"To label as sin a person's sexual orientation is an act of spiritual violence. It defines the personal core, the very essence of a...person's identity, as sinful. Believing you are a sinner because you're lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender creates severe emotional and mental anguish, especially for young people. Not knowing whom to trust or talk with about it, and feeling alone with the struggle to be who you are, creates a deeply personal crisis. Low self-esteem, self-hatred, and fear of exposure often result in ruined lives, broken families, depression, and, much too often, suicide."
(From Jimmy Creech, "Homosexuality is Not a Sin," Crisis: 40 Stories Revealing the Personal, Social, and Religious Pain and Trauma of Growing Up Gay in America, Mitchell Gold, ed., with Mindy Drucker, p. 322.)
I can really relate to this quote. I spent my high school years in Texas, part of the Bible Belt. Too often, I heard people spout, "Love the sinner, hate the sin." The statement deeply offended me. How could they separate, even dismiss, an integral part of my identity?
ReplyDeleteI saw this as an abuse of religion. In time, I pulled away from organized religion as it was easier to remove from my identity than my gayness.
With all the recent trouble Google had with Blogger yesterday, the comment below from Rural Gay Guy was removed and not restored:
ReplyDeleteI can really relate to this quote. I spent my high school years in Texas, part of the Bible Belt. Too often, I heard people spout, "Love the sinner, hate the sin." The statement deeply offended me. How could they separate, even dismiss, an integral part of my identity?
I saw this as an abuse of religion. In time, I pulled away from organized religion as it was easier to remove from my identity than my gayness.
Thanks for your comment Rural Gay Guy.
ReplyDeleteThis quote really resonated with me, too. You don't have to be raised in the Texas Bible Belt to feel the sting of religious teaching, when you know deep inside what you are and how the people you weekly attend church with would feel about it if they found out.
And your point about there being no difference between the perceived "sinner" and "sin" is right on the mark. In our eyes, because we live this thing day-in and day-out, we know there is no difference. How insulting is it to be considered a sinner for something over which we have no control?
Along with you, I no longer consider myself religious. They can have all that crap. If that's what organized religion is about, I want no part of it. God and I have a strong, spiritual relationship, and I value that far more than appearing in any church every week with a bunch of judgmental hypocrites.
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment.
(BTW, regarding being inspired to write a post based on a post I read on your blog, I finished writing the first draft yesterday and need to edit it. I hope you'll stop by to check it out after it appears.)