Fornication.

The word fornication does not appear in the Old Testament.

Jesus uses the word once in the context of what defiles a person.

The rest are in Paul's letters.

But in Genesis 1 God says to the first couple: "Be fruitful and multiply."  Genesis 1:28 (NRSV)

This is God's original blessing on human sexuality.

There is no mention of marriage or even faithfulness.

But a man will sow his wild oats in his youth and then settle down with one partner.

This is the way it is designed.

And this is exactly what happens in the gay scene.

Men experiment with several partners before settling down with one person.

So objections to homosexual activity on the grounds of fornication are largely irrelevant especially in the context of modern de-facto relationships.


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

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Redemption.

In the gay scene recovery sessions on a Sunday will often be called Redemption.

While I believe that they think they are being blasphemous the term is more appropriate than they realize.

Most gay venues, and straight venues for that matter, are run by people involved in rock Satanism.

They call themselves dogs (that's gods backwards).

But, rather than the judgement and damnation they expect, God seeks their Redemption.

Contrary to popular opinion God does not punish sex in general, or homosexuality in particular.

Homosexuality is an expression of love.

And God is Love.

So like sheep dogs we can round up the dogs and invoke the unseen hook - love - which inspired their rebellion in the first place.

God's way is the Way of the Heart.

And it was their hearts which rebelled against cruelty, torture, and castration.

So, instead of placing their hope in an imaginary devil, they can return to God with Joy!


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Emancipation.

We are imprisoned by our fears.

Fear of others - robbery and rape - encloses us within stone ramparts.

We construct a fortress around ourselves to protect us from anyone who might attack us.

We learn this as children in the schoolyard and we continue it throughout our life.

But by doing this we bury our true selves deep within us.

We lose contact with our own souls.

But God brings emancipation.

God's steadfast love casts out our fears.

He sets the captives free.

And we become again like a little child.

The child we lost in the schoolyard.


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Walls.

We erect walls around us.

To protect us from attack.

Our experiences in the world create fear.

And fear makes us raise ramparts of stone.

Carl Jung said that we hide our true selves from others.

Our true selves - our souls, which are in our hearts - are vulnerable and tender.

We defend them with impregnable battlements.

But when we do this we lock ourselves inside our own defences and we cannot relate truly to others.

When we love we make ourselves vulnerable because love comes from our true selves - our souls, which are in our hearts.

We must realize that others also have been hurt.

And they may defend themselves if they feel threatened.

Most of this of course takes place on an unconscious level.

So we may love and hurt ourselves and others inadvertently.

But love comes from the heart.

And our true selves need love to live.

So we must let down the walls that imprison us and give our love freely.

To do this we must overcome the fears which built the walls in the first place.


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God 2.

When we are young we are presented with a God that is a harsh judge and punisher of bad behavior.

Later in life we encounter the powers of the world which enforce the imperatives of materialism.

Neither of these gods represents the real God.

The real God is on the side of the losers.

He is with the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed.....

He does not judge or punish us.

He loves us like a Father.

His love is constant.

And His mercy is infinite.

It is inevitable that we will make mistakes.

But God will forgive us.

He is considerate and understanding.

He knows us.

And He wishes to be in relationship with us.

Like a Mother.

The real God is all the things that we wish were in the world but aren't.

Once we realize this we are Home at at last.


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God 1.

Satanists in our popular culture will tell you that God is punitive, judgemental, harsh, cold, tyrannical, anti-sex. and irrational.....

They have internalized the image of God which the Church has traditionally taught.

But this is not the true image of God.

God is merciful, forgiving, reliable, trustworthy, constant, compassionate, considerate, and loving.....

In fact love is the inmost nature of God.

We have nothing to fear from God.

There is no devil in reality.

So Satanists in rock music and sports are wasting their time.

Their apostasy is based on a false premise.

But because this false premise was created by God's Church they will be exonerated.


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Give Up Your Fear,

Many people in the Church have been taught to fear.

To fear God, to fear punishment, to fear damnation.

But God does not punish us.

So there can be no damnation, no hell.

God is our loving Father.

He cares for us and nurtures us like our mother.

Love will not judge us or condemn us.

So give up your fear.

And learn to love.


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