This year, New York City had scheduled to hold the biggest pride parade in the history of the world. It was to happen on the 4th of July, the day the United States of America commemorate and celebrate their independence from the British colonialists. But unfortunately, or rather fortunately with God’s providence through the corona outbreak, it was rendered impossible to have such a parade.
Pride Parades are parades organized primarily by the members of the lesbians, gays, bisexual, transgender and queer and many more sexual preferences (LGBTQ+) community. The members of this community organize marching parades and walk around big cities proudly making a show of who they are. They claim different sexual and gender preferences, and they consider their diversity as a beautiful thing. They settled for the rainbow coloured flag as their symbol and emblem of unity in pride parades and other gatherings.
Pride Parades began in the 1960s. The largest one took place on the 28th of June 1969. At this large pride parade, there were violent demonstrations and rioting by the members of the LGBTQ+ community. The police raided them, most of them were injured, some arrested, and others lost their lives. In commemoration of this, pride parades are held annually in June, hence the name, Pride Month. It has now become a global event that extended far beyond the borders of the United States of America.
Kenya & Pride Month
In Kenya, the month of June is usually filled with activities by LGBTQ+ pushing for recognition and legislation of their “rights.” On 24th of May 2019, the LGBTQ+ in Kenya were pushing for the repeal of a section of the law that criminalizes gay and lesbianism behaviour. A ruling was made by the high court upholding that section by the Kenyan penal code. They were pushing for the repeal of that section in anticipation of the pride month.
As a Christian, I am not writing this to tell you why LGBTQ+ is a sin. This was well handled in our previous article. Neither am I writing to show you how to break away from the chains of same-sex attraction; this was also well demonstrated in our previous article. But I would like to show you some of the fallacies the community have and hold against Christianity.
Most if not all the members of the LGBTQ+ community believe that Christians hate them, all that Christians want is to indoctrinate them, Christians or Christianity want to snatch their treasured pleasure for nothing. Lastly, to be progressive is to be self-determined. Let us address these four fallacies.
1. Christians Hate Us
One day I was walking home from visiting a friend, and I used a very dangerous route. I didn’t know the route was dangerous since I was new in that area. The following day I used an Uber on my way home and the driver, Mikie, told me never to pass through that route past 7 pm. He even said that if I don’t have money to order a ride that he would take me home for free. Mikie was a good man who cared for my life even though we didn’t know each other very long. I know that Mikie cared about me because he was concerned about my general well being otherwise, he would have never told me that he would give me a ride home for free.
To be a Christian means to be in a relationship with God. It means to know what God says about everything in the world, and this is inclusive of sexuality. If God burnt down Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities and condemned them to eternal fire in hell because of sins such as homosexuality (Gen 19:5) why wouldn’t he do so today? Thomas Aquinas listed these as seven deadly sins. They are vainglory, pride, greed, covetousness, lust, inordinate illicit sexual desire, envy, gluttony, which is usually understood to include drunkenness, wrath, or anger, and sloth. You can overcome these by the seven corresponding virtues of humility, charity, chastity, gratitude, temperance, patience, and diligence. Illicit sexual desire is the same as sexual immorality and homosexuality, which the Bible lists them among other sins, and we know that anyone practising them will be condemned (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
Christians, like Mikie, the Uber driver, care that at the end of it all, when Christ return, God won’t condemn you to eternal fire but let you enter into his kingdom. This is a message of love, and I know it isn’t very respectful of what you know and believe, but it is the truth. If I decided to disregard Mikie’s warning and take the dangerous route past 7 pm, would I even be writing this? Some Christians may have missed the mark by condemning without love, that doesn’t mean all of them do so. You can’t disregard a whole group of people because one mistreated you. Give Christians a chance and listen to them, maybe you might want them to listen to you. If you are a Christian, it is good to listen so that you can know how to respond wisely.
2. Christians Want to Indoctrinate Us
Indoctrination is teaching a person or group people to accept a set of beliefs uncritically. Since its inception, Christianity has been a subject of criticism. No world view has received both internal and external criticism the way that Christianity has. Just consider what severe criticism both Jesus and the Bible has come under historically.
True believers of Christ welcome criticism, we are not afraid to be questioned on our belief. We are ready in and out of season to give answers and defence of what we believe (2 timothy 4:2) and be sure we will strive to be gentle and respectful while we give you an answer (2 Peter 3:15). Christians are willing to have you question them because we know that God will provide us with wisdom when we ask him (James 1:5), that God through the Holy Spirit will give us words to say when we don’t know what to say (Matthew 10:20).
Sadly, I must say that some Christians relay on plausible and persuasive language to convince people, instead of trusting God and his word to convince and convict people (1 Corinthians 2:4). These are people who forget that it is God who changes people, not them. And for the sake of God, I plead that you don’t take them as an accurate representation of Christ. Here at Kuza, we endeavour to convince you of the truth of the word of God, and for that, we welcome your questions and comments.
3. Christianity Wants to Snatch Away Your Most Treasured Pleasure for Nothing
One day I promised my nephew to buy him fries and sausages for lunch. Instead, I bought him a pizza. He was seven and had never tasted it before. On our way, he insisted on fries and sausage. I made a deal with him to try the pizza, and if he didn’t like it, I would buy him fries and sausages. He agreed to the deal. I got him beef barbeque with extra cheese and ketchup on the side. After the first bite, he devoured the whole thing like a hungry young lion. Since then, he always asks for pizza.
I am not downplaying what you are considering as pleasurable at the moment. The flesh desires and pushes you to fulfil its desire (James 1:14-15) of being with someone of the same sex. The flesh can drive you crazy if you can’t bridle it. However, if you live by the flesh, all you will want to do and fulfil is the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16-26). What if I told you there is a better pleasure? One that is more ecstatic than all the sensuality the world is giving; would you want that?
Christians don’t come to convince you to leave your momentary pleasures for something disgusting. We want you to have one that is eternal and all satisfying. The flesh is mortal; the soul is immortal, and so are its pleasures (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). We try to turn your eyes to a guiltless, safe, acceptable God-glorifying pleasure. We believe we are giving a better deal than the one you have at the moment, and that is to live by the Spirit (Romans 8:6, Romans 8:13, Galatians 5:16-23). We want you to treasure God above any other thing or person. There is an American Saying that says you cannot eat minced meat after tasting steak. As I was convincing my nephew for pizza over fries and sausage; Christians have tasted of the Lord, and they know he is good, and they want you to taste him as well (Psalms 34:8).
4. The Christian God is an ego manic sadistic that wants to control everything, even my life
We are living in a world where we are interested in being a law to ourselves. Imagine if today, serial killers form an association and say that they receive pleasure in killing and dismembering their victims. And that they would like the law to recognize them since they ‘feel like’ from birth they were and still are killers and demand recognition and protection of the state. This would be the most outrageous thing ever.
We must have laws and institutions that govern and control us so that we do simply act on our desires. Hanse Kelsen said there must be a grundnorm (fundamental norm) that every other norm must find their validity. So, the law of the individual must find its validity in the society and the law of the society must find its validity from the grundnorm. The grundnorm is God; otherwise, where is the source? Without God, the world would be in a state of anarchy (Romans 13:1-5).
You came from somewhere; we believe that God created you and so you belong to him (Colossians 1:16). God is the King of kings and Lord of lords; therefore, every other authority and all individuals under those authorities fall under his rule and dominion (Revelation 19:13;16). His authority, God has given you a choice to make, either to obey him or not. He won’t force you to obey him, but you disobedience just like disobedience to earthly authority has consequences (Deuteronomy 30:15-16).
Conclusion.
Come, let us dialogue. Drop all these fallacies and pursue to at least give thought to what Christians say and believe. Kindly feel free to contact us if you would want a further discussion.
ReplyForward
2 thoughts on “Pride Parades- A Dialog with the LGBTQ Community”
You’re the funniest of all people.
And I love how you decide you’re telling the truth.
It just proves one thing,truth is a matter of perspective,especially when it comes to matters of sex and sexuality.
Can’t all the heterosexual holy Christians pray that even if 10 people are in this land that the world be saved and not be consumed by the fire as Sodom and Gomorrah?
Just to say,as a gay man,I don’t see Christianity from that angle…That just shows how much you relied on your assumptions to write this article..
Anyways,have a beautiful life helping people be straight once again
Waiting to see the response to this