{"id":12671,"date":"2020-11-17T13:33:38","date_gmt":"2020-11-17T18:33:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/freedhearts\/?p=12671"},"modified":"2020-11-17T13:33:38","modified_gmt":"2020-11-17T18:33:38","slug":"aversion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/freedhearts\/2020\/11\/17\/aversion\/","title":{"rendered":"Christians, It’s Time to Admit the Truth and Let Go of Your Aversion to LGBTQ!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/p>\n

You have seen the news: The president of a ultra-conservative Christian university resigns because of a torrid voyeur threesome relationship<\/a> with his wife and another man; the Christian Texas lawmaker who argued against allowing<\/a> two women, together for thirty years, to marry, while in the midst of his own 5th marriage. I could go on. Really, I could go on and on and on and on. Forgive me, but sometimes I just have to laugh. I mean, really.<\/p>\n

Maybe we all have secrets. But there are many people committed to transparency and authenticity and humility. Certainly not these people.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

To watch Susan\u2019s viral TED talk, click here<\/a>!<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Blindness to their own hypocrisy is pretty common among those who are non-affirming.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not here to make fun of anybody, really I\u2019m not. But this is ridiculous. The pot calling the kettle black. As my daughter would say\u2026 cray cray.<\/p>\n

I am not here to be snarky. I just want to point out that this is yet more evidence that the fundamental, behavior-focused, us vs. them, non-affirming, religious mindset<\/a> does NOT produce life.<\/p>\n

Rules never do.<\/em><\/p>\n

Relationship brings life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I remind you of this because every day I hear from people who cannot grasp the idea of just letting go of their fight against LGBTQ people<\/a>, against full LGBTQ equality \u2014 because they are so committed to this particular thing.<\/p>\n

Nevermind the sexual scandals. Nevermind the fifth marriages.\u00a0 And let me be clear that these are relevant only because these people have put themselves in a position to complain against other people\u2019s loving marriages. If you live in a glass house, well, you know to be cautious about throwing stones.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to admit that people pick and choose about who is in and who is out. It\u2019s time to stop pretending that this is about your morals or your Bible or your convictions. It\u2019s not.<\/a><\/p>\n

Non-acceptance of gays is not about God<\/a>, Jesus, or the Bible, not in the least. Don\u2019t let anyone tell you it is.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t condone same-sex marriage, don\u2019t have one. If you\u2019re not having a same-sex marriage, then keep your concerns to your own marriage.<\/p>\n

If you simply have a gut-level aversion to anything LGBTQ-related \u2014 just admit it.<\/p>\n

Given the amount of rhetoric that was pumped out in the culture via Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority in the 70s, and continues today through Falwell Jr, James Dobson<\/a>, Pat Robertson, Franklin Graham<\/a>, and others, an aversion to anything LGBTQ-related is not surprising.<\/p>\n

That aversion was the point<\/em> of the rhetoric.<\/p>\n

Admit that you don\u2019t like it, that you don\u2019t know why (no, it\u2019s not<\/em> those misinterpreted falsely-taught Bible verses), and then we can go from there. You can begin to work on that aversion in yourself, after you admit it\u2019s there.<\/em><\/p>\n

Admitting it is the first step.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s time to stop making the LGBTQ community pay \u2013 sometimes with their very lives<\/a> \u2013 for the rest of the culture\u2019s dehumanizing aversion and attack<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There are plenty of things to hate legitimately: human trafficking, poverty and homelessness, social injustice, rampant bullying.<\/p>\n

Set your sights on making a difference where it\u2019s really needed.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to let this one go.<\/p>\n

We have extensive resources and vibrant, inclusive community for LGBTQ, parents, educators, therapists, and churches, please click here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You have seen the news: The president of a ultra-conservative Christian university resigns because of a torrid voyeur threesome relationship with his wife and another man; the Christian Texas lawmaker who argued against allowing two women, together for thirty years, to marry, while in the midst of his own 5th marriage. I could go on. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2073,"featured_media":9843,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5,6,9,12,13],"tags":[112,373,474,622,1210,684],"class_list":["post-12671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church-religion","category-family-support","category-gay-weddings-marriage","category-lgbtq-support","category-the-real-jesus","category-theology","tag-bible-and-homosexuality","tag-gay-marriage","tag-homosexual-christians","tag-lgbt","tag-lgbtq","tag-marriage-equality"],"yoast_head":"\nChristians, It's Time to Admit the Truth and Let Go of Your Aversion to LGBTQ!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You have seen the news: The president of a ultra-conservative Christian university resigns because of a torrid voyeur threesome relationship with his wife\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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