By Edwin Crayton/Opinion
Ever since I was a little boy, I’ve always liked and admired the story “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Anderson. It really drove home to me the importance and awesome benefits of being honest and telling the truth despite the difficulty of doing so. In case you’re unfamiliar with the tale, it’s about a powerful emperor who believes he has invisible clothes. So yes, that means he goes around naked. Because of his power, people play along, pretending to see his glorious new “invisible” clothing. Then one day, a little child just shouts out the truth. The child screams, “But he has nothing on!” When I look at all the deception and spinning of truth and the acceptance of lies by many living in our world today, I think about that story and the healthy, healing lesson it teaches. The most striking example is how the LGBTQ Movement (Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Transgender and Queer) is aggressively trying to get the public to accept transgender lifestyles as normal. We are being pitched the idea that men who identify, or who see themselves as female, should be considered female. And women who identify as being male should be seen as male. Just like the people in the “Emperor’s New Clothes”, we are expected to play along. Like the emperor, the LGBTQ Movement is powerful and shames those who disagree with their godless and unbiblical ideas on sexuality. Mention, if you dare, that a person is the sex they were born and expect to be called “homophobic” or in some cases, expect to even lose a job. Never mind that centuries of good science has proven that we are the sex we were born. Forget that God himself says he made people ‘male and female (Genesis 1:27)”, and that he also said homosexuality is a sin (Leviticus 18:22, Romans Chapter 1). Like the emperor the LGBTQ bunch believe they are whatever they imagine and if you don’t play along—wham! They attack you one way or another. So many people, bullied by political correctness, play along and pretend to see what isn’t there. But there’s a problem. The problem is God has called his followers to not be like the people of the emperor’s kingdom. Instead, he calls us to be like the little boy who just tells the truth, despite the challenges and consequences.
But it seems like right now I can hear people saying. “But it is scary to tell the truth when people will attack you for doing so”. I know. But you know, there’s something much more frightening. That is, the fact that playing along with a lie turns you into a liar. So, what we have now is a situation developing in which whole nations and societies are carelessly playing along with the false notion that a person can change their sex. In short, accepting the transgender con game is turning us into nations of liars. Additionally, many are also accepting same sex unions and marriages as a norm. It’s the playing along that makes us liars. If you are a Christian, it is even worse, because Christians are called to respect and live by biblical teachings and as I mentioned earlier the Bible is quite clear– homosexuality in any form is a sin. Scripture even goes so far as to say that it can keep a person out of heaven unless they will repent, leave the sin and accept Jesus as savior and lord (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). The Bible warns that we should not call evil good. All sin is evil.“ Suffering is an unavoidable part of being a Christian. We suffer because we are Christians in a world that rejects God. Isn’t it true that we believers serve a lord who suffered and died on a cross in order to offer people a way to be saved from hell?
Yet even some religious leaders are allowing the sin of homosexuality into the church. Some churches hire gay pastors despite the Bible’s warnings. Recently, I even heard the pope talking about being more accepting of the LGBTQ. It is unclear what he is talking about. Well, the truth is true Christians accept all people. We love all people and that includes homosexuals—but we do not and should not accept the sin of homosexuality or any other sin. The Bible forbids that. To accept any sin is to reject God. The LGBTQ is asking too much. That’s why believers must say no to them and keep on saying no.
Everyone is a sinner, but all sinners must come to church repenting for their sins and seeking to leave their sins. The LGBTQ is doing just the opposite. They are holding “Pride” events saying they are proud of their sin. I hope the pope is willing to remind them that they must leave their sins. This means coming into the church to be changed and loosed from homosexuality. They should not be coming into the church to change the church. God has spoken against homosexuality in any form. He does not need correction and change. Sinners do. We want homosexuals to be saved. But they must follow the requirements for salvation just like everyone else who converts to the faith.
That is just one example. Look around you and I believe you’ll see that these are hard times for truth tellers wherever you look. Today, many people want to be told only what they want to hear. It’s why there is so much polarization everywhere. Republicans can’t work with Democrats. Jews and Arabs have so much hatred, many appear more interested in seeing the other side eliminated. As the Bible says, they don’t have eyes to see or ears to hear the truth. Isn’t that where we Christians are supposed to come in? Aren’t we called to be peacemakers? But are we? When Hamas terrorists brutally attacked Israel, did we turn to Christ for guidance as to what our attitude should be? Or did we just pick sides? This age-old conflict is a complex one. It’s not easy to know what to do if you rely on human understanding alone. For instance, the Israelis were brutally attacked by the terrorists group Hamas, who also took hostages and has yet to release them. The Israeli government says they want to wipe out Hamas. But Hamas hides among the civilian population. That means Israel’s rockets and bullets will harm or kill civilians and that is what is happening. As that happens, Hamas and the Palestinians cry out about the suffering and death, naturally. First of all, can you really wipe out a terrorist organization? Because they are led by an idea, you really can’t kill it with a gun. So is Israel’s goal really attainable? As for the Palestinians, why aren’t more leaders calling on Hamas to release the hostages? And it’s understood that Hamas has built tunnels underground below homes, hospitals, etc. How did they accomplish that without people knowing about it? Just asking. Seems there are a lot of half truths being told on both sides. That’s why it seems the right side is the one not many people are talking about. Why not take God’s side? Why not surrender to his will knowing that whatever it is, it will be right.
The Spanish word “sin” means without. To live without God is to live without peace of mind on earth as well as to be damned for an eternity. We may get our way. We may be prosperous and popular. But without God, there is an emptiness in all of us. That is because we were created in a way that makes it impossible to live without him. We cannot also live without the truth. Eventually, every lie cost more than it pays. That is why in the end, every knee must accept Jesus. There are absolutes in the world. You may not believe fire burns. But if you stick your hand in it, will it matter what you believe? You’ll still be burned.
Jesus told his followers that if they would follow him, he would give them the truth and it would set them free. Sin promises freedom. But in the end, it enslaves us. Following Jesus comes at a cost and restrictions on behavior. But ironically, in the end, we are freed from sin and the wages of sin: death.
Happy Thanksgiving: What I am thankful for:
The faithful Christians and Christian churches who believe in God’s Holy Word and continue to teach it and strive to live by it as given to us from God, through the prophets.
Clean water and food. So many in the world do not have it due to war, famine and climate change’s effect on the poor. I pray that we will give to those in need.
Two publishers: Bill Vance of the Natchitoches Parish Journal and Randy Stelly, founder of the Real Views, for showing guts and courage in the pursuit of justice.
God’s love and impressive patience with a rebellious world.
Look for this column at least twice a month in the journal, usually on Tuesdays.