The LGBT and Their God Given Right

A Pew Research poll conducted in 2009 found that about 70% of evangelicals, both black and white, are opposed to gay marriage. The Barna Group conducted a phone interview in 2009
to find roughly the same number of Americans believe in an omniscient and omnipotent God. To me, the similarity in these two numbers isn't striking, but it got me thinking. We're in the midst of two very important moments in regards to equality for the LGBT community: the Armed Forces is currently reconsidering the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy; and across the nation gay couples are fighting for their rights as individuals, as Americans- land of the free- to be able to marry legally under the law. Based on the numbers above, it's no wonder we see such staunch opposition to equal rights for LGBT individuals. But seeing these two beliefs side-by-side, it just doesn't make much sense to me how evangelicals can oppose gay marriage and hold the belief in an all-powerful, all-knowing god.


Let's start with the premise that god is omnipotent and omniscient. His power is unsurpassed and he is eternal. He knows our everyday lives, sees our joys, our sorrows, our indiscretions, and our heroics. He is a god who has preordained our very lives, that leads us upon a path towards salvation, or enlightenment. We do not choose our path; the choices we make are in essence his bidding, his choice, written in the cosmic tablet long ago. Partly, we accept the deaths of friends and loved ones because we argue it was "all part of His plan," and that our loved ones are "with him now." If you strongly believe in the Christian God then you believe most of the above.


One argument evangelicals contend against LGBT individuals is that they chose to live that lifestyle. Not being gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, or transgender, I'm sure these evangelicals have some divine insight into how LGBT people actually think and feel... Anyway, suppose this premise were also true, that yes, all homosexuals chose to be that way at some point in their lives. If that were true, can't we then say that god does not predetermine their lives? And if that were true then the next logical step is to say that god is indeed not all-powerful, nor all-knowing. And if god is not all-powerful and all-knowing then the Commandments, and when he "answers" a prayer, lose credibility and force. We look to the divine seeking enlightenment, but if we knew that even sometimes that encouragement was not in our best interests, would we unquestionably follow?


I'm sure there are several arguments one can make against the above, but I want to point to one of the most obvious: that god grants free-will to people, to allow them to make their own choices, in this case, commit the sin of homosexuality. To this, my response: whereas the Bible damns homosexuality through many courses in its' texts, it also condemns other, far more ridiculous things: working on Sunday (Exodus 35:2); women cannot teach, nor hold positions of authority (1 Timothy 2:11-15), etc. Both of these were common thoughts of practice in the 1st Century, but we've adapted to the changing times, progressed into modernity where these, and many other "sins" of the Bible are meaningless. Can we without doubt conclude homosexuality is a sin? No. Can we then chastise their choice, if it is actually a choice they make? I don't believe we can.


But let's get back to the argument. Conversely, if homosexuals do not chose to be gay then they must be born that way. The majority of homosexuals that I am glad to call friends have confided in me how they knew they were always gay, or lesbian, but fearfully held back their feelings whether because of familial, or societal pressures to be "normal." And I tend to hold their own personal diagnostics in higher regard than some evangelical because well, these people are inside their own minds and have a far better understanding of who they are, and what they feel than some Christian wing-nut out there. So, if they are born that way, and evangelicals want to retain that god is omnipotent, thus presuming god made everyone to be how they are, then homosexuals are created by god to be homosexuals. And since god is the unquestioned authority over the universe, evangelicals should not oppose homosexuality as something unnatural since god granted such freedom.


Now, some might argue that it's not that evangelicals do not accept homosexuals, but that the evangelicals do not want the institution of marriage corrupted. Again, let's look into the Bible. Hm... Couldn't find anything. Gay marriage is not specifically mentioned in the Bible. When marriage is mentioned, it relates specifically to the union of a man and a woman (1 Corinthians 7:2-16, Ephesians 5:23-33 for example). But should the omission of any language specifically singling out gay marriage be enough to promulgate against it? I don't think so. The Bible doesn't mention anything about computers, or corporations. Yet we've had to establish our own laws and doctrines regarding these modern fixtures in our lives, so we should adopt our own modern laws for gay marriage, not based on centuries old dogma and assumptions based on omission.


John Rawls' theory of social justice, "the veil of ignorance," is the best tool to establish law that will have the most weight and be the most fair. "The veil of ignorance" is placed over each specific person, so that he or she does not know the color of their skin, their religion, their gender, or in our case, their sexual orientation. If you do not know, when the veil is lifted, if you are straight, gay, transgender, etc. then when choosing rules and laws you would want them to be altruistic, because if you establish law opposing gay marriage and you are gay when the veil is lifted, you've discriminated against yourself, you've limited your own individual freedom. By choosing a law that accounts for everyone, doesn't limit the individual freedoms of anyone, you've created a far better world for everyone and have taken steps to accept all for who they are. You've established a more peaceful world. You've established a world of love, not hate. You've done, in essence, what Jesus preached of you to do. Shouldn't that be reason enough?