Then He will say to those on His left, "Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me."
Homosexual rights is still a hot issue across the country, causing controversy in many states as legislators and voters fight the normalization of gay and lesbian behavior.
In California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed two bills last week that would have promoted sensitivity training in favor of homosexuals in state schools, and would have "integrated tolerance training" into history and social science classes. Had the bills passed, students would have had to both accept homosexuality as normative and would have been required to advocate on behalf of homosexuality, bisexuality and transgenderism.
"Schools should be centers of learning - learning the fundamentals of education such as reading, writing and arithmetic," said Meredith Turney, the legislative liaison for Capitol Resource Institute. "Instead, the legislature has focused on advancing a radical social agenda in public schools. Hopefully, next session the legislature will make educating - not indoctrinating - students a priority."
In early September, Governor Schwarzenegger also vetoed a bill which would have prevented schools from using materials that reflected negatively on homosexuality. He did, however, sign a bill August 28 that would force any religious colleges, with even just one student attending on state funds, to promote homosexuality et al.
Across the country in Massachusetts, Superior Court Judge Thomas Connolly ruled last week that same-sex couples in Rhode Island are free to marry in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court legalized gay marriages in the state in 2004, but Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney made sure only Massachusetts couples could take advantage of the decision. He directed clerks in municipal offices to not issue marriage licenses to any out-of-state same-sex couples. To back up his decision, he cited a 1913 law which said Massachusetts could not marry couples if the marriages would be illegal in their own states. Rhode Island, however, does not explicitly outlaw same-sex marriage, and so Judge Connolly decided the 1913 law did not affect Rhode Islanders. Rhode Island is not required to recognize the marriages, but Massachusetts can no longer deny couples a marriage license. The decision does not affect any other states.
Meanwhile, eight states have a ban on same-sex marriage on the ballot for this November. Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota and Tennessee are expected to easily pass the bans. Gay and Lesbian activist groups are campaigning hard in Arizona, Colorado, Virginia, and Wisconsin to keep the bans from passing in those states. Wisconsin is considered an especially fierce battle state because the law there would also outlaw civil unions, and because gay rights activists don't consider Wisconsin to be particularly influenced by religious groups. Twenty other states have already passed bans on gay marriage.
As we consider all these issues, it is important to remember that homosexuals are human beings for whom Christ died. They are our brothers, our cousins, our mothers, our neighbors, blinded by the deceptiveness of sin. As with any other sin, complete freedom is ultimately found in the love, forgiveness, and healing that is offered in Christ Jesus. We need to pray for our loved ones struggling with homosexuality, and continue to encourage them as they choose to follow Christ.