When you say stupid things in public, it’s going to come back to bite you in the butt someday. My hope is that this trash from Chuck Colson eventually finds its way back to him an unexpected and unpleasant way.
You know, I may not agree with everything a person says. But if it’s conveyed in a respectful manner that acknowledges factual information, I’m in favor of listening. My hope, when I saw the aforementioned article, was that perhaps Colson had some reasonable things to say. Maybe he would have a kind, respectful manner of laying out the issues as he sees them. I should have known better.
Instead of honest dialogue, we are left with garbage like this:
I have never believed that gays wanted to marry. Their behavior by its very nature is too promiscuous. Gay relationships are for the most part sexually open rather than exclusive.
Really? This is news to me. You know, I was going to say that perhaps Colson doesn’t actually know any real, live gay people. But I’m amending that to suggest he doesn’t know any real, live human beings. Who does he think is responsible for the majority of divorces, adultery, and visits to prostitutes? Who does he believe is buying pornography? And how did he miss the recent statistics that 80% of self-proclaimed evangelicals ages 18-29 have had premarital sex?
As for his other point, that same-sex couples don’t actually want to get married: Also for the birds. That isn’t because he’s entirely wrong about the statistics. But if suddenly all straight people were not allowed to get married, I suspect that even the couples who live together without a legal document would want to support the rights of others to be married. Isn’t it reasonable to assume that the same holds true for same-sex couples?
As I read this, I was reminded that this was exactly how African American slaves were seen, despite evidence pointing to the contrary. It disgusts me that we have simply transmuted one variety of hate into another. (Actually, I don’t believe that the racist stereotype has been eradicated.)
This is the time for stepping up and showing love to our brothers and sisters, not condemning them. It sickens me that Colson would put such crap in print. But it is equally disturbing that my fellow Christians would pass it on, failing to see that there is no love behind his words. I don’t care for the phrase “love the sinner, hate the sin,” but in this case, all we have is “hate the sin.”
Do us all a favor and don’t pass this one on to all your friends as though it represents a fair and reasonable point of view.
