Based on Romans, many have denied history to claim that gays caused the fall of the Roman Empire, and further warned that it would do the same in America and Singapore! Such assertions reflect an attempt to misinterpret the bible and distort history. Therefore, when Singapore’ former NMP Thio, and others such as Derek Hong of COOS and Rony Tan of Lighthouse talks about Singapore failing down the slippery slope of immorality, they were referring to gays who they alleged caused the fall of Rome. However, as Rome fell in AD 476 well after Christians took over in AD313 under Constantine, a better theory would be to blame Christians rather than gays!

Paul’s Letter was addressed to the Jews in Rome, and not to the Gentiles in Rome, a letter criticizing the Judaist for their insistence of the Law and the rejection of the Gospel, and equating their practices when under to law as no different from the Pagan Roman practices. There was connotation of same sex acts because these religions were very sexual in nature and the priests had to be castrated to be like a woman so that the pagan worshippers can have sex with him as if having sex with the Pagan gods.

Paul had not visited Rome, and the letter served as a first round of fire to those Jews who had insisted on the law. Essentially, he was declaring that they were sinners no different than pagans. The Christian Right has spinned the intention of Paul’s letter, the mass sexual orgies in Rome by straight people to worship idols, as a reflection of same sex orientation, which was far away from the truth. It was not an issue of sexual orientation, rather the unnatural worship of idols by the Jews themselves. If they had been gays, the priests would not have to castrate themselves and dressed as a women with feminine actions to attract the straight men. Yet, the notion of gays being less than 5% of the population being blamed for the religious sexual activities and the fall of the entire city is absurd.

(Rom 12:1 NKJV)  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Why would we want to blame Gays for something they obviously did not do? Because the thought of bible believing religious law abiding people offering their bodies as a sacrifice by having anal sex to the gods was too outrageous for the sensitivities of Christians. They must be gays we demand, for they cannot be bible believing Christians. How can following the bible and the laws contained within lead us to such evil actions! It happened for the Laws brings out our carnal nature, the self righteousness within to reach God, hence the need for a Savior in Christ Jesus. The call by Paul in Rom 12:1 to present our bodies instead to God is contrasted to presenting our bodies and having sex with the idols. We are to “service” God instead of “Servicing” the idols.

Why did Rome fell? The same reason as America is falling – economic crisis, and an over spending on the defense. Historically, Rome fell in Sep 4, 476 when the last Emperor of Rome, Romulus Augustus was deposed by Odoacer, a German Chieftain. Perhaps, when Christians took over Rome through Constantine, the Roman Empire continued on through the Roman Catholic Church which we have 1 billion followers, a reach far bigger than the Roman Empire ever had.

The real fall of the Roman Empire started in AD 200 onwards due to political, military and monetary issues and not because they were hounded by gay ducklings, nor because the entire population turned gay. There was no stable leadership. Politically, there were 26 legitimate emperors in the 2nd century AD and only one died a natural death.

The attitude of the Roman Emperors was symbolized by Emperor Severus final words to his sons “live in harmony; enrich the troops; ignore everyone else”. His son, Caracalla, did follow his advice in early 200AD by:-

a) Raising the pay of soldiers by 50%, and doubled the inheritance taxes paid by the Roman Citizens

b) Increased the tax base by making every inhabitant a Roman Citizen

c) Debase the denarius silver content to 50%. (the content was 95% when it was first introduced by Augustus in 1st century BC)

The crisis went into a slippery slope, after AD 250, when during a period of civil wars and foreign invasions, the silver coinage fell to 0.5% silver. The financial crisis was compounded by military adventures. Taxes had to increase as the army had grown from 250,000 from the time of Augustus to over 600,000 to the time of Diocletian in AD284.

Inflation grew uncontrollably, with 50,000 denarii for a pound of Gold in AD301, rising to 20 million denarri in AD337 when Constantine died. The Roman Empire fell to the Barbarians because the people could no longer survive under the Roman administration.

In the 21st century, the Christian Right would again blame gays for a falling America, when it is actually partly caused by the emergence of the Christian Fundamentalism, their demand for a strong army, the cost of wars, and prosperity theology. The Prosperity theology causes us to seek for riches and America is getting rich with easy money they owe people.

It is not “big Government” that is the issue. The 2009 expenditure for the army is 782 Billion, Social Security is 678 Billion, and Medicare/Medicaid is 676 Billion. The total spending was 3518 Billion versus a receipt of 2105 Billion or a deficit of 1400 Billion. America is surviving because it is printing money which is losing its real value everyday just as the Romans were taking away the silver content from the coins until the coins had no inherent value. The day of Judgment is not when gay marriage was legalized throughout America, but when we cannot borrow anymore for the interest rates will be too high when we can’t pay back.

(Luke 16:13 NKJV)  "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." (Luke 16:14 NKJV)  Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.

A falling America just like Rome is not due to a slippery slope lubricated by Gays but because of the love of money. The bible says that the Pharisees – the bible believing religious folks greatest sin was that they were lovers of money so are many of us with our prosperity theology sweeping all the churches and America as a nation. Our focus should not be on wealth, but simple living and graceful sharing of our resources following the footsteps of Jesus Christ. 

 

Our anti-Gay theology is a wedge issue so that we can gain power, wealth and control to unite the Christian base. It may not matter whether America is going down the slippery slope for nations will fall and will rise again. It does however matter if the Protestant church is falling for every rethoric and half truths takes away our innocense, purity and morality until we like the Catholic Church thinks it OK to sexually abuse young children and protect the priests who did these crimes yet call Gays, an intrinsic sin.

 Christians kept believing themselves as being persecuted as if they were living in 1st and 2nd century Rome. Whilst this may be true, in Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Egypt etc, but in the rest of the world, they are the dominant party and have been for the last 1700 years, a domination which had led to the persecution of the GLBT community by the Christian Faith.

Perhaps there is no stopping the fall of the church into immorality as the blood of gays who died have been calling out for justice for the last two thousand years and they will not be denied. Gays may be the lowest priority for Rick Warren, but not for God, for there has been too much injustice and for too long. This issue will never die away until the walls and doors of the church are broken down.  The issue will pound the City of God just as the Barbarians pounded Rome. Ultimately, Rome within the Protestant church must fall again for the second time, for the Christian Church to rise again.