I imagine this is the same fight given to the issue of divorce in times past. Now, divorce is common place and accepted within religion with the sanctification of second and even third marriages. Adulterous leaders can cheat on spouses, divorce and remarry, all while retaining leadership positions within the church body. Children born out of wedlock are baptised years before their parents are united by pastors in the name of God. Clergy steal, rape, lie and lead ungodly lives just like the rest of the population. Yet, these men of cloth are prayed for and forgiven. Many never face charges and are even quietly shuttled from congregation to congregation so as to not draw attention to their sins/crimes.

It seems to me that Faith is pure, but organized religion is as fickle as the congregants who gather together. As a MS Lutheran, I find our hypocrisy insulting and understand full well why unbelievers would steer clear of church. We break commandments every day, day in and day out, knowing full well that what we do is wrong. Yet, nowhere in my Bible are homosexuals singled out as the unpardonable sinners while the rest of us get free passes.

If we want the world to take us, our faith and our mission seriously, we need to unsaddle our high horses and realize we are no better than anyone else. More importantly, we need to quit using scripture to justify our fears and persecute those different from us. There are just as many passages that promise forgiveness and love to all believers.

Adultery is a sin. It is a commandment that includes having impure thoughts, never mind acting on them. Homosexuals deserve the same loving support and forgiveness we shower on rapists, cheaters, sex addicts, pedophiles, bastard births, second marriages, prostitutes, the husbands sitting next to us in the pew who regularly sodomize their wives, etc. We cannot offer prayers to one group of sexual sinners and not another. We cannot uphold self righteous beliefs and continue lying to ourselves and each other when the shackles of sin bind us just as firmly.

But, you will argue, homosexuals continue their immoral behavior and therefore ignore God's word and are deserving of his wrath. Let me ask you, how often do you ask for forgiveness for the same sin? How easy is it to be Jonah, blatantly ignoring God's word, easily accepting His forgiveness, all while waiting with smug satisfaction for the destruction of Nineveh? How many times have you seen comments on news articles or Facebook posts that quote scripture in one line and call homosexuals and those in favor of same sex equality nasty names? I see it all the time, even from members of my own congregation, and certainly from self-proclaimed, God-fearing Missouri Synod Lutherans.

Please, live by the words we demand of everyone else. Teach, guide, share, love and forgive rather than preach one thing and do another. Homosexuals are not killing faith. We are through our own hypocrisy and persecution. When we can find a smarter way to tackle uncomfortable faith topics that don't blame, deride and alienate, then we will truly be successful in sharing God's word in a way that will bring others closer to God, not push them away.