The Label of "Homosexual"

Before I begin, I want to first clarify that in this post I am not saying that homosexuality is indeed sinful, I just wish to assume it is for a moment in order to point out that if homosexuality is sinful, many others are guilty of something considered just as “sinful” according to scripture and different religious traditions, but are not forced to define himself or herself based on this one sin. I believe it is unfair that we focus so much on just one sexual sin mentioned in scripture and force men and women to wear the label of “homosexuals” while others are not defined by their sins in their place of worship or in society.

After reading Dawne Moon’s book and the many different views she exposes on homosexuality within Christian churches, it occurred to me that it is ironic we spend so much time on this particular “sin” when other sins that are treated just as seriously in scripture and religious tradition around the world are ignored. For example, fornication is condemned in scripture on many occasions and is frowned upon and forbidden in many Christian denominations today, but if two people are known to have sexual relations, they are not forced to wear the label “fornicators.” I believe this is because our society is more accepting of this practice and has come to view it as acceptable because of today’s culture in which people do not marry until much later in life. On the other hand, I believe that homosexuality is not as accepted within our society as other sexual practices also forbidden within scripture and as a result it is still viewed as negative even though other practices are now widely accepted. I am not asserting that everyone accepts pre-marital sex. I only wish to use this as an example to show that if we force everyone to wear a label shedding light on their sexual practices or sins, many people would have a label, such as “fornicator” or countless others, that would reveal something forbidden in scripture or in their own religious tradition.

However, we do not force most people to wear these names because most Churches, at least mine and the others I have attended, believe that Christians are not defined by their sins. I believe that the Christian message affirms that no one should be defined only by his or her sexual practices or sins. In the New Testament, Jesus offers his friendship to people who were branded with negative labels of the time. For example, Jesus reaches out to a Samaritan woman at a well. Jews avoided Samaritans because they considered them unclean and men were not supposed to talk with women but Jesus completely ignores the labels of “Samaritan” and “woman.” He also offers his friendship to others whom society forced labels upon, such as Zacchaeus, the “tax collector.” Tax collectors were not well- received by most people in Jesus’ society because many viewed them as dishonest and greedy since they often increased the amount of taxes in order to add to their own personal wealth. Jesus reached out to this man as well as others.

I believe Jesus refused to affirm the labels placed on people because this limits our humanity. Whenever one person or a society reduces another person to just a term or just one of his or her sins, such as homosexuality, the overall goodness of their entire humanity is not affirmed, which is what I believe Jesus was sent to do in the first place. As a woman Dawne Moon interviewed in her book says, “We should strive for a world…where people love and accept each other and ourselves as we are called to be.” I believe Christians are called to view each person in his or her entirety and not reduce any person to his or her sexual orientation or force any person to wear a label based on his or her sexual practices unless everyone is going to be forced to wear one.