(Mat 19:13,14 NKJV) Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."
The Coral Rigde Ministry "Learn to discern" news video item posted 30 Sept entitled "Gay OK, but Prayer rare", talks of the Amererican Civil Liberties Union about district schools being asked to lift the ban on gay sites. The Ministry misrepresented the facts by stating that it would allow gay porn to be accessible when the real argument was to allow access by children to gay supportive website such as PFLAG, GLAAD and Dignity USA when currently only ex-gay web sites are not filtered. There was call to allow equal access to information, rather than giving children one part of the story. It provides vital information to help Gay children to accept themselves what they are already know instinctively that they have a natural sexual orientation for the same sex since young. The Coral Ridge Ministry also cleverly associate the gay issue with prayer at school to leverage on the community reaction against any ban on prayer when both issues are unrelated. This ministry is not any fringe religious right ministry, but a Christian Broadcasting giant with three million people in 200 countries tuning in to his "Coral Ridge Hour" television show
The truth was not reported by Coral Ridge, instead, leveraged on the fears of the public impression of gay promiscuity to call this free access to gay porn. This is not only a distortion of facts, or having equally valid but alternative opinions, but a false witness purposely to paint a negative and harmful picture of the gay community. Yet, Coral Ridge Ministry is no exception in the Evangelical Charismatic Community. Surely, the Church has lost its soul and purpose in their crusade against the gay community that anything goes - lies, violence, distortion, half truths - to drum up fear and homophobia. Despite every attempt at denial, it does not negate that fact that Gay children do exists naturally even though 5% of the population.
The common rethoric propagated by the Christian Right is that we have to protect our Children in what they deemed as the "homosexual' predators when it fact it is the gay children that needs protection from the Christian Right who is doing everything they could to indoctrinate young children to hold prejudice and homophobia, and preventing the implementation of laws protecting gay children from being discriminated against. Such rethoric can yield deadly impact. It was not too long ago, that Larry King , an eight grader was killed at School just because he was gay and the message being given was so anti-gay at schools where gays usually suffered verbal, and physcial abuse. The Christian Church did not condemn the killing but instead siding with the criminals asked for the protection of gay children be removed. One thing we should change is hate, and the Christian church should never be an instrument of hate. If we do, then we could no longer be instrument of God's love to the nations.
It was not about having good people on both sides of the debate, but a real heavy weight on one side having all the power, wealth, and media to say almost anything they like and a tiny lamb on the other side. When we abuse our spiritual, moral, and majority authority against the outcasts, surely we will have to answer for it. There is a move to have pro-gay information available at schools because many gay children have died, bullied and committed suicide. Their blood cries out against those who perpetrate this violence against them, and who are now trying to silence the little information that is available. When we destroy innocent lives, we also loose our innocense.
It is difficult to spiritually ignore the innocent that have suffered and have died because they were gay, because their blood cries out to God for righteousness to prevail. In Europe, where Gays and Jews are murdered in the millions, for no crime other than being gay or a Jew, there is very few revival or move by the Holy Spirit even though this was the birth place of the bible, of Protestants, and the revivals that had swept Europe in the 17 to 19 th century. There is such a lack of the move of God, that you become a Saint if you could perform a miracle.
In Singapore, the New Creation Church preaches Grace. I believe God gives Grace to the Church but what happens when our sin is not only against God but against men over a prolonged period of injustice, persecution, and suffering. Surely we have made the Grace of God cheap. There is one thing that Grace can seldom overcome, and that is innocent life lost especially when the pepetrators are still doing their sinful acts. Being a Christian Church does not give us a right to abuse the grace of God through Christ Jesus. I am reminded of Pastor Kong Hee of CHC talking about their approach of "live and let live" on the issue of homosexuality, when in fact, their approach has been to "out of sight, out of mind" by excommunicating gays. We can't be exempted from responsibility by re-writing history.
In Singapore, during the 377A debate, Christians went to the Parliment to argue for gays to be put in jail, and the MPs thumped their chair in approval, know not that one day, they may put the church in the very same closet that we have put gays in. In Dec 2004, when a Gay church held their Christmas service at the Old Parliement House in Singapore, at the former parliement chamber, there was an altar of communion where bread was broken and the wine dranked. When we give thanks to God, and let Him be our champion, God begins to work in our midst. On the contrary, when we sow hatred, we may receive our due rewards. Churches live in denial and have a short memory of how they treated gays, for it is better to forget lest they become vary of God's impending judgement.
The Christian Fundamentalists are often afraid of gay children, for if being gay is innate best represented by gay children who are innocent and unlikely to choose to be so, it would mean that the Word of God may be wrong based on their incorrect and biased interpretation, hence one of the greatest challenge to their faith. The Christian church seldom had a pure interest for the protection of children in the gay issue, rather there is a selfish inward "Aggenda" of protecting their own theology, if deconstructed they fear would weaken their faith. The Gay aggenda was a delusion created by Christians to harmonised their theology and to rationalise their own actions. Our lack of integrity and righteousness even violating the innocense of children represents a great threat to biblical and Christ based Christian Faith. Gay children may have lost their childhood due to our denial of their existence, but we may have lost our soul, conscience, and integrity before God and Man.
At the end, what we do is interlinked. Coral Ridge Ministries was not too wrong when they linked prayer to freedom for gays, for when gays who have been oppressed and abused by Christians for so long starts to gain freedom, there is a moral and spiritual law abounding that have been planted for a thousand years bearing a harvest to put the church in the same closet - even the church activities in the schools which we have taken grace for granted for so long. When we abused grace and cause harm, sooner or later, grace will leave us. Many Gay children have grown up too quickly experiencing rejection, hate, and prejudice instead of love and acceptance. The Church cannot continue to live in denial for the sake of the little ones, for Jesus loves them too.
I am reminded of an Old Song, as a child, that had sustained me everytime I thought that God doesn't love me because I am Gay.
Jesus Loves me this I Know
- Jesus loves me! This I know,
- For the Bible tells me so.
- Little ones to Him belong;
- They are weak, but He is strong.
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- Chorus:
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- Yes, Jesus loves me!
- Yes, Jesus loves me!
- Yes, Jesus loves me!
- The Bible tells me so.
- Jesus loves me! This I know,
- As He loved so long ago,
- Taking children on His knee,
- Saying, “Let them come to Me.”
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- Chorus
- Jesus loves me when I'm good,
- When I do the things I should,
- Jesus loves me when I'm bad,
- Though it makes Him very sad.
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- Chorus
- Jesus loves me still today,
- Walking with me on my way,
- Wanting as a friend to give
- Light and love to all who live.
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- Chorus
- Jesus loves me! He who died
- Heaven’s gate to open wide;
- He will wash away my sin,
- Let His little child come in.
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- Chorus
- Jesus loves me! Loves me still
- Tho' I'm very weak and ill;
- That I might from sin be free
- Bled and died upon the tree.
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- Chorus
- Jesus loves me! He will stay
- Close beside me all the way;
- Thou hast bled and died for me,
- I will henceforth live for Thee.
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- Chorus