What it is doing is removing the social stigma associated with homosexuals, which is allowing them to come out of the closet society pushed them into, and join and participate in society as they are. In other words, society is becoming more open and inclusive of others' differences, rather than marginalizing them and shunning them as we have in the past. That is in fact a change. But is that a bad change?
What it is not doing however, is encouraging people to be homosexuals. They either are homosexuals, or they are not. You can't encourage a hetrosexual to beome a homosexual, anymore than you can make a homosexual a hetrosexual. So there is definitely not a "promoting" of gayness, to sell people on the idea of becoming gay.
That is a distortion that anti-homosexual detractors wish to make you afraid, as if there is some hidden "gay agenda". What agenda? To be recognized as equal citizens just as they are, without having to hide in the closet for the sake of others who are uncomfortable with them as they are? That's the only agenda I can think of. Do you see some other motivation? To make gay converts from the ranks of hetrosexuals? It's not a belief system. It's one's sexual orientation.
Here's a great meme I saw that really captures the absurdity of calling it the "gay agenda".
This comical meme comes back to the point I made before about some Christians projecting their shame and guilt upon others. As someone who was part of a church which believed in proselytizing others at every opportunity that would present itself, I can speak about the "dirty feeling" I personally had always having some hidden agenda, some underlying motive behind the smile and being nice to others to "show them Jesus' love" in order to get them to come to church and be "saved". Behind all that was simple self-interest.
It was promoted to us that saving souls was a badge of honor, on top of being your obligation to God as a follower of Jesus. You were guilted if you didn't do your duty to evangelize others. And they spoke about getting a "soul-winner's crown" in heaven as your reward for being a good and faithful Christian. All of that is driven by the ego to puff itself up, to win approval of others, to win their acceptance and boost your own self-worth. And NONE of that is driven by genuine, agape Love.
The heart deep inside of us, knows this. We know it's not truely genuine deep down inside, even though we may feel "concern" for others at some level. So at the deepest of spiritual levels, the part of us that knows authentic love in ourselves, but sees this ulterior motive 'love' instead, this hidden, secret agenda, that is where projection of our own shame and guilt upon others, so as not to truly come to terms with our own devious motives in ourselves. And then you have Christians projecting upon gays and others their own guilts and shames about having hidden agendas, trying to "promote" gayness, as they are promoting religiousness.
There is nothing in reality that indicates gays are trying to promote gayness for the sake of selling it as a "lifestyle" for others to join up and become. Yet, some Christians somehow see that, and I fully believe that is because that is how they see themselves, and so they view others with that same distrustfulness that they judge themselves with, hidden down in their own subconsciousness minds they try to repress and hide from sight from themselves. Yet is is there, a self-created demon in their subconscious minds that is distorting their own conscious minds to see others with fear and suspicion. It is all self-generated, and does not come from the actual actions of others.
Gays saying "I'm here. Acknowledge me. I'm a human too", is not promoting gayness to sell others on the idea of becoming gays, the ways Christians promote Christianity with the motivation, or agenda to make converts. Only one of those groups is trying to make converts. And it's not gays.
I'm not sure how we go from Jesus teaching a better way than the OT law, to "nothing is wrong", and "anything goes". Jesus didn't teach that, nor do I believe that. Of course there is good action and bad action. But what is the difference is what some people focus on as "bad" or wrong, is in fact not the point at all.
Point in case, eating shellfish. Some call that a sin, because it is called an "abomination" in the book of Leviticus. But as Jesus clearly taught, it's not what goes into the mouth that defiles you, but what comes out of it. And Paul in Romans 14 points out as well, that eating certain foods is important to one person's faith, while allowing themselves to eat is not a sin to another. That's between them and God, not you and God and them.
The law is not revoked. It is fulfilled in Love. It's not in the keeping of external commandments, but in a transformed heart that "does no ill to others", that the law is fulfilled. Again, Paul says exactly this in Romans. "Love is the fulfillment of the law". "Love works no ill".
But understand, that things like getting circumcised, while it is a commandment of God in the OT, is not viewed by Christians as necessary in order for you to be "obeying" God. Christianity is about the interiors. The Law of Moses, is about the exteriors. This is very clear and central to the teachings of Jesus, and what makes him superior to the law of Moses. "Make clean the inside of the cup first, then the outside will be clean". I believe this with all my heart to be the Gospel truth.
Exactly. The old system of externalized rules and laws will be done away with and replaced by a law of Love that emanates from a transformed heart. Love will guide you from within. Not rules will guide you from without, chiseled in rock as they are. Christian legalism, is taking the Grace of the new testament teachings of Christ, and making them externalized laws chiseled in stone like the tablets of Moses. It fails to grasp the teachings of Jesus about the inside of the cup being the primary focus and source of right actions.
Then there is no need to judge others and tell them they are sinners. Only encourage them to find the truth from God in their hearts, and let them decide. Romans 14 teaches this.
