It's not my intention to jump on the bandwagon of condemning Josh Duggar, and I'm not posting this to stir up more controversy and start further debate about how to view his situation...God knows there's more than enough of that kind of thing on Social Media already, and I like to keep it positive on my page...in fact, the whole thing is tragic, and I'm sure that the entire Duggar family is suffering right now, so there's no gloating here..."love rejoices not in iniquity"...
But I do think that there is one positive that could possibly come out of this, and that's what I want to address...I'm speaking of the exposure of the hypocrisy of so many fundamentalist "family" ministries and councils like the one for which he was serving in a leadership position until this week...
Enough, already!
I can't speak for the entire same-sex loving community, but I can tell you that, as for me and my house, we are pro-marriage and pro-family all the way...I am a gay man who loves his kids and his parents and is a good son and a good father and a good grandfather, and is not at all anti-family or anti-morality...I am legally married to (and am faithful to) a man who also loves his children and his parents, and is a good son and a good father and a good grandfather, as well...and I, for one, am beyond weary of hearing the same old tired, anti-gay rhetoric continue to pour forth from these types of organizations, especially from people like Duggar who obviously has his own issues to deal with...
For the record, gay people can and do have strong, monogamous, committed relationships and marriages, and usually make excellent parents (just ask their children)...gay people are not anti-family, are not trying to destroy society or the institution of marriage, do not hate God, do not hate heterosexuals, are not trying to "recruit" anyone, are not proliferating, do not have an agenda, and do not want to molest your children...they wouldn't want to live in Sodom and Gomorrah any more than a straight person would, and don't relate to the things that happened there any more than anyone else in the modern world would, either...in addition, they don't want to be subjected to living under Levitical law any more than anyone else does, and are tired of being expected to...
I could go on and on, but I already wrote a book about this, so I'll leave it at that...the bottom line is that I wish no ill will on Duggar or his family, but I personally see this thing as a manifestation of Hebrews 12:27 that says "Everything that can be shaken will be shaken"...
I pray for healing for him and for those who have been affected by his actions, but at the same time I also pray that the religious bullying in the name of "family values" can and will stop...I'm more than ready for the pharisaical, hypocritical, ignorant, misinformed gay-bashing, of which Mr. Duggar has been an active participant, to finally come to an end...I pray that all "Christians" would simply follow Jesus and His example of never speaking a condemning word about homosexuality...
That's the silver lining that I'm looking for in this cloud...
Ron Cohen said...
ReplyDeleteSharing ... Thank you
Linda M Curtis said...
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't expect anything less eloquent, gracious and fair..from You! awesome
James Shamus Rock said...
ReplyDeleteExcellent & Well Put! Thank You!
James Thomas Pearman said...
ReplyDeleteYou are a silver lining Bishop!!!
<3
DeleteJason DeShazo said...
ReplyDeleteWell said!
Brenda Herron said...
ReplyDeleteUmm - the guy admits to molestation. Regardless of his age at the time, he has some serious mental problems.
Mike Williams said...
DeleteMental problems is a ridiculous dismissive term used by people that are too shortsighted to realize all humans come from a strange complicated mix of physiological harmonies and failures, a rich mix of all the things our immediate surroundings get both right and horribly wrong, and all those things we think, we know, we think we know, and we ignore. Umm...unless you're something other than human...welcome to the institution
Tim Thomas said...
ReplyDeleteAnd God's people said .. Amen
Sandra Maddox Barr said...
ReplyDeleteAmen!
Cheryl W. Stephens said...
ReplyDeleteI <3 my Bish!!