For those who don't know the FRC is the Family Research Council. They are the political side of Focus on the Family, though they claim to be completely separate. I have apparently gotten on their email list for updates, since I sent the "nonpartisan" organization an email asking them about their attacks on Barack Obama.
I recently received an email from them about trying to stop the adding of homosexuals to the hate crime legislation. The FRC claimed this is part of the "homosexual agenda". The email stated, "Adding "sexual orientation" to thought crimes legislation gives one set of crime victims a higher level of protection than it gives to people like you and me."
First of all they are assuming that their supporters are not racial minorities, which I guess is probably a descent assumption. (at least they know who they are)
Doesn't by definition the law already do this very to non-minorities. No matter what you believe about homosexuality, they are still people that we are commanded to love. I don't understand why a person would think that it is wrong to say that committing a criminal act against a homosexual should be punished just as harshly as one against a person of another race or faith. I can understand if they have a problem with punishing the thoughts of a person as they commit the crime. While I don't agree with that argument on hate crime legislation, I understand it and agree that it has some merit.
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2 years ago
3 comments:
Hey Ben, good post, I totally agree with your point, and I tend to think FRC has a lot of misguided opinions. Stopping hate crime legislation gets us to what end? Allowing hate? Bad idea. That doesn't feel very Jesus-shaped to me.
BUT I would challenge your analysis of Lev 18. The food laws are specifically named in the New Testament as not applicable for the gentile converts, but Paul then clearly carries forward the position on homosexuality into the New Testament in Romans, Corinthians, and Timothy. Even so, we have to be careful of saying we don't have to follow the law anymore (a simplified summary of Paul's words) and developing a new law based on Paul's words.
I personally believe parts of the law served different purposes - one such part are cleanliness laws - how to live healthily avoid disease and protect the community from spreading disease. I put food laws into this category, and as humans grew in the ability to know when pork is fully cooked, the ability is no longer there. Other parts clearly illustrate things that are outside of God's created order, and even things that God does not want for his people. The word "abomination" is pretty significant.
My point is ultimately that the Old Testament law carries significance and importance as we try to understand what it means to be God's people. Lev 18 is no exception. Even if it's not law for law's sake, we can find in the law principles guiding us to a better understanding of who God created us to be, and the best he has for us.
Oh, I should add...and nothing I just said in and of itself should lead one to legislate against homosexuality in any way.
The way I see it, if there's no victim, there's no need for a law. (a simplified summary of my own position)
And I had type-o's in that other comment which make me mad, I should re-read what I post before I post it. "I put food laws into this category, and as humans grew in the ability to know when pork is fully cooked, the need for a law is no longer there."
There is a bit of hypocrisy here Ben. You are against conservative Christians using politics to try to enforce change when true change comes from the heart. I agree, but how is this any different that a liberal Christian trying to use politics to the same ends. (i.e. fighting against rich white people) I totally agree with you that if we want to change hearts that it will be done through the Gospel, but if you look over this blog it would appear that you are more interested in converting Christians to the Democratic Party than you are in bringing people to Jesus. You observations about the religious right are spot on, but they apply to the religious left too. Ask yourself these questions. How many political events have you been to in the past year? How many times have you shared the Gospel within the past year? The question with the higher answer shows where your faith truly is.
I fully believe that both political parties can be present in the body of Christ. Jesus had a high tax big government guy much like today’s Democrats in his 12 disciples (Matthew). He also had the first century equivalent of a gun toting government hating Republican (Simon the Zealot), but both of them put Christ first. When one looks at this blog and your face book site and it seems like you are a democrat who happens to be a Christian rather than a Christian who happens to be a democrat. You are no different that radical right wing groups. You have just picked a different segment of society to hate, and there is no place for hatred of anyone inside the body of Christ.
Dave in Poland via his wife's blog
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