Whether homosexuality is sin or not is not a political issue, but a spiritual one, and the spiritual argument around gay rights has no place in political decision-making on gay marriage or other rights. We support complete equal rights for the LGBT community as an organization, and the personal beliefs of anyone within our organization regarding homosexuality vary widely, and are irrelevant to the political argument. Your beliefs should be between you and God, your Bible study, or you and your pastor, not between you and the government. 

The arguments and reasoning on this very controversial topic is usually all wrong. As Christians, we want to keep all our rights to believe and preach as we are lead, so we must stand up for the rights of others – which is the reason we support full equal rights, including marriage equality, for the LGBT community. But the time we spend bickering and arguing scripture and interpretations would be much better spent in action for those things Jesus did command action on – reaching out to those who are hurting, oppressed, in need, and inviting them to our banquet table, no matter how we may feel about their lifestyle. If you believe homosexuality is sin, no one asking you to support equality is asking you to give up that belief – or shouldn’t be.

We cannot as a democratic nation deny equal rights to a minority group on the basis of a religious belief. If so, we would have to make legislation against anyone who has an impure thought – where does it end? Do we really want government to be part of what goes on in our spiritual lives, or in our bedrooms?

As Christians, we are commanded to love, treat with respect and defend homosexuals and any other marginalized group, no matter what your Biblical conviction is on homosexuality (and the convictions vary widely within the church world). This we know as absolute: Jesus said that if we commit hate in our heart we have committed murder – thus, we should take discrimination, hate-talk and the bullying of homosexuals very seriously.

Scriptures reflecting the values:

1 John 3:14-15 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

Matt 5: 21-22 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

John 8: 3-11″They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’ “