I commented on a post from the Huffington Post website that it was a lie that was fed to the gay teen Jamey Rodemeyer that it would get better 
when he was proof that it wouldn’t. My very brief but straight to the point comment was deleted as a violation of their website’s guidelines. Fortunately, I have my own blog and I get to say it again without deletion: It IS a lie to say it gets better!
Sadly, Jamey took his life and according to articles it was due to the relentless torment he received through online social media. (See ABC news report: http://abcn.ws/pPQyiy) Jamey had posted a video back in May (see Youtube video link below) during the “It Gets Better” campaign that was created to help stop the growing suicides of gay youth. The gay adults want the youth to know that because of their own lives, things would get better so they posted videos along with other gay supporters of life getting better. For many, their lives did become better but it wasn’t the case for Jamey and those who are still being tormented by unloving and uncaring bullies.
View Jamey’s “It gets better” video on Youtube: http://youtu.be/-Pb1CaGMdWk
Should Christians Be Blamed?
Many are placing the blame on Christians who believe the bible teaches homosexuality is a sin. But it’s not the teaching that’s the problem, it is those who are not exercising God’s love and tolerance to those who may be “different” or even “sinners.” We are commanded not to condemn those who are not believers as Christ Himself didn’t come to condemn (John 3:17). But reserve the harshest of treatment for those who call themselves Christian and persist in living ungodly lives. (1 Corinthians 5:9-12). And even when dealing with those Christians, our treatment must still be done in love.
Those who are doing the actual bullying need harsh punishment. Bullying online, on the phone, at schools and anywhere else is rampant and very destructive as many have taken their lives. I am in full support of the police tracking down whomever did any posting to Jamey and/or about Jamey in making his life ultra miserable. Bullying should never be tolerated for any reason.
But if it should ever get to the point that Christians can not state their opinion about homosexuality without prosecution, then yes we may soon find ourselves facing jail time! Sadly, that time is quickly approaching! A teen, Dakota Ary, was suspended from his school recently for expressing his belief about homosexuality being wrong a week after a teacher had posted a picture on their classroom wall of two men kissing, a picture that was later torn down by a classmate. (See Christian Post: http://bit.ly/r4toXc)
Born that way vs Born Again
That classroom incident is just the beginning for many of us Christians. I suspect especially if Lady Gaga gets her way in having bullying classified as a hate crime, that many Christians will be persecuted as the teen in high school for simply stating that homosexuality is wrong. Lady Gaga was quoted by Jamey in the video as making him feel better about himself because he believed too that he was born that way. (See my post on Lady Gaga: Does being born this way mean we stay that way?) The message that Lady Gaga gives that if one is born that way then it’s okay, but Jesus says that we must be born AGAIN! Our Lord and Savior recognizes man’s need for spiritual regeneration and that is quite contrary to the lie being pushed by Lady Gaga which unfortunately many or believing instead of Jesus’ commandment:
…“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” see John 3:1-5
There is a better way!
For those of us who believe the words of Christ, life may not get easier but it does get better! Life has more meaning, we have peace of mind knowing that we belong to Christ and are promised a place in heaven for trusting in Him. But along with our new kinship with God in becoming His children, comes the responsibility of obeying Him and homosexuality is just one of many many sins that are offensive to our Creator. (1Corinthians 6:9-11)
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: John 1:12
So I pray that the bullies of Jamey Rodemeyer are caught and given the necessary judgement, but I do hope that bullies are never classified as people who disagree with homosexuality and are being forced by many to accept it.
update 8:00 am, PST 9/24/11
© 2011, Carlotta Morrow. All rights reserved.
Unfortunately, being born-again is probably the last thing that Jamey needed to be as being born-again is similar to schizophrenia.
Owen AD, Hayward RD, Koenig HG, Steffens DC, Payne ME (2011) Religious Factors and Hippocampal Atrophy in Late Life. PLoS ONE 6(3):2011.
Twitter: christocentric
says:
You care to elaborate Kris?
My point was to say that God is love and being anything but loving to another person is never going to accomplish anything. God convicts people of their sins. And if someone lives a gay lifestyle, and still professes Christ as their Savior, then their life choice is between that person and God. Jamey didn’t take life for any other reason than because he was being bullied. Frankly, I don’t even know why you are bringing Christianity into this at all.
Twitter: christocentric
says:
Your point Traci is my point exactly. Jamey’s death was due to bullying from other kids whose religious backgrounds we no nothing about. Bullying done by a bunch of undisciplined, cruel and immature kids who need to be prosecuted for their unlawful behavior. Unfortunately, there are those who blame Christians and their belief against homosexuality as the cause of Jamey’s death, rather than blame the perpetrators themselves. After re-reading my article, I can see that my assumption that everyone who reads it would just click on the Huffington Post article I linked to, to see the article written by John Shore who did just that – blame the “hateful” Christians!
So my apologies for not making it very clear why I was writing that article in the first place as a response to John Shore’s blame game of Christians!
First, let me say that I am a Christian; but being a Christian does not give me the right to to tell anyone that the life they live is not acceptable. Being a Christian means that I need to keep MY life in check with God’s Word. I can still tell people and more importantly show people what the love of God looks like, but that does not include condemning God’s children. You use 1Cor.5 as a permission slip to treat those living in sin as outcast. This is totally taking that scripture out of context. Paul is addressing sexual immortality, but he is addressing it within the church. These people had a personal relationship with the man living with his stepmother. It was a fact that he had taken his stepmother as his wife. Now, if you have a personal relationship with a brother or sister in Christ, then feel free to address their sexual sin. But this does not give every Christian the permission to tell the world of its way of life. And while you’re at, make sure that men do not cut their beard or trim their sideburns (Leviticus 19:27), do not allow anyone to wear two different kinds of materials (Leviticus 19:19), forbid women to speak in the church (1 Corinthians 14:34), and see to it that every one buys a slave, as long as they are from another nation (Leviticus 25:44). OR you could just practice and preach Leviticus 19:16 which says “Do not go around slandering your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life”. Children who see no other way but to take their own life are doing it because of condemnation from people like you. Do not use the bible to justify such hateful actions as this child endured. Rebuke without relationship results in rebellion. You will never reach anyone with the holier than thou attitude. Bullying is a hate crime and if Christians participate in it then they should be prosecuted as such.
Twitter: christocentric
says:
Traci, let’s back up a minute here. You said the following: “You use 1Cor.5 as a permission slip to treat those living in sin as outcast.” That statement showed me that perhaps you didn’t truly read my article but maybe just skimmed through it. What I said about 1 Cor 5:9 was this: “But reserve the harshest of treatment for those who call themselves Christian and persist in living ungodly lives. (1 Corinthians 5:9-12). And even when dealing with those Christians, our treatment must still be done in love.”
The church has to purge out those who willingly and without conscious practice in ungodly lifestyles. Those who are struggling with sin and repentful of their actions are welcome and it is those who the church will help. That series of verses ended with reminding us that we are to judge those WITHIN the church. The love of God also includes disciplining wayward children. We love our children but it doesn’t mean that we allow are children run rampant in disobedience! God as our Father is no different. We appear to be on the same page here about Paul’s verses being used for disciplining sexual immorality.
Now why are you reciting those verses in Leviticus? Are you aware of the difference of the types of laws? There are laws for eating, dressing, how to look and etc which were meant for the Jewish people of that time. Then there are the moral laws which never change except in how discipline is administered. That’s why homosexuality is considered a sin in both the Old Testament (Leviticus 18:22) and the New Testament (Romans 1:26-27) as examples. And the NT scriptures I don’t have a problem with but you are taking completely out of context. This is not the topic to discuss those things but please do research further and you will find those scriptures true meaning. You are very quick to use scripture against your sister in Christ here, but how quickly do you use scripture in leading others to Christ? You are quick to judge me but slow to anger at the sin of those who support homosexuality.
I’m with you that bullying is wrong but it doesn’t need a separate law to cover it. We just need to take action using the laws we already have in combatting it and also help our youth to become stronger. Jamey was fed the lie that it’s ok to be gay and couldn’t reconcile it with the bullying he was receiving. Children are being pressured to accept lifestyles that in their young minds are quite confusing.
There are two sides to every story and so far, only Dakota’s side is being told via his solicitor from the Liberty Council. It’s well known that the LC is known for taking cases that push forth their own agenda, i.e. the belief that anti-bullying campaigns are an attack against Christians.
I’m curious. If you support Dakota’s right to voice his opinion on homosexuality in class, would you also support the right of Atheist children opining on the sheer impossibility that the Bible was written by an imaginary Deity? Religion has no place in a school setting. Rigious dogma has no place in a school setting. The Bible says a great many things that we choose to overlook and/or ignore. Why should gay children be subjected to anti-gay Christian children telling them that they are abominations? According to the Bible these things are abominations as well: a lying tongue, a proud look, wicked thoughts, lost souls, unclean things, lying with a menstruating woman, wearing clothes of the opposite sex (your mom ever wear pants?) and on. Why are children like Ary bring taught to publicly speak against gay people when they and their parents are, according to the Bible, abominations all?
The world is evolving. Constantly evolving. We no longer use the Bible to condone owning slaves or treating our wives as chattel. We no longer believe we can stone a person to death for committing adultery. Why is homophobia still condoned? Gay and lesbian children are killing themselves because of the hateful and hurtful anti-gay rhetoric being preached from the pulpits of some churches in this country. How could they feel they it’s going to get better when there’s so much hate being directed at them?
Twitter: christocentric
says:
Gigi, I am for the right for any Christian to speak up about something if they are being forced to do so. Dakota Ary’s teacher posted a picture of two-men kissing in their German language class. This was extremely offensive to Dakota and some of his classmates and he reacted by simply stating it’s wrong! Bad enough two men kissing but in a German language classroom? Like Candi Cushman, education analyst at Focus on the Family wrote in the article: “Have we gotten to the point where students have to check their religious beliefs at the door before entering school?” I support the right for any child to speak their mind regardless if Christian or even atheist, as long as their speaking is very respectful in the way they respond.
And as far as the world evolving, bible-believing Christians know better than trying to say that morality changes. Of the many changes that the Israelite people went through in the Old Testament, morality laws never change! Gay children are killing themselves but not because of God or God’s word the bible, but primarily because of phony Christians tormenting them and their own guilt and confusion over their sexuality! How bad that a child so young has to deal with sexual confusion and pressure at such a young age!
A strong pastor/preacher will not compromise God’s word but always stand for the true truth found in the bible, truth that makes it very clear that God doesn’t support any kind of sex outside of marriage. Sadly, we are living in the day and time where churches are the true bully victims as LGBT activists try to force everyone to accept their lifestyle.