If we agree that religion is the worship of a supernatural entity, then unless that entity is of the world we live in, the religion shouldn’t be centered on worldly things, right? And therefore, your chosen house of worship should not be centered on worldly things, either.
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I think we can all agree that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is not of the world, and those of us who worship him, whether Jewish or Christian, whether or not you believe Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah or not, or maybe even that he is the God of Abraham, et.al, the practices and tenets of your religion should not be centered on worldly things.
But what do we see in the world today?
We see so many different things churches, and even some synagogues are doing that reflect their acceptance- even support- of LGBTQ+ activities.
I recently saw something about some Episcopalian reverend saying that God was a transsexual!
And there are LGBTQ+ churches! And “regular” churches that are allowing same-sex marriages!
And even Israel recently supported a Gay Rights Pride Parade in Tel Aviv!
Oy gevalt!
So, if your place of worship is, in any way, condoning, accepting, or supporting Gay Rights in any form, then you should consider if you want to worship as God said or as the world wants you to.
I am not a Homophobic person, although by now so many people will be accusing me of that because they don’t listen or think about what they hear- they simply react like Pavlov’s dogs salivating when the bell rings, going through life already primed to defend something that may not even be challenged.
I know homosexuals; I have friends and even family members who are homosexual, and I love them. I never tell them they are doomed for hell or insult them, or even try to get them to change their lifestyle. They are doing what they believe is right, and I can be their friend without agreeing or condoning their choice of lifestyle.
I believe very strongly that we can hate the sin while loving the sinner.
But if I was in a house of worship that supported homosexuality, in any of the multitude of forms it has created for itself, I would get out of there as fast as I could.
And although I don’t tell people what to believe or what to do, I would go as far as to suggest if your church or synagogue has shown any support in any way for any homosexual activity, then you might want to consider what God would think of that.
The LGBTQ+ Community says God loves them just as they are, which is true because God loves all his children, but that doesn’t mean he is not going to punish them for violating his laws.
The Bible is clear that men sleeping with men as with a woman or animal sodomy (Leviticus 18:22-23) is an abomination, and in Deuteronomy 22:5 that any cross-dressing is also a sin.
Forgiveness is an eternal condition, and while on the earth if you sin you will suffer the consequences, and (most likely) so will those you love as collateral damage from your sin.
The one thing the Bible shows me is that there is such a thing as guilt by association: when the leadership of Israel sinned, the people suffered along with the leaders. That means, at least in my opinion, that someone who is part of a worldly-oriented church or synagogue will be held as guilty as the Priest or Rabbi leading that house of incorrect worship.
So consider whether you want to please the world by associating with those who support sin, or to be more like God wants you to be. I am not saying to reject friends or family who are LGBTQ+ people, but just not show any acceptance or support of that lifestyle choice.
Thank you for being here and please comment and share these messages with everyone you know, even non-believers. Hey, after all, you never know how fertile the soil is until you plant a seed in it.
That’s it for this week, so L’hitraot and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!