Homosexuality (Part 1)
Corpus Christi and Ted Haggard
This email arrived in my inbox from a friend whom I had not talked to in years.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
A pornographic movie is being shot and is intended to show up in America soon, which shows Jesus and his disciples as homosexuals. This is similar to a play that has been in the Theatre halls for a while. It's called "Corpus Christi" which means "The Body of Christ".
A petition follows this alarm raising message with dire warnings of a moral calamity should this film land in the United States.
A quick search through snopes.com exposes this Internet rumor as a completely baseless hoax which has refused to die since its inception in 1984.
Due diligence, anyone?
You probably have heard of pastor Ted Haggard whose spectacular fall hit the national headlines a few months back. When the allegations of visiting a male prostitute and drug use surfaced, he flat out denied and denied and denied and denied until confronted and overwhelmed by the mountain of deniable evidence.
Two months passed, and as the scandal was about to fade from public consciousness, he emerged to tell the world that he was now "completely heterosexual."
There is no need for me to present any more empirical data to demonstrate to you that no other issue with moral overtones sets off conservative Christians like homosexuality does.
I turned 18 when the gay Jesus movie rumor surfaced and was quickly debunked. Now I am a 40 year old dirty old man who still has a soft spot for Britney Spears despite her recent troubles. To think that she was only 3 years old that year. And a friend whom I rarely talk to comes out of the woodwork only to express his drive-by outrage about a non-existent gay Jesus movie just to disappear again.
Ted Haggard may still be unrepentant. He may still be a manipulative liar. He may still be an adulterer. He may even help himself to illegal drugs.
But my goodness, we can all go to bed tonight and sleep well because he is now "completely heterosexual." I was on the edge of my seat all that time since Haggard's spectacular fall sweating out his sexual orientation, but have slept very well since the revelation of his "complete heterosexuality."
Homosexuality. I am jumping on the bandwagon (or a minefield) to talk about it because obviously we Christians don't talk about it enough. So stay tuned. And please hold the fire. I get to strike first.
Important Addendum
Commenters are not to interact with each other especially when they disagree. That means you do not make references to comments made by others. If you like and agree with what other commenters say, you may do so, but not if you disagree.
You can express disagreement with me, but not with what my guests have to say. Is that cool?
posted by David Cho @ 3/25/2007
20 comments
20 Comments:
Gotta love the Christian rumor mill.
Yeah, I rolled my eyes as well when I saw Haggard's "completely heterosexual" comment. Not only because it's far too early in any conceivable therapeutic process for any such pronouncements to be made, but because that was evidently the main issue for him.
I wonder if you've read Jamie Arpin-Ricci's powerful piece on this.
It is sad, isn't it. You're right though, that is the hot button of all hot buttons for concervative Christians. We recently did the Blood:Water Mission thingy at our church and I purposely focused on the need for clean water rather than talk about the AIDS emergency in Africa because I was afraid they wouldn't give as much if it were going to fight AIDS. I wasn't trying to mislead - all of the money raised will go to build wells in Africa but clean water is important for those who have AIDS. Maybe I should have spoke about that but I was afraid people wouldn't care as much for people with AIDS becaue they would assume they deserved it or something. I'm looking foward to reading more of what you have to say.
Oh good, another hot topic that Christians don't like to discuss...my favorite kind! I will be tuned in.
Keith, I have come across your blog somewhere, but can't remember. Thanks for coming by. I have visited Jamie's site, and the piece you pointed to me was very thoughtful.
Amber, That is very sad. I have not seen anyone bringing up AIDS in church because it is still widely thought of as a homosexual disease. Why are we always behind the curve, and almost always choose ignorance?
Besides, even if people acquire a disease through making wrong choices, where is compassion?
Barbara, thanks.
Barbara, I was being a bit sarcastic when I said Christians don't talk about it enough.
The truth is we talk about it TOO MUCH, but mostly to condemn, caricature, and stigmatize, but so little in ways you probably would like to see with thoughtfulness and compassion.
David, can't wait to see your upcoming posts on this. I wonder, has the church unwittingly, through its ignorance, arrogance and pharisaicalness, been one of the biggest enablers or accomplices of the very things it supposedly disdains?
Ok, first of all there seems to be some kind idea here as seen in your first commentors comment that homosexuality can be cured? May I snigger at that please?
Secondly I am proud to know a man how checks facts on random emails instead of just believing them. There are few who do that!
Great post. I'm glad you told me about Haggard, now I can sleep at night as well! LOL
I get so tired of the homosexual bashing by conservative evangelicals. Even when it's not "bashing"...it's...condescending or angry.
I'm so glad to finally be in a place where i'm FREE to say, I just don't know about the whole issue. What I do know is that I have gay friends whom I care about and who feel so alienated from faith because of what they hear from "the church".
Lookin' forward to this series.
If people are going to claim Christ, then they better live like it. I am talking to myself as well...it just really makes me sad when someone drags the Lord's name through the mud.
Wow, you bit the bullet eh David?! Looking forward to what you've got to say...
I've started and failed to write about this many times past...just because it is such a hot issue. I give you credit.
Thanks for daring to speak the "H" word. Brave man!! I think that the majority of Christians DO have compassion on homosexuals, and see homosexuality for what it really is--a sin in every way equal to marital infidelity, pornography, or the widely-accepted living together before marriage. It seems to me that the world gets an exaggerated idea of how much Christians abhor homosexuality, because it is the conservative kooks and quacks that get air time because they are being kooky and quacky, sinful and hateful, bombing abortion clinics, and trying to erect hateful memorials filled with words of pure hatred.
Wow, the guy above really showed why people like me have no time for the church. A sin? Geez. Time to live in the 21st century guy. How is on the one hand saying you don't hate and then on the other hand telling a gay person they are sinning helpful in any way?
David, before I completely lose faith in a rational Christian church, please help! I know you will make sense. Being Korean and all ㅋㅋㅋ
Alright, friends, I gotta enforce a rule here.
Commenters are not to interact with each other especially when they disagree. They can express disagreement with ME, and MY POSTS, but NOT with my guests.
Will that work?
Merster,
I am not sure if I agree. I am not sure if the media portrayal of our preoccupation with homosexuality is entirely undeserved.
Sure there are conservative kooks who make us look bad, but very few of us seem to stand up to them and shout them down for their excesses, which are many.
Let me give you an analogy. Christians keep harp on moderate Muslims for not speaking out enough against extremism, and it is a legitimate concern.
But perhaps to a lesser degree, the pattern of silence applies to us as well. I remember when Matthew Shepard got killed in Wyoming because he was gay. Nothing but silence from Christians. Are we that paranoid about appearing to "approve of the homosexual lifestyle"? For crying out loud, an innocent person got slaughtered.
David, I cried when I read about Matthew Shepher's murder, and even more when I read about the "Reverend" who reacted with such hatred.
Maybe loving and compassionate Christians (and rational ones, who know that murder is as much of a sin as homosexuality) would have not been silent except for the fear that their being Christians would put them on equal terms with that hate-filled reverend.
Maybe loving Christians are afraid to disaggree with kooky "Christians filled with hate" because they are afraid of how it will look, if Christians can't agree on a matter.
i.e. Is there one objective truth or not? You say he's crazy, and he says your'e liberal. If you two can't even agree with each other . . .
It is a sad state of affairs we are in when Jay Leno is a more logical and moral voice than many pastors. "In retrospect, Haggard's elder board said, there were signs that something was amiss in the church-with Haggard. He would stand at the church doors as congregants left, and ask them intimate details about their marriage." Even Jay Leno could see that the real issue was bigger than hetero- or homo-!
Ok David, I respect that :)
I didnt like Britney Spears at first, but she has grown on me the trashier she has gotten.
" Ted Haggard may still be unrepentant. He may still be a manipulative liar. He may still be an adulterer. He may even help himself to illegal drugs.
But my goodness, we can all go to bed tonight and sleep well because he is now "completely heterosexual." "
David, thanks for this post. I look forward to Part II. I love that you're wading into the minefield, and I think your comment rule is GREAT. In fact, I'm going to save myself some aggravation and not read anyone else's comments but yours. No offense to your other readers, but it's your views I come here for. Good job.
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