Social Order

I've always wondered what really truly is behind the homophobia expressed by so many religious people today. I read this quote today and it set me to wondering again.

"Gay" still receives the lion's share of attention these days in both religious and civic debates over sexuality. But at the root of those debates is another "g" word - gender. This is precisely what transgender people are increasingly bringing into the conversations, and for good reason. I have become more and more convinced during these last five years at CLGS that the controversies over "homosexuality" have very little to do with "loving and committed relationships." Those fierce controversies, are instead about the transgression of culturally established gender roles, or the "natural gender complementarity of men and women." In theological language, this transgression is understood as nothing less than a violation of God's own intended order of creation.

-- Rev. Jay Johnson, PhD Senior Director, Academic Research & Resources

I listen to the protests of people who say "the Bible says" this and that only to wonder about the double standards these same people seem to display in regard to other scriptures.

I also watched part of a video about the rise of both Neo-conservatism and Radical Islam as two reactions to the same thing - a culture of the self displayed in the 60's. I tend to agree that there is too much self-centeredness resulting in way too much greed in society today. The responses of some of the people in power was that this self-indulgence must be fixed.

I also think there must be a balance between personal self-interest and social responsibility. Perhaps this balance is the crux of disagreement. Who decides? How much personal freedom is a real risk to society.

Some say that any change to the social order must be stifled and pound Bibles or Korans to prove their point. Through a homogeneous society, people are best served. Perhaps this is true when looked at from a great height. Fit in or else, is the command. There have been societies in the past such as Victorian England and India where social order was prime over human rights. Duty trumps all.

Duty brings either discipline or resentment, sometimes both in the same person. Having been personally forced in to a discipline by society and family and religion, I grew to resent that enforced compliance.

Many of our heroes are people who rejected social constraints, who broke the bonds of social repression, even tyranny. Part of the US problem in Iraq is that we have replaced one social enforcement with another. We haven't let the people go, given them the freedom to set their own course.

Social order proponents believe it is in everyone's best interest to tow the line and behave, do their duty. Is repression of the spirit in my best interest? Am I to bury my happiness to make my neighbors happy... to make God happy? If God is joy, why did I resent his word and supposed plan for my life?

Actually I realized what I thought was God's plan fo rme was actually mankind's plan. When I let go of the duty and opened my eyes to see, he revealed a plan that suited me and joy filled my heart at last.

I tend to think society can thrive on much less order and compliance. God definitely is not threatened by spiritual freedom. Christ came into a severely ordered world to free people from tyranny. I don't believe he came to set up his own tyranny of the soul.