ho·mo·pho·bi·a

ho·mo·pho·bi·a

/ˌhōməˈfōbēə/

Noun

An extreme and irrational aversion to homosexuality and homosexual people.

A teenage boy walks into a youth group service at a local church. His ears pick up the notes of Contemporary Christian music playing from the surround sound speakers. At the same time, his nose grasps hold of the aroma of fresh food as he walks toward the kitchen. Everybody is relaxed and reclining, slaying away at their plates of home-made spaghetti and talking about the past week of school; a smile is smeared across every face in the room. The boy grabs a plate from what seems to be a sweet middle-aged mother; "Go ahead sweetie, take as much as you like" she says to him, pointing towards the counter of food. He nods meekly, as every other new kid in the youth group does, and off to the spaghetti he goes.

After piling his plate with noodles upon noodles, he looks around the room, trying to scout out a spot to sit and eat. Far to the left there's the table with all the middle-schoolers, at the back of the room a table of high school girls, and right in front of him, a group of some-what intimidating boys that seem to look his age. He contemplates the least awkward situation, and decides that the less he has to walk alone, the better. Spying an extra seat at the boy's table, he hesitantly walks towards the booth and slips into one of the sides. "Hey dude, how's it going?" says the oldest boy at the table, acknowledging the new boy's presence. "Going great man, and you?" the new kid replies with a new found voice. He did it. He's gotten through the most awkward part of being with a new group of people: Getting your first words out. As the conversation between the group goes on, the new boy chimes in, making witty jokes about his school teachers and talking about the taxing life of a high school junior. The church boys laugh and smile at the new kid, making him feel wanted. Then it happens. One of the boys makes a stupid joke, and the immediate replies are "That's so gay" and "You're such a faggot". An eruption of laughter comes about the table, and the sweet mother off to the side chuckles to herself and says "boys will be boys!". The table comes down from its recent excitement and returns to normal; that is everyone but the new boy. What none of the church boys know is that the stupid joke is by no means even close to gay. Instead, the new boy is. From this one offhanded remark, the new boy is now jaded. A soul searching for Jesus, deterred. And all because of the wrongdoing of "God's people".

Fellow Christians, we cannot allow our foul words serve as barriers between those seeking for God and our Father himself, just as these school boys were to the new kid. Regarding our current use of the phrases "That's so gay", "that's queer", and "You're a faggot", we have scarred many sons and daughters of Christ and pushed them farther away from the peace and love we are blessed enough to feel daily. As second Corinthians 6:3 states, we should "Put no obstacles in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry". Believers, is our use of these phrases sharing God's love or compassion with others in any regard? No. We continue to disrupt other's walk with Christ. Proverbs 15:1 also says "A harsh word stirs up anger". We are making the gay and lesbian population build walls around their hearts against their Savior, all because of our malicious words. These same walls are not to be easily broken. Have you ever wondered how these people must feel when they hear these incredibly insensitive and rude comments leak from our mouths? Hated. Filthy. Unworthy. All of the kindness we might have shown is immediately overshadowed by our ignorant remarks; serving to also make us seem hypocritical. We are supposed to show kindness, not tear others down. These people are just as precious in God's eyes as we are, therefore giving us no right to call them out in such a rude manner. We must be aware of our words, for Matthew 12:36 states, "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak".

Followers of the Messiah, this generation cannot be saved without our help. In order to help the Godless or sexually immoral, we must first outfit ourselves with the same love and comfort that our Father in heaven has shown us. Having a hateful mindset against homosexuals shows no benefit for either side, and serves only to make our testimony less effective. Yes, being homosexual is stated as a sin, and according to Matthew 15:18, "For out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and slander". This quotation leads me to ask, are these people's souls not important enough to seize casting them out into the darkness? Are they not in need of salvation? And are we ourselves not guilty of the other sins listed as well? The Christian population must show all people love, just as we love our families and close relatives. The same love God has shown us, we must also learn to share with others. For it is stated in 1 Peter 4:8, "Above all, love each other deeply. Because love covers over a multitude of sins". Christians, there is a more important issue out there than if someone is gay or not. Our eyes should be set on their salvation! If we do not show the homosexual community the love of God, along with all others, they will continue to seek a filler for the empty void in their hearts. And for those who already know and have experienced God's love, we must stop disregarding and begin to appreciate their faith all the more.

Christians: the attitude we must have towards the homosexual community is a loving and caring one. By watching our own words, we can make an impact larger than any of us could have imagined. Fellow believers, I dare you to stand up for what is right and refuse to allow anyone around you to use these slanderous terms, in any context. In fact, by showing that the use of these words is wrong, we can eradicate the problem altogether, with Jesus' help. We must show the world around us our faith through our actions. As God's people, we must watch our mouths not only for our on sake, but also for the sake of others, while sharing his love in the process. We must continue to love our neighbors dearly; spreading God's grace and mercy so that all can hear the amazing news about his kingdom in heaven. Therefore, my brothers and sisters in Christ, I urge you: Take heed. Go to your schools and spread God's word and love. I promise you he will reward you with a greater gift than anything on this Earth; your salvation.