I am sorry...

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AEON

Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
Joined
Nov 9, 2004
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I want to apologize to all of you for many of my posts over the years, especially regarding homosexuality. I want to especially say I'm sorry to any homosexuals that have read the things I've written. While I often shouted moral imperatives and fought with conviction on this issue, the truth is, I really don't what is right and wrong outside of love. So much is circumstantial. Love is the one law, and it trumps every circumstance. That's all I know, and in the end, I think that's all I'm supposed to know. Sure, I claimed to love the sinner and hate the sin, but that isn't true. I essentially dehumanized a whole community of God's children in order to have an enemy. How can I claim to love someone and condemn so much of who they are at the same time? I can't. I was the sinner. I was the one missing the mark.

Is homosexuality wrong? I don't know. I simply don't understand it. Does the Bible say it's wrong? I don't know. As Melon and many scholars have pointed out - the arguments against homosexuality in the Bible where focused on rape and temple worship (circumstantial). And as we all know, so much of the finer points of the Bible are wide open to interpretation .Greek and Hebrew are beautifully complex languages. There will never be full consensus on the meaning of any particular word or passage. There is no consensus of what is right or wrong even within the Bible. Thankfully, Jesus and other rabbis gave us parables so we can stop debating whether or not it will make us ritually unclean to help out a brother dying in the street, just help. Love comes first. The one universal truth that breaks through the pages is love. And that's what U2 is about. That's why I am drawn to them. I'm guessing that's why you, the person reading this on interference.com, is drawn to them as well. And that's how I want to live. I'm deserting the culture war and will focus my life to being the hands and feet of the church. Not to evangelize, simply to help make this world a little sweeter, a little kinder, and a little more gentle for everyone. As St. Francis of Assisi said, "preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words." Amen to that.

Again, I am so terribly sorry for the pain, anguish, and division I've caused. I pray that all of you live beautiful, loving lives filled with charity, compassion - and above all else, love.
Live Well,
Stephen
 
Interesting post.

Thanks for sharing. I think all of us that post in here have wrong opinions from time to time.

For some time now, 'the hate the sin and love the sinner' has made absolutely no sense to me. I think hate is always destructive.

All of us should question why we believe what we believe.

Is it based on good sound information? or something that has been handed down? Because a belief may be widely held by some groups should not cause one to accept it without holding it up scrutiny.


I don't think it matters why Aeon changed his opinion. I think he stated some sound reasons in his post about love. Also, people that want to follow scriptures, the ancient texts of those scriptures do not say what the anti-gay people claim.
 
What brought to this point, Aeon?

It wasn't one thing, Jive. I didn't have a road to Damascus experience or anything. I just sort of realized that the more I engaged in the debate, all debates, the less I felt like I was being loving and generous.
 
Wow. What a very nice, honest, considerate post. Not often people do this, I'd love to see more of this sort of thing in the world, online and offline.

I have no disagreement whatsoever with the sentiment that love, compassion, and kindness are values that matter above all else. It's a belief I try to live by. I'm very happy to see that you have decided to move on from the craziness that are the "culture wars". There's things you may not understand, there's things you may not care for, but you are absolutely right that tearing people down and hurting them is not the way to go about dealing with whatever issues you may have about something.

I wish you all the happiness and love in the world, too, and appreciate your post very much :hug: :). And on my end, if anything I have said in the past here has come off as rude or offensive to you, I apologize, too.

Angela
 
I wish you all the happiness and love in the world, too, and appreciate your post very much :hug: :). And on my end, if anything I have said in the past here has come off as rude or offensive to you, I apologize, too.

Angela

Thank you, Angela. :hug: You have never offended me. Quite the opposite. It was people like you, Irvine, Melon, Yolland and many others here in this forum that helped open my mind and heart.
 
:up: This post makes my day. It seems like so many people out there are totally unwilling to admit they might be in the wrong and try to overcome their prejudice. The world would be a better place if there were more people like you in it.
 
It takes courage to do what you did, Aeon. Thank you.

I followed much of your posts and I always felt that heart of love was there. I don't recall you being anything less than sincere and tactful, even when the views you espoused were hurtful. I'm not surprised you've to come to question those views as the disconnect between your spirit and that of homophobic views were bound to come into conflict sooner or later.

That was my experience too. Like you my views have changed, in a large part due to two things. A former student and close friend of our family who came out to me at the end of his freshman year. Knowing him and caring for him as a son primed me for the second thing--what Melon and others here on this forum had to say. I'll always be grateful to Melon for being that rare person who understood that I couldn't just throw away the Scriptures, but instead provided me a "Third Way" forward in my understanding of what the Bible has to say on the topic.

God bless as you continue on your journey closer to the Love of God.
 
Thank you, Angela. :hug: You have never offended me. Quite the opposite. It was people like you, Irvine, Melon, Yolland and many others here in this forum that helped open my mind and heart.

Oh, good. You're welcome, and that makes me happy to hear that :).

There's some killer debaters in here, on both ends of the political spectrum, that certainly can't be denied. It's why I like coming here-sure, the discussions get heated from time to time, but when a good, strong debate's going, I enjoy that immensely.

Angela
 
I've been there AEON. Good post!:up: Learning never stops. People don't want to admit they are wrong precisely because they don't want that to be some eternal stain that people can bash you with. The irony is if you keep learning without self-recrimination you'll learn faster and farther than many of your critics who are also imperfect and have imperfect opinions in many subjects.
 
Yeah, good on ya. However, real debate is important. I'm not talking about feigned debate to generate ratings and by inviting uninformed biggots, as the mainstream media does, but it's essential to letting people express their views.

Anyway, the sentiment is nice and the main message is very sweet.
 
"Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,' and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, (namely) 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law." - Romans 13:8-10

There is much that I hope I know, yet there is much that I do not know. Through grace...through love, I trust that God is merciful enough to understand when we seek to honour Him, even if we are incapable of understanding His message fully. If man has fallen, it is through grace that man rises again. In the meantime, I hope I have done my part to make the world a better place, and that I can continue to do so in the name of God.

Humbly, I am glad my knowledge was able to be put to good use. I hope we can continue to have interesting religious discussions in this place, as it's still something I contemplate quite regularly. Take care!
 
"Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable". - H. R. Mencken.
 
"Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable". - H. R. Mencken.

As an aside, I respect those who wish to remain in the material realm, even if I can't. I always found metaphysics to be more interesting; at my most introverted, I can be rather engrossed with those kind of "improbable" questions.
 
"Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable". - H. R. Mencken.

Interesting. I tend to think faith "may" be defined other ways, and some of those probably include logic.
 
Humbly, I am glad my knowledge was able to be put to good use. I hope we can continue to have interesting religious discussions in this place, as it's still something I contemplate quite regularly. Take care!

Keep fighting the good fight, Melon. You're a beautiful, gifted man. It may have taken 5 or 6 years to get through to me, but you did (along with the Holy Spirit, of course).

Great passage by the way. More Christians should meditate on it before engaging the world.
 
Hi Aeon,

I haven't read your post. Since, I don't venture into FYM very ofter. But, I would like to say that what you have done is very brave and compassionate. I respect you for that. It is difficult for all of us to admit a wrong doing or to change our opionion. I think you are setting a great example. Something everyone can learn from and I thank you for this.

God bless.
 
"There is no consensus of what is right or wrong even within the Bible."


Aeon, do you really believe that?

For example, is the commandment against stealing not clear?
Open to personal interpertation?

Are morals and truth all relative?
 
"There is no consensus of what is right or wrong even within the Bible."


Aeon, do you really believe that?

For example, is the commandment against stealing not clear?
Open to personal interpertation?

Are morals and truth all relative?

Dishonest argument.

A logical case can be made for why stealing is wrong. I'm pretty sure you know that AEON (and most of the rest of us) understand and accept that. The logical case for why homosexuality is wrong is harder to make.
 
That's an unfair bit of cherry-picking, iron horse. Taken in the context of his entire post(s), I think it's clear what he's talking about.
 
"There is no consensus of what is right or wrong even within the Bible."


Aeon, do you really believe that?



For example, is the commandment against stealing not clear?
Open to personal interpertation?

Are morals and truth all relative?

I think the point that Jesus makes is that all morals and truth are "relative" in their proximity to love. If you aren't motivated by love for another, then it doesn't matter how well you follow the other laws.

Even your example of stealing - some could argue that someone "stealing" from the rich that robbed from the poor, and then gave it back to the poor is doing the right thing. Circumstantial.

When does killing become murder? Circumstantial. When does ambition become greed? When does passion become lust? There is no clear line you can draw that will define every single possible circumstance. Jesus, in his wisdom, understood this. He essentially says stop debating about the specific applications of the law - just love and you will be doing the will of God. Love covers the multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8).

Now, I understand that some will say that obeying the law IS love - love for God. But I do find it interesting that in several places the "love thy neighbor" commandment is stated without "Love God" - (traditionally the Great Commandment is twofold - love God and love your neighbor). Does this mean that loving God is no longer important? I don't think so. I think it means that loving your neighbor IS loving God.

Even if you so think homosexuality is a "sin", we are not to call it out. We are not to judge. We are called to love, and love without an agenda. We shouldn't love with the hope of "changing" someone. Simply love. I accept that I can't understand homosexuality. But there are a great many things I don't understand. When I pray for clarity and how I should consider the topic, my heart tells me the same thing it always tells me about human relationships "just love."
 
:up: Knocking 'em out of the park today, Aeon.

Your point about love as the motivation is a keeper.
 
"There is no consensus of what is right or wrong even within the Bible."


Aeon, do you really believe that?

For example, is the commandment against stealing not clear?
Open to personal interpertation?

Are morals and truth all relative?

Maybe we could all just appreciate his thread for what it is rather than getting into the same old back and forth about the Bible and religion.
 
"There is no consensus of what is right or wrong even within the Bible."

Aeon, do you really believe that?

For example, is the commandment against stealing not clear?
Open to personal interpertation?

Are morals and truth all relative?
Is it moral because God say so or does God say so because it is moral? I think that old dilemma is ignored by those who continually claim "objective" morality from a very subjective text.

If you want to argue that God sets the rules I think it turns morality into an argument from arbitrary authority. The way in which some Jews and Christians are willing to defend tales of ethnic cleansing because it was sanctioned by their God illustrates the nasty places this way of thinking leads. I'd also point to the popes pronouncements against "moral relativism" whilst his racket covers up child rape and promotes the spread of AIDS through misinformation as an example of moral absolutism gone awry.

Ethics is very important and a good starting point is to examine the merits of "traditional" morality in different areas.
- Individual liberties such as freedom of speech and belief (or non-belief)
- Equal treatment of LGBT persons
- Human rights
- Reproductive rights
- Social welfare
- Biomedical research
- Animal welfare
- Environmental responsibility
- The wrongs or rights of war

Religious morality has had historical influence over these issues for better or worse but I think it prevents actions that reduce suffering. Promoting hatred of people because of their sexuality is one of the most overt examples of this. Same-sex love deserves as much respect and protection as opposite-sex love and I haven't seen a good argument against it.

I feel that somebody with a more flexible and informed morality is capable of making decisions with better outcomes according to observable effects than a moral absolutist. In this thread AEON has demonstrated that his capacity for kindliness helped him accept and respect people in spite of previously held opinions. I suspect that it's a good deal easier to do that when not burdened with theology, but that only makes this change more admirable.
 
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