No Gays: Select Commentary
G.D.O'Bradovich III
July, 2017
[incomplete]
The following news article us courtesy of Pink News. As always, the Gentle Reader should be aware that despite our best efforts to be objective, bias may found in our commentary.
The attention grabbing headline:
The attention grabbing headline:
There is no such thing as gay people, Los Angeles pastor claims, 29th June 2017
“Denver: A Dialogue” began with an inquiry of a personal opinion. The purpose of creating the dialogue was to demonstrate the questionable value of personal opinions. We presumed, and maintain, that Denver’s inquiry, although naive, was honest and the dialogue was appropriately constructed to display an immature understanding of the topic and not, as some Apprentices believe, to suggest Denver was, and remains, incapable of critical and reasoned thought. In our defense, we can only state Denver's lack of experience with individuals who can consistently challenge his reasoning has resulted in the impression that he possesses a less than capable intellect.
Not being a great wit, I would not have imagined advocating to Denver the novel, and difficult to defend, position that “gay” people do not exist.
Not being a great wit, I would not have imagined advocating to Denver the novel, and difficult to defend, position that “gay” people do not exist.
***
A popular Los Angeles pastor has claimed that there is no such thing as gay people.
[We recall the ancient Occult dictum: “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.”]
The claim comes from Pastor John MacArthur of the Grace Community Church in Los Angeles, a 3,500-seat megachurch which is popular with evangelicals.
He was answering a question from a gay Christian who was concerned about whether he [presumably the gay Christian] would get to Heaven when he [MacArthur] made the pronouncement, according to the Friendly Atheist blog.
[We note the modern emphasis or obsession on “getting to Heaven”. We are surprised a “gay Christian” would be in attendance at a church “popular with evangelicals.”]
MacArthur insisted: “No one is gay. If you mean by that, that that’s some hardwiring, no one is gay.”
[Regretfully, “hardwiring” is not explained, so the reader is unable to determine for himself if people are hardwired for homosexuality or not.]
He elaborated: “People commit adultery, they commit sins of homosexuality, they lie, they steal, they cheat.
“It’s like saying, ‘I keep robbing banks, but I’m a robber. I’m a bank robber. What am I gonna do? I’m a bank robber.’ That is not an excuse for what you do.”
[At least two unnamed “sins” are associated with homosexuality. The attempt to equate criminal activity with homosexual behavior may be understood as a type of intellectual dishonesty. MacArthur seems to believe that criminals and homosexuals need excuses for their respective behaviors. For individuals who have not accepted their criminal nature or homosexual desires, then excuses are necessary. However, the need for excuses disappear when one honestly acceptances oneself.]
“Are there certain kind of impulses that lead people in that direction? Yes.”
[Although the existence of certain “impulses” is acknowledged, regretfully, what, exactly, these certain “impulses” are is not clarified. We wonder if there are certain “impulses” that direct some people to charity, while different impulses direct others towards research.]
“But I think one of the really deadly aspects of this is to let people define themselves as gay.”
[We are uncertain of the meaning of “deadly aspects”. Yet, people invariably define themselves using dozens of words, including such words as “Christian”, “fundamentalist”, and “Bible believing”. Self identification is typical behavior, as most people prefer to understood by categorizing themselves,rather than being categorized by others. Those individuals who dislike being categorized and defined by a handful of words are known as “occultists”.]
“They are not gay any more than an adulterer is hardwired to be forced by his own nature to commit adultery.”
[We encounter the word “hardwired”; again, without any clarification regarding the intended meaning or accompanying implications for the word. Adultery is not identical to sexual relations. We doubt few individuals would sincerely suggest people are not “hardwired” for sexual relations. In “Denver”, we noted that language, or typical usage, does not make a distinction between one instance of an action and continuous engagement in that action over time. It seems as if MacArthur is willing to accept that a single personal act, an instance of adultery, is sufficient for him to define a person, while he is unwilling to accept that people can describe themselves in terms of their repeated homosexual behavior, that is, being “gay”.]
“Those are all behavioral sins that are condemned in scripture.”
[As only two behaviors are discussed, bank robbery and homosexuality, we are unsure why MacArthur would imply that bank robbery is condemned by scripture. Clearly, banking is unscriptural. It seems as if modern Christians define themselves in terms of condemning either incorrect beliefs or unacceptable behavior.]
“God didn’t hardwire anybody in such a way that they are not responsible for certain behaviors.”
[MacArthur's conclusion regarding how God creates is without either evidence or any convincing arguments. MacArthur seems to believe that individuals are responsible for their actions.This unscriptural opinion contradicts Saint Paul's explicit writing that some vessels are created for glory, while others are destined for destruction.]
“And so we need to cancel that out of the sin list and welcome them into the kingdom of God, because you can’t do anything else?”
[We are uncertain as to what a “sin list” is or is not, and the Gentle Reader may wonder why MacArthur would possess such as list. Due to the poor construction of the sentence, we do not know if MacArthur believes he will personally welcome people into the kingdom of God; “we...welcome them”.]
“But I think we do no service to people who are caught in the vicious sins of homosexuality by letting them define themselves by that sin.”
[We are uncertain why homosexuality is described by the plural, “sins”, instead of the typical, “sin”. MacArthur claims that people should not define themselves by their sin, however, he defines people by their sin.]
“MacArthur previously advised parents of gay children to disown them and “turn them over to Satan”.”
“Responding to a letter from a parent whose son had just come out, he said: “If they profess to be a Christian, you have to alienate them.”
[We encounter the primary issue of modern Christianity that creates uncertainty: the claim of being a Christian cannot be refuted as there is no objective standard of determining the validity of the claim of being Christian. The only standard in the modern age is belief. Thousands of denominations with contradictory beliefs profess being Christian, yet few people “alienate” these self proclaimed Christians. MacArthur suggests that gay children need to be alienated by their family. We wonder what parental behaviour MacArthur might suggest should a heterosexual child deny being a Christian. It seems that the self professed “gay” child is to be alienated regardless if they are Christian or not. It seems as though MacArthur has forgotten, or ignored, his previous claim that “gays” do not exist and offers advice as though “gays” truly exist, or exist at least in this example.]
“You have to separate them. You can’t condone that. It’s inconsistent with Christ.”
[We are suspicious when modern Christians claim to know what is “inconsistent with Christ” or what is incompatible with Christianity.]
“So you isolate them, you don’t have a meal with them, you separate yourself from them.”
[MacArthur seems to suggest that isolation and separation will benefit the offending individual. We recognise this suggestion of separation of self professing homosexuals as unscriptural, it is evident that MacArthur is not teaching as a Bible believing Christian, but as a private individual with unscriptural opinions. We note that the Master ate with tax collectors and, if the Gospels are to be believed, these “sinners” truly benefited from their time spent with the Master.]
“You turn them over to Satan as it were as scripture says.”
[“To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”- 1 Corinthians 5:5
The context of Corinthians involves heterosexual adultery and not homosexuality behavior. It seems that MacArthur is confounding various condemned behaviors, as the unrepentant heterosexual sinner is to be delivered to Satan for the destruction of his flesh.
By turning these self identified gay children over to Satan, MacArthur seems to be stating that these children's spirits will be saved. Once again, this position is unscriptural and, therefore, must represent MacArthur’s personal opinion.
It seems that if individuals not longer engage in homosexual behavior, they will become acceptable, if not to Christ, then at least to other self professing Christians, and their immortal souls will be saved. However, if these sinners continue in their unrepentant homosexual behavior, then they will be delivered to Satan for the salvation of their spirits. It seems as though one is saved by refusing to entertain homosexual “impulses” on one hand, and one is saved by engaging in homosexual behavior, on the other.
We are uncertain why some people claim that modern Christians profess a confused theology and that modern Christians have only one desire: to endlessly moralize, that is, to dictate behavior.]
[We recall the ancient Occult dictum: “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.”]
The claim comes from Pastor John MacArthur of the Grace Community Church in Los Angeles, a 3,500-seat megachurch which is popular with evangelicals.
He was answering a question from a gay Christian who was concerned about whether he [presumably the gay Christian] would get to Heaven when he [MacArthur] made the pronouncement, according to the Friendly Atheist blog.
[We note the modern emphasis or obsession on “getting to Heaven”. We are surprised a “gay Christian” would be in attendance at a church “popular with evangelicals.”]
MacArthur insisted: “No one is gay. If you mean by that, that that’s some hardwiring, no one is gay.”
[Regretfully, “hardwiring” is not explained, so the reader is unable to determine for himself if people are hardwired for homosexuality or not.]
He elaborated: “People commit adultery, they commit sins of homosexuality, they lie, they steal, they cheat.
“It’s like saying, ‘I keep robbing banks, but I’m a robber. I’m a bank robber. What am I gonna do? I’m a bank robber.’ That is not an excuse for what you do.”
[At least two unnamed “sins” are associated with homosexuality. The attempt to equate criminal activity with homosexual behavior may be understood as a type of intellectual dishonesty. MacArthur seems to believe that criminals and homosexuals need excuses for their respective behaviors. For individuals who have not accepted their criminal nature or homosexual desires, then excuses are necessary. However, the need for excuses disappear when one honestly acceptances oneself.]
“Are there certain kind of impulses that lead people in that direction? Yes.”
[Although the existence of certain “impulses” is acknowledged, regretfully, what, exactly, these certain “impulses” are is not clarified. We wonder if there are certain “impulses” that direct some people to charity, while different impulses direct others towards research.]
“But I think one of the really deadly aspects of this is to let people define themselves as gay.”
[We are uncertain of the meaning of “deadly aspects”. Yet, people invariably define themselves using dozens of words, including such words as “Christian”, “fundamentalist”, and “Bible believing”. Self identification is typical behavior, as most people prefer to understood by categorizing themselves,rather than being categorized by others. Those individuals who dislike being categorized and defined by a handful of words are known as “occultists”.]
“They are not gay any more than an adulterer is hardwired to be forced by his own nature to commit adultery.”
[We encounter the word “hardwired”; again, without any clarification regarding the intended meaning or accompanying implications for the word. Adultery is not identical to sexual relations. We doubt few individuals would sincerely suggest people are not “hardwired” for sexual relations. In “Denver”, we noted that language, or typical usage, does not make a distinction between one instance of an action and continuous engagement in that action over time. It seems as if MacArthur is willing to accept that a single personal act, an instance of adultery, is sufficient for him to define a person, while he is unwilling to accept that people can describe themselves in terms of their repeated homosexual behavior, that is, being “gay”.]
“Those are all behavioral sins that are condemned in scripture.”
[As only two behaviors are discussed, bank robbery and homosexuality, we are unsure why MacArthur would imply that bank robbery is condemned by scripture. Clearly, banking is unscriptural. It seems as if modern Christians define themselves in terms of condemning either incorrect beliefs or unacceptable behavior.]
“God didn’t hardwire anybody in such a way that they are not responsible for certain behaviors.”
[MacArthur's conclusion regarding how God creates is without either evidence or any convincing arguments. MacArthur seems to believe that individuals are responsible for their actions.This unscriptural opinion contradicts Saint Paul's explicit writing that some vessels are created for glory, while others are destined for destruction.]
“And so we need to cancel that out of the sin list and welcome them into the kingdom of God, because you can’t do anything else?”
[We are uncertain as to what a “sin list” is or is not, and the Gentle Reader may wonder why MacArthur would possess such as list. Due to the poor construction of the sentence, we do not know if MacArthur believes he will personally welcome people into the kingdom of God; “we...welcome them”.]
“But I think we do no service to people who are caught in the vicious sins of homosexuality by letting them define themselves by that sin.”
[We are uncertain why homosexuality is described by the plural, “sins”, instead of the typical, “sin”. MacArthur claims that people should not define themselves by their sin, however, he defines people by their sin.]
“MacArthur previously advised parents of gay children to disown them and “turn them over to Satan”.”
“Responding to a letter from a parent whose son had just come out, he said: “If they profess to be a Christian, you have to alienate them.”
[We encounter the primary issue of modern Christianity that creates uncertainty: the claim of being a Christian cannot be refuted as there is no objective standard of determining the validity of the claim of being Christian. The only standard in the modern age is belief. Thousands of denominations with contradictory beliefs profess being Christian, yet few people “alienate” these self proclaimed Christians. MacArthur suggests that gay children need to be alienated by their family. We wonder what parental behaviour MacArthur might suggest should a heterosexual child deny being a Christian. It seems that the self professed “gay” child is to be alienated regardless if they are Christian or not. It seems as though MacArthur has forgotten, or ignored, his previous claim that “gays” do not exist and offers advice as though “gays” truly exist, or exist at least in this example.]
“You have to separate them. You can’t condone that. It’s inconsistent with Christ.”
[We are suspicious when modern Christians claim to know what is “inconsistent with Christ” or what is incompatible with Christianity.]
“So you isolate them, you don’t have a meal with them, you separate yourself from them.”
[MacArthur seems to suggest that isolation and separation will benefit the offending individual. We recognise this suggestion of separation of self professing homosexuals as unscriptural, it is evident that MacArthur is not teaching as a Bible believing Christian, but as a private individual with unscriptural opinions. We note that the Master ate with tax collectors and, if the Gospels are to be believed, these “sinners” truly benefited from their time spent with the Master.]
“You turn them over to Satan as it were as scripture says.”
[“To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”- 1 Corinthians 5:5
The context of Corinthians involves heterosexual adultery and not homosexuality behavior. It seems that MacArthur is confounding various condemned behaviors, as the unrepentant heterosexual sinner is to be delivered to Satan for the destruction of his flesh.
By turning these self identified gay children over to Satan, MacArthur seems to be stating that these children's spirits will be saved. Once again, this position is unscriptural and, therefore, must represent MacArthur’s personal opinion.
It seems that if individuals not longer engage in homosexual behavior, they will become acceptable, if not to Christ, then at least to other self professing Christians, and their immortal souls will be saved. However, if these sinners continue in their unrepentant homosexual behavior, then they will be delivered to Satan for the salvation of their spirits. It seems as though one is saved by refusing to entertain homosexual “impulses” on one hand, and one is saved by engaging in homosexual behavior, on the other.
We are uncertain why some people claim that modern Christians profess a confused theology and that modern Christians have only one desire: to endlessly moralize, that is, to dictate behavior.]