You ever have one of those arguments with someone who says something so incredibly stupid you are unable to reply? Your mind struggles to get around the idiocy of what was just said that it seems to blow a fuse.
Such was an argument I recently had with a Christian when I asked if a homosexual could get into heaven. He was insistent that they could not unless they "repented" of the "sin" of being gay and abstained from "gay" sex.
When I countered that Paul had told Christians that if they couldn't abstain from sex they should get married to avoid sin, and by that logic this Christian should support gay marriage, my Christian opponent came out with the mind-blowing response:
"It would not matter if gays got married, since they would still be engaging in sex. Therefore, they would still be sinning and would be sent to hell, Christian or not."
I ended our argument badly, calling the man an idiot who needed to read his Bible a little better. It was the best I could come up with given the short circuit in my brain.
To avoid a future occurrence, therefore, I ruminated on this question and developed what I feel is a much better reply. In case it can be useful to others, I thought I would share it here as many Kossacks must certainly run into the same asinine beliefs.
Here it is for what it is worth.
1) Homosexuality is immoral
2) Therefore, it does not matter if gays get married, they would still be engaging in sinful behaviour
3) Therefore, gay marriage can not be supported by Christians.
4) As well, for this reason, gay Christians will still not be able to get into heaven.
But
1) Divorce and remarriage is equivalent to adultery
2) Therefore, if a couple divorces and remarries, they will be engaging in ongoing sinful behaviour
3) Therefore, divorce can not be supported by Christians.
4) As well, Divorced Christians who have remarried, can also not get into heaven.
Problem. While divorce may be discouraged by Christians, it is not opposed to the degree that gay marriage is. Divorce laws became more and more liberal over the decades and in fact many Christians who oppose same-sex marriage are themselves divorced and married to different partners.
1) Adultery is immoral
2) Adultery is defined as wanting to have sex with someone who is not your spouse
3) Many Christians engage in pre-martial sex and never marry that person.
Problem. If adultery is immoral and homosexuality is immoral, why does God apparently forgive Christians who engage in pre-marital sex but not gays?
1) All sins are equally bad
2) Paul mentions several sins as being no different than homosexuality including alcoholism (drunkenness)
3) Science has shown people are born gay as are alcoholics.
Given the above;
1) Why do Christians not oppose alcohol with the same intensity as gay marriage?
2) Why do Christians accept alcoholics as people needing help but homosexuals as sinners who should be condemned?
3) Why is the alcoholic Christian going to heaven but the gay Christian condemned to Hell?
Contradiction:
Assume a person has come to hate their spouse. They are a Christian and know if they divorce they can never remarry until the spouse dies. This person subsequently falls in love with another person and in a moment of desperation driven by frustration and hate, kills their spouse. They turn themselves in to the police, confess to their crime and serve time in prison. On release, they meet again and marry the person they fell in love with.
Assuming this person sincerely asks Jesus to forgive them for the sin of murder, based on the Bible they will be forgiven. Therefore, they will get into heaven. However, if they had simply divorced and remarried the person they loved, they would be committing an ongoing sin and therefore would still be condemned to Hell.
Given the above, isn’t the Bible advocating murder as a means of remarrying.
Finally:
If Homosexuality is an unforgiveable sin, why did Jesus say that there was only one unforgiveable sin and that was blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (claiming the Holy Spirit is Satan). Did Jesus get it wrong or was He lying?
If none of the above, why are you insisting that there are two “unforgiveable” sins? Are you saying you know better than Jesus Christ, Lord and Saviour?
Isn’t that itself a sin?