Monday, November 06, 2006

what is normal?

I read an article recently for class that has really got me thinking about the Evangelical church's view on homosexuality. Especially some conservative Christian views. Namely those which are the basis for the numerous ammendments to ban gay marriage that are up for vote tomorrow. The following is an exerpt from a talk given by Richard J. Mouw entitled, Hanging in There: Why Conservatives Need Liberals.

I often tell of listening to a conservative spokesman express his views in this way: "We normal people should tell these homosexuals that what they are doing is simply an abomination in the eyes of God." When I heard, I tell my audiences, I wanted to cry out, "Normal? You are normal? Let's all applaud for the one sexually normal person in the room!"

The fact is none of us - or at least very few of us - can honestly claim to be normal sexual beings in the eyes of God. The labels we typically use it, describing sexual orientation are blatant examples of false advertising. My homosexual friends are not very "gay." They have experienced much pain and loss in their lives. And the rest of us are not very, "straight." We are crooked people, often braised and confused in our sexuality.
So what is normal? I am certain that I do not know the answer to that.

1 comment:

jessi knippel said...

great post and thoughts. i remember reading that article last year as well as a session in interpersonal where all of our own judgements came out in a class discussion. it came down to the fact that so many have been conditioned to think of homosexuals not as people like me but as "other" creating a huge gap to cross inhibiting points of connection. no faces to think of when homosexuals are spoken of just a nameless, faceless other.