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Hate the sin AND the sinner?

Posted 22 May 2006 in homosexuality, intolerance

Regular readers here are very familiar with the fact that I regularly skewer the Left far more often than I do the Right. And although I lean heavily to the Conservative side of many issues, I definitely don’t fit neatly into any political party. This weekend, I was reminded why I am incompatible with certain portions of the Republican party. Namely, my own mother.

Lemme back up a step and explain. My oldest daughter is graduating high school this month. And I went shopping this weekend for a gift for her. Not only do I need to buy her something from me, but also something from my parents since they won’t be able to get her for the graduation ceremony. My mother had asked me to find some luggage to give her. So fine, I had done some looking around and found a set I liked at Target: good construction quality and a reasonable price (which is why I shop there in the first place). And when I called my folks to let them know what their share would be, I ran headlong into… homophobia.

Yep, that’s right. It was a shock to me, too. Bear with me.

Turns out, Target “supports gays.” Whatever that means. I’m assuming that my mother’s pastor or some email told her that Target provides health insurance for same-sex domestic partners. And my mom, being a “good” Christian, probably just follows what she’s told without even bothering to think into it or investigate what it means. Just my guess, based on her reaction to the news that I was going to buy the gifts from Target. I knew my mother doesn’t care for homosexuals, but I found out just how true that sentence is from the way she reacted. I was stunned. I know the whole thing about “hate the sin, love the sinnner,” but this seems to go way beyond that.

If one wanted to keep their money from going to support any kind of “sin” lifestyle, then I would think one needs to investigate EVERY company one does business with to make sure NONE of their employees ever cheat on their income taxes, or lie, or are envious of their neighbors, or lusts after someone. You get the picture.

My point is, it’s ludicrous to pick out one particular sin to hate, especially when the “sin” incolved has NO impact on your life whatsoever. The only reason she can hold on to hating this particular activitiy is because the “sin” is so easy to see vs. other sins.

I just had a hard time with the notion that she is a Christian, following the example of Jesus Christ, yet openly HATES an entire group of people who are sinners in her eyes. I know my mom fairly well, and know she does a ton of charity work as well as evangelism. And she’s studied the Bible so well, her encyclopedic knowledge of it is scary. So how is it that she could completely miss the way Jesus himself treated sinners? He didn’t shun them, tell them that although he loves them, he just can’t give them support in any way because of their sin. Nope, he went out of his way to BE WITH those whom society had cast out, to show them love and to minister to them. It should be the same for Christians now. Show God’s love to those whom you think are unsaved and let God do the work on their soul. But to treat “sinners” with disdain is to spit in their faces while you are proclaiming God’s love for them.

Posted by FullMetalPatriot
12th gen. American, Constitutionalist, Harley-riding Texan, gun owner & NRA member, blogger, illustrator, Florida Gator alumnus. #TCOT

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