AIDS day

first let me say, these are just MY thoughts. if you'd like to have a civil discussion about this subject, I'm all ears. that said, I have mixed feelings about today, which is AIDS day.

I read an article about a gay couple in Argentina that wanted to marry today. the government stopped it, saying it was unconstitutional. it's going up for review, blah, blah, blah, whatever loopholes Argentina has to make them jump through.

there are gay marriage battles all over our country too, since it's not legal in every state ... yet. I believe it will be allowed in the majority of states, sooner than later.

before I was saved, I believed that anyone can love anyone. gay, straight, whatever; "all you need it love." (side note: the Beatles are awesome!)

knowing God now and reading his word, I have come to learn how wrong it is. simply stated, it's a sin. there are lots of scripture about sexual immorality (from a bible-believing perspective will include homosexuality), but here are a couple passages about homosexuality specifically - Romans 1:18-32 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

I have had some experience with AIDS. I had a co-worker/friend die from AIDS. I was his assistant at a furniture store; anyone that works full time knows that you often spend more time with your co-workers than your family and friends. this was my situation. we really got to know each other after 40-60 hours per week. he was a great guy. openly gay (not that he really had to tell you he was!) and was in a monogamous relationship, or so he thought.

he got a routine check up, and because he was gay, got tested for HIV. not exactly a test you can study for. he was diagnosed in February '98. wow, it's been 10 years already. I still think about him often.
his doctors put him on medication right away so it wouldn't progress to AIDS. he quit his job so he could move and be closer to his family, since he didn't know how long he'd have left in this life; he did this just a couple months after his diagnosis. apparently he had a major allergic reaction to his medication and on the drive to his parents, his eyes got so swollen an ambulance had to be called from the road. he went to the hospital and never left.
can you imagine having just 2 months to process all that? the one you love has not only cheated on you, but gave you HIV?!

it was all very sad. a co-worker and I drove to his funeral. he was raised a christian, which I never knew about him. I was a VERY new christian then, so I didn't ask or really talk about it much. on the program included a poem he wrote. it was about the torture of being a gay man, but having a christian mind/beliefs.

so I believe he knew it was wrong all along. how tragic.

I have a pastor friend who has this perspective on homosexuality -
he believes people are born gay, just like people are born with any disease. it's unfortunate, but it happens. we all have our "issues." sexual immorality is a big one for a lot of people; it could be pornography, prostitutes, adultery, homosexuality, among others. it is sin. we all have sin in one way, shape, or form. sin has had a snowball effect on mankind for so long, that people are literally born that way now. for any of our "issues" the KEY is self control. do we give in to our fleshly desires? we're certainly not supposed to if it causes us to sin; check out the link here.

I like this perspective. it makes sense to me.

what doesn't make sense are gay christian churches. how can they interpret those verses differently and justify their lifestyles?

of course there are other ways to get AIDS. you don't hear about it too much though.

Starbucks (and others) are donating part of your purchase to AIDS awareness. I'm conflicted. I'm all for supporting cancer organizations; cancer comes without warning or any reason at all. but supporting AIDS day seems to be supporting the "right to be gay." yes, I know it's also for raising awareness through education, but ultimately, it supports the gay community. no? this could just be my ignorance ... but that's me being honest. I wouldn't go to the gay pride parade just because I like parades and rainbows. would you?

leave me a comment no matter what you believe. I'm interested.

ps. I saw a bumper sticker a few weeks ago that I really like.
it said - I'm not gay, I just like rainbows

2 comments:

Robyn said...

I agree that people are born gay. God asks every one of us to bear our crosses in life, some are in the form of a debilitating disease. Think of all the disabled children out there who will never marry or have a normal adult life. Or someone who was chosen to live a holy vocation and remain celibate. Or those who were called to marry, but can't have children.
I really think this is a cross that God asks certain people to carry, to deny those urges.
We live in a society that tells us that we should never deny ourselves any kind of gratification, but our life here is short, and if we do what he asks of us, our reward will be so worth it.
I do think it's important to find a cure for AIDS, though, especially in places like Africa where so many people die from it every day.
I don't think that raising money for a cure is condoning homosexuality, but the efforts of groups like the ACLU to change laws for them do.

Katie said...

nicely put