A Christian Ought to Vote Against Prop 8

I’ll agree to your definition of a Christian for the purposes of this debate. I will not reference any Latin Vulgate or Orthodox Apocrypha at all. All Bible references will be made in the current edition of the 1984 NIV Bible. Now, let’s begin. The basic outline of my argument, is as follows: A Christian ought to emulate Jesus Christ. Christ wouldn’t have supported Proposition 8 (etc). Therefore, a Christian ought to vote against Prop 8. The premise necessary to uphold my argument is that a Christian ought to emulate Jesus Christ. This, I believe, is a rather mild assumption; I’d venture to say the majority of Christians agree – I cannot imagine why they would disagree. Since Christianity itself is based on His teachings, it follows that a Christian should attempt to be as he was – perfect. Albeit impossible. There are numerous examples in the Bible detailing how it is good to be like Christ. I’ll just reference one. 1 John 3:7-8: Dear children, do not let anyone lead you the wrong way. Christ is righteous. So to be like Christ a person must do what is right. The devil has been sinning since the beginning, so anyone who continues to sin belongs to the devil. The real argument around this debate will be concerning a WWJD-esque scenario: would or would not Christ ‘support’ (ie, view as moral) Prop 8 and similar laws. – Point two of the outline above. I’m going to attempt to answer that as a ‘No’, using Jesus’ commands to Christians in The Bible. Firstly, let’s set the stage for the criteria that my case is based on: saving souls. Jesus commands Christians to evangelize to all in Matthew 28:19-20: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Thus, we can conclude, that it is imperative to witness to others in any way possible, without sacrificing our doctrine. For instance, if the only way to convert a certain person is to kill, then that person wouldn’t be saved (at least at that time) – no Christian should violate God’s laws in order to win a convert to Christianity. In a practical sense, by voting against Prop 8, Christians open the door for more converts and saved souls. I’ll explain why this isn’t a violation of Jesus’ commandments a little bit later, but for now, let me explain the mechanics of why it translates to more saved. In our current society, Christians ostracize gays from the church community. Not all of them, of course, but a significant portion. The Barna Group, a conservative think tank (of sorts) run by George Barna, a prolific Christian author, conducted a study in 2009 about LGBT faith. The study found that a large portion of LGBT people believed in a God, and held that their religious values were at least somewhat important.† Candace Chellew-Hodge, a Lesbian Christian, notes what she feels is a common sentiment from the LGBT community. Chellew-Hidge believes that Barna missed an important aspect of LGBT faith when taking the survey. She says: What Barna misses here is the reason why gay adults are 50 percent more likely to be unchurched than straight adults – there are simply fewer churches where we can go and be accepted. Straight adults can walk into any town anywhere in the country and walk into any church on the corner without fear. They know that the majority of the time they will walk into a church that will affirm their beliefs, welcome them warmly, and make them feel safe and loved. The gay and lesbian Christian has no such assurance. †† LGBT people often feel ostracized because of the attitude Christians have towards them, but more importantly, how Christians vote. If LGBT people see Christians as trying to take their freedom (even if they are celibate), as Chellew-Hodges mentions and many others echo, they see, and often correctly, a hostile attitude towards them that limits Christian's abilities to evangelize. After all, you wouldn't listen to someone who you thought was oppressing you. (The GOP also has a hostile stance, at least in the eyes of the LGBT community. It doesn't help that things like this exist, either. http://minnesotaindependent.com...)Thus, if gays knew that Christians voted, en masse, against Prop 8 et al, then they'd be more open to church communities and evangelizing - so that they may hear the Word of God and may be saved.A potential objection that is likely to be raised as your are reading is "But that's sacrificing Christian morals! We can't support a sin!" Normally, you'd be correct. Recall what I said earlier, "if the only way to convert a certain person is to kill, then that person wouldn’t be saved (at least at that time) – no Christian should violate God’s laws in order to win a convert to Christianity." Killing is against one of the Ten Commandments and is ostensibly condemned by Jesus. But - gay marriage and killing are not on the same plane. Remember that definition I use for support. I don't think homosexuality is acceptable, but I "support" gay rights and initiatives against measures such as Proposition 8 from a Biblical standpoint. That Biblical standpoint is saving people.homosexuals will be homosexuals whether they are allowed to marry or not. If gay marriage was legal there would be little effect on Christianity and negligible effect on the number of gays. Someone is gay whether they are allowed to marry or not. Since a Christian, then, is not 'creating' someone who is homosexual by voting for Prop 8, it has no adverse religious effects when we look at the amount of souls save and people turned to celibacy if Prop 8 were to not have the support of the religious right.In conclusion. Jesus came to Earth to save people. He commanded us to do the same. When we look at Prop 8 practically, we see that voting for Prop 8 as a Christian harms more than it helps because it ostracizes gays, making Christians (the chief proponents of Prop 8) responsible for their revulsion of Christianity. While it IS the duty of LGBT people to find God themselves, and hardening hearts is a grave thing to do, Christians are commanded to love and to be open, which we do NOT do when we support Prop 8. We thus discourage gays from coming to Christ - it is as if, in their eyes, we were trying to preach to those we enslaved (I realize the right to gay marriages ≠ slavery at all, but you understand my analogy).Thus, the WWJD? component of my argument (point 2) is confirmed. Although Jesus doesn't dither in politics and never did, he made his commands to Christians clear: bring others to Christ. That can be best done to the LGBT community (as many as 20 million people in the US, by some estimates) by simply voting against Prop 8 - not affirming that homosexuality is OK, but letting out a clear message that Christians aren't hostile to gays. † -"The Barna Group - Spiritual Profile of Homosexual Adults Provides Surprising Insights." Barna Update. The Barna Group, 2009. Accessed June 7 2011. [http://www.barna.org...] †† - Chellew-Hodge, Candace. “New Poll Shows Gays and Lesbians Believe in God." Religion Dispatches. 25 June 2009. Accessed June 7 2011. [http://www.religiondispatches.org...] Chellew-Hodge is a pastor of Jubilee! Circle United Church of Christ in Columbia, S.C and is an author and magazine editor.