
I TQ N SCOTT FOR TAKING TIME FOR A MATURE N GODLY VIEW. PRAISE B TO GOD FOR CHRISTIANS LIKE U 2 WHO BELIEVE N TRUST IN JESUS. IN MY LIFE I HAV NOT SEEN SUCH FAITHFUL SERVANTS AMONG THE YOUNG. THE YOUNG ONES R UNDER PRESSURE N COMPROMISE THEIR FAITH. IN U TWO ITS DIFFERENT ESPECIALLY READING UR BLOG. ITS VERY ENCOURAGING.
MY NAME : SELVIN DAVID,A. LOCATION IPOH. OCCUPATION : TEACHER N SCOUTMASTER. hOBBY : EXPEDITIONS TO G TAHAN, G KINABLAU, NATIONAL PARKS IN PAHANG, ENDAU ROMPIN ETC.
Y MY EARLIER Q - I HAVE A FORMER STUDENT IN USM NOW FIRST YEAR WHO HAS JOINED THE LIFEGUARD PRETTY OBESSED WITH LIFEGUARD IN USM. HE IS A CHRISTIAN N BAPTISED RECENTLY. JUST WANT TO HELP HIM.
MY FORMER STUDENTS TELL IN ALL LOCAL Us THERE EXIST A STRONG GAY GROUP. IS IT TRUE???
OTHER DETAILS U EMAIL ME AT sdasir@yahoo.com PLS KEEP THIS CONFIDENTIAL
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