Reverend A. Albert Mohler, head of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is showing signs of having a death wish. In an act reminiscent of a deranged person attacking police so that he will be killed, Rev. Mohler recently published an article stating that a biological basis may be proven for homosexuality, and that he would be in favor of a non-invasive hormone treatment to correct the condition in utero should such treatment become available. He went on to say that taking such an action would be justified in the Bible, and that homosexuality, even though caused by biological factors, would still be a sin in the eyes of God.
His statements have unleashed a storm of protest from all sides. The homophobes in the evangelical movement are outraged at him because they have always taught that homosexuality is a matter of choice, and that it can only be "cured" through counseling and prayer. Gay rights activists are up in arms that Rev. Mohler said homosexuals are damned even though God created them that way.
So, Rev. Mohler is being beaten to death by Bibles from one side and strangled by feather boas from the other. A few people defend him, claiming he should be commended for having an open mind and raising the issue. However, his statements point up the futility of clinging to a dogma that simply cannot square with new information as it becomes available, and raise thorny theological questions that will prove their hypocrisy.
Does God have a quota? Is there a reason why he would make some people homosexual if it's pre-ordained that they cannot go to Heaven? Does God feel an obligation to provide enough souls that a balance can be maintained with Hell? Interesting to consider that our loving God might make some people so that He can feed the eternal fires. I can't seem to grasp that concept by reading the New Testament.
Why does Rev. Mohler espouse treating a fetus, in what amounts to a kind of religious eugenics, when doing so would alter something God Himself created? Whatever happened to the whole "sanctity of life" argument? If you're going to think along those lines, wouldn't it be a mercy to abort those fetuses found to have "gayness", and save them from having to live a life of fruitless striving for a Heaven they can never attain?
These are just a few of the problems that arise when a stubborn group of people are so steeped in a narrow theology that they can't even remember what faith is. Faith is belief in something that cannot be proven. As some part of your belief is proven to be erroneous, your faith must be adjusted to fit the new facts. To cling to your beliefs even when proven wrong is nothing more than obstinacy, and is a rejection of one of the greatest gifts that God gave us- an intellect.
Before I forget, here's a link to an AP story on Yahoo news:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070314/ap_on_re_us/baptist_gay_babies;_ylt=AtjEsKK8JOkDTI4pTxgyjZjMWM0F
All of this is a way of once again pointing out that acceptance of people and
their differences makes our journey through life much simpler, and can lead to solutions for all kinds of problems that could otherwise never be solved.
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