Australia - Please accept our love

I'll post a brief part of the article below, but there's much more at the link. There's also much more if anyone has even the faintest of open minds and studies this stuff. 

Of course I have. Long time readers here will know of my dreadful experiences as a very young person being converted to Pentecostal christianity in an extremely vulnerable state after fleeing home in my teens. New Zealand BTW. The United Pentecostal Church (UPC) BTW. I traveled to the US and got a Bachelors degree in theology regonised by the state of Minnesota. Upon returning to New Zealand I became a licenced minister of the church, albeit briefly before I realised I was in some kind of extremist cult. New Zealanders do think outside the square, and my returning to my homeland made me do so.

After a period of self deprogramming and intense studying I formed my own human thoughts about it all. Particularly when I became aware that sexuality wasn't a rigid black and white experience and that there are many in betweens. I never got how the church condemned the LGBT like they did. Even when I was in it that confused me and I never took part in that condemnation. Upon leaving I observed that it was more about straights feeling threatened by their own nature than anything else.

The family that I'm part of; my late wife and my 26 year old daughter, we were never down on the LGBT. My late wife and I met at a pub when I noticed her playing pool with lesbians. She was fine with it and challenged me about it as I was sitting on the steps and I guess she saw my look. I bought her a drink about it and it went from there. We ended up in bed at my place that night and apart from her being in hospital we never had another night apart in 17 years. We both found love.

That love was expressed ultimately in her journey to death, sharing it with me as her last gift. Long time readers here know this. We both held hands as she passed. To my surprise at counseling afterwards they said this was a rare thing for a partner to stay around. I wouldn't exchange it for the world. It hurt beyond anything, I cried and cried, but I'd not exchange the beauty of her sharing her death with me for anything. Such love I've been told is "sacred", albeit I don't believe in the invisible sky man :s

A few years later I met David. We also bumped in to each other at a pub (this one was a gay pub at the time). We also ended up in bed the same night. Despite my protestations he sailed through all my defences against having another relationship, and we fell deeply in love after about a week. 

I was actually rather annoyed about the fact that I'd fallen in love again. WTF? It was the last thing I wanted to do. All that drama that goes with it. I was horrified! But FFS I fell in love and so did he with me. As the same love my late wife we had with each other, we've been inseparable ever since and spent every day together. 

If it happened I would walk with him to death the exact same way as my wife. 

It's the same love. I love him deeply as I did my late wife. 

I married my wife and it was the most wonderful of days. We did it in Centennial Park in the Rose Gardens. Our young daughter and relo's were there. We  had the reception at the local footy club. 

David and I, although we love each each other just as deeply as my late wife and I, cannot. We're a same sex couple......

The crux of the Christian quarrel with homosexuality stems from the interpretation of Biblical scripture. Alternatively, more precisely selective interpretation mainly from Christians who see the Bible as literally true. That the word of God is infallible.

 If that were so, we would be practicing the following.

DEUTERONOMY 22:13-21 If it is discovered that a bride is not a virgin, the Bible demands that she be executed by stoning immediately.

 DEUTERONOMY 22:22 If a married person has sex with someone else’s husband or wife, the Bible commands that both adulterers be stoned to death.

 MARK 10:1-12 Divorce is strictly forbidden in both Testaments, as is remarriage of anyone who has been divorced.

 LEVITICUS 18:19 The Bible forbids a married couple from having sexual intercourse during a woman’s period. If they disobey, both shall be executed.

 MARK 12:18-27 If a man dies childless, his widow is ordered by biblical law to have intercourse with each of his brothers in turn until she bears her deceased husband a male heir.

 DEUTERONOMY 25:11-12 If a man gets into a fight with another man and his wife seeks to rescue her husband by grabbing the enemy’s genitals, her hand shall be cut off and no pity shall be shown her.

 The list goes on: The Bible says clearly that sex with a prostitute is acceptable for the husband but not for the wife. Polygamy (more than one wife) is acceptable, as is a king is having many concubines. (Solomon, the wisest king of all, had 1,000 concubines.) Slavery and sex with slaves, marriage of girls aged 11-13, and treatment of women as property are all accepted practices in the Scriptures. On the other hand, there are strict prohibitions against interracial marriage, birth control, discussing or even naming a sexual organ, and seeing one’s parents nude. In fact, the Bible accepts sexual practices that we condemn and condemns sexual practices that we accept

 Personally, I have never understood the fundamental clash between free will and literalism. Christians will argue on the one hand that God gave us free will but on the other insist that we interpret the Bible literally. Surely, the two are incompatible.

 The way certain Bible verses are used to condemn homosexuality and homosexuals is born out of ignorance. Jesus says nothing about same-sex behaviour. The Jewish prophets are silent about homosexuality. Only six or seven of the Bible’s one million verses refer to same-sex behaviour in any way — and none of these verses refers to homosexual orientation, as it is understood today.

 Most people who are certain they know what the Bible says about homosexuality do not know where the verses that reference same-sex behaviour can be found. They have not read them, let alone studied them carefully. They don’t know the original meaning of the words in Hebrew or Greek. In addition, they haven’t tried to understand the historical context in which those words were written. Yet the assumption that the Bible condemns the practice has led to Christian homophobia. Moreover, it must be remembered that that word homosexuality is a recent addition to the English language and is not used in the bible. AIM

To Australia, from David and I, please don't judge us and accept our love.