Christians protesting gay marriage on the grounds of sexual sin. We can only assume they've never sinned themselves. (Wikimedia Commons, Montrealais.)

“Ugh.”

Thus concludes the transcription of my thoughts about Senate Bill 1062 of Arizona while riding the train home from Church last Sunday. More and more I find myself frustrated with Christians trying to use “religious liberty” to treat humans in inhumane ways. As far as I can tell, the only liberty Christians in Arizona are taking advantage of is the one allowing them to pick and choose the parts of Jesus’ message that best support their beliefs. 

It is harder and harder to convince people that Jesus’ message is actually one of love and acceptance when those following Him in Arizona are using his name to deny service to the LGBT community, as if they had walked into a store half naked. Putting aside the fact that if I were a part of the LGBT community I would sooner have no wedding than I would buy flowers from someone who doesn’t want to sell them to me because of who I sleep with. Putting aside that this is just terrible as a business practice, as a Christian this law appalls me.

This isn’t a conversation about same-sex marriage and to me it’s not even entirely a conversation about equal rights. It is a conversation about professing Christians thinking that our liberties extend to Constitutional and Biblical interpretation. 

The Constitution of the United States grants freedom of religion. It allows anyone to attend Church, to pray in public and to do a million different things that we so choose. However, like any other amendment in the Bill of Rights, the freedom of religion is contingent upon your not infringing on the rights of others. Imagine if stores refused service to Christians on the grounds that we’re Christian. Can you imagine the ruckus the Church would raise? Can you imagine the screaming about how many rights were being trampled upon? 

Even that isn’t the most important part of this conversation. What this really comes down to is the Bible, and therefore it comes down to what Christians believe Jesus Christ to have said. 

I don’t claim to be a theologian or even a Biblical scholar. But I’ve read the Gospels, and much of the Word. I may be mistaken but I must have missed the part where Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself. Unless of course they’ve ever made one decision you don’t agree with.” 

Those trying to pass Senate Bill 1062 consider gays and lesbians perverts. How ironic that the real perversion here is what they have done to the man we profess as God. Because in reality, that God said a lot about the kind of people Senate Bill 1062 is trying to marginalize, and he said a lot about how they are being treated. The men and women in Arizona trying to deny service on the ground of Religious Liberty because they’re not comfortable with homosexuality need to look in the mirror. What happened to Jesus’ message of humility? What happened to His message that “the last will be first and the first shall be last?

In the 12th chapter of his letter to the Roman Churches, through Paul the Holy Spirit tells us, “rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another.” How far have we fallen as Believers that we’ve forgotten these messages? How far have we fallen that we think it’s ok to take Jesus’ word and twist in such a way that you can deny services to people solely on the grounds that they’re not perfect in your eyes? 

There has been much hair pulling over the fall of the American Church in recent years. More and more polls show less and less people professing as devout Christians. They are numbers that bring me worry and sadness. However, with people like those behind Senate Bill 1062 acting as the mouthpiece of the Church of Jesus Christ, the saddest part is the one thing they don’t bring me; surprise.  

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