Today the acronym LGBTQ+ is common with businesses and organizations who want to be open and inclusive to everybody by saying they are "LGBTQ+ friendly". The term LGBTQ+ represents Lesbians, Gays, Bi-Sexual, Transgender, Queer (or questioning) and others. Some people and places are inclusive of people who identify with this group but many are not. So I wondered....
Is Jesus LGBTQ+ friendly?
There is no direct Bible passage which gives an example of Jesus encountering someone who was defined as LGBTQ+ but there are some where Jesus associated with people who the religious leaders at the time condemned him for.
Here are some examples:
- Jesus went to a tax collectors' house and ate dinner with him. (Matthew 9:10-17)
- Jesus rescued a woman who was caught committing adultery. (John 8:1-11)
- One of Jesus' closest friends (Mary Magdalene) was allegedly a prostitute and was once demon-possessed. (Luke 8:2-3)
- Jesus healed lepers. (Matthew 8)
If you examine the ministry of Jesus you will find that the most common people he had a problem with was the religious people. There were several times when he fussed them out.
When we look at the LGBTQ+ it is easier for Christians to judge than it is to love. A Christian will never convince anyone to have a personal relationship with Jesus if they approach people with condemnation to hell. Who has the right to judge people anyway? There is only one God and we aren't Him.
Okay, so maybe you don't agree with the LGBTQ+ lifestyle but that doesn't give us permission to hate. I'm sure there are people who don't agree with our own lifestyle choices either yet we expect people to accept us for who we are don't we?
So does this mean LGBTQ+ people go to heaven?
I can tell you that the ultra-judgmental Christian would emphatically say "No". Well, let's think about this a minute. Are any of us the gatekeepers for heaven? No we are not. Someone once even told my wife that there would be no Catholics in heaven. Seriously? I would love to have asked if this person has been to heaven to make such a judgement. Sure, there are Bible verses that form people's judgement about people who are labeled LGBTQ+. Religious folks can pull out Bible verses to support whatever side they take about their judgements. There are some who would say that I am going to hell because I have divorced and remarried someone else and they could cross-examine me with their Bible verses to back up their opinion. In fact, my own father tried that cloaking it by saying he was doing it out of love. Does that make them right?
Let me share something with you after all of my years in a cult, the church can come up with anything to support their judgements. I have known people who were adamantly against divorce and remarriage until their son did it then they changed their view of it. Things tend to change when you are affected by something personally.
So do I think LGBTQ+ people are going to hell? I honestly don't know but I can tell you that it isn't up to me to make that decision so I don't need to stress out about it and treat them any differently than anyone else.
Yes, Jesus is LGBTQ+ friendly. If they invited him to dinner, he would go.
I know there are some who would be upset with me and say that I am condoning "sin" but am I? What exactly am I doing here? I'm not condoning anything but to simply get us to stop judging and start loving people. Ultimately we all have to be accountable for ourselves. It makes no sense for me to judge someone else when I need to make sure I am accountable for my own action.
Jesus said to love others as you do yourself. He didn't say to ONLY love other believers nor did he say to love everyone except (insert group here). Sometimes it's hard enough for people to love anyone more than themselves.
I think the thing we all should do is look at ourselves and be more concerned about how we are living than looking for the faults in others. It is not my job to force LGBTQ+ or anyone else to live the way I think they should live. I'm not a perfect example. None of us are.
I like the way The Message tells it:
"Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor. (Matthew 7:1-5)"
