Sunday Questions for Every Day

On almost a daily basis I am reminded of my lifestyle choices.  No, I'm not talking about just waking up each morning, turning over and saying, "Yep, there's another girl sleeping next to me," but more specifically, my father.  I have been raised in the church my entire life and I do not hesitate to call myself a Christian, and I do so based on my daily struggle to align my thoughts and my heart with that of God's word.  Many people will read that sentence though and wait barely a millisecond to point out that my lifestyle choice is the first thing that has to go if I ever want to be "right" with God.  You'd like my dad; he agrees, I don't. To start off, I'd like to insert this excerpt I found today that seemed to really hit home with this particular issue I regularly face...

 An engineering professor is treating her husband, a loan officer, to dinner for finally giving in to her pleas to shave off the scraggly beard he grew on vacation.  His favorite restaurant is a casual place where they both feel comfortable in slacks and cotton/polyester-blend golf shirts.  But, as always, she wears the gold and pearl pendant he gave her the day her divorce decree was final.  They're laughing over their menus because they know he always ends up diving into a giant plate of ribs but she won't be talked into anything more fattening than shrimp.
      Quiz:  How many biblical prohibitions are they violating?  Well, wives are supposed to be 'submissive' to their husbands (I Peter 3:1).  And all women are forbidden to teach men (I Timothy 2:12), wear gold or pearls (I Timothy 2:9) or dress in clothing that 'pertains to a man' (Deuteronomy 22:5).  Shellfish and pork are definitely out (Leviticus 11:7, 10) as are usury (Deuteronomy 23:19), shaving (Leviticus 19:27) and clothes of more than one fabric (Leviticus 19:19).  And since the Bible rarely recognizes divorce, they're committing adultery, which carries the rather harsh penalty of death by stoning (Deuteronomy 22:22).
      So why are they having such a good time?  Probably because they wouldn't think of worrying about rules that seem absurd, anachronistic or - at best - unrealistic.  Yet this same modern-day couple could easily be among the millions of Americans who never hesitate to lean on the Bible to justify their own anti-gay attitudes.  ~Deb Price, And Say Hi To Joyce

How many times have you heard people reference some of those exact instances, like eating pork, and say that it is outdated now and thereby doesn't apply to their morning sausages? Those same people, however, have no issues saying that the statements found against homosexuality in the Bible are just as relevant today as they were when they were first written, because every word of the Bible should be taken at face value as the very word of God, same today as when they were writing on parchment and earlier.  Do not take this as me saying that the Bible is not the word of God, because it is, and I read it as such... but what I am saying is that those exact people who say that we cannot take the words of the Bible and make them fit our lifestyles because it is convenient, do that themselves on a daily basis.

People, for instance, my father, do not hesitate to "throw the Good Book" at me when they get the chance, talking out against my lifestyle choice, but those that do should take a moment to reflect on the Good Book before they do and remember Matthew 22:37-40:

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

I am just another human being, just another neighbor... so is my girlfriend. And those of you that know me, know that I am not usually very controversial on issues such as these, even when they apply to me, but I figure that I will try and use this blog to get some of these things off my chest, but still try and do so in a way that doesn't get me too riled, or anyone else.  This is just me stating my opinions out there for you to read, and you can choose to do so or not... and whatever choice you make, I will still love you, and hope you do the same for me. ;)