Hello all and all me to introduce myself. My name is Jimmy. I am an ex-Christian, Objectivist, and homosexual.
I wanted to post something that I've been thinking about for a while, and I'm trying to get Christians' opinions of it. Consider the following scripture:
"He [Jesus] answered, 'Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.'" (Mk 10:11-12, NIV)
"[Jesus said] 'Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.'" (Lk 16:18, NIV)
The number of Christians, including "born-again" Christians, that these verses condemn to "lives of sin" is staggering. Everyone knows that the divorce rates are around 50%, and a great many of those who get divorced get remarried. Why do churhces accept these adulterous relationships as "normal"? Why is an adulterous relationship not "living in sin" while a homosexual relationship is?
Here is my theory: if churches decided to start condemning divorce and remarraige as adultery (as Jesus did), then that would alienate far too many tithe-paying members in the congregation (statistically speaking, 50% of the congregation on average). Condemning homosexuality as sin is actually a benefit to churches since it provides society with a "menace" that Christians are going to "save the children" from. By whipping up fear of homosexuals, churches can increase their clout, membership, and tithes.
What are your thoughts?