After not blogging for awhile, I found something I think is worth saying. I know homosexuality is not a big deal in Singapore in terms of having a strong civil society that advocates for gay rights like in the US. But I'm sure everybody knows/has friends who are gay or knows people who are gay, at least. And being a Christian I think for a long time, I've just tried not to think about the fact that someone I'm talking to is gay, even though I know according to the bible, apparently, it's a sin, and so that's how I've grown up thinking about gays.

But then I realized, that's simply the answer to it all. "Examine the contents, not the bottle", that is something taught in Judaism, apparently, but I find it apt. Gay, lesbian, rapist, whatever. These are just labels, they're just names, but underneath it all there are human beings, just like you and me, who have dreams and aspirations and goals and whatever. To a certain extent a label tells the outside world about you, but people have to realize that labels are societal constructs, words that tell you what to think about someone. But that's wrong. You have to decide what to think about someone. God never said hate gays, God said love everyone. Hate the sin, but love the sinner. And you know, even if it is a sin, hating gays should entail that every single person who has ever committed a sin should be hated equally, because a sin is a sin. But no, we decide to love pastors who siphon money from the offering bags to buy fancy cars, or we decide to pardon our best friend who was guilty of adultery.

As a Christian I think I've reached a point where I'm learning how to approach homosexuality. It involves a little bit of mindgaming but I think it's for the better. For one, I don't think about whether homosexuality is actually a sin (there are debates). Number two, I don't actively tell myself that the person I'm meeting is gay. What I mean is you can effectively hold absolutely no opinion regarding a person's sexuality (not right not wrong) and still love the person underneath it all.

This is something I think a lot of adults need to learn, especially some extremely bigoted, self-righteous church goers. I don't really have anything to say about e.g. douchebags who are just homophobic for no fucking reason, but I think when you are supposed to be practising a faith that asks you to love one and all, you cannot be spouting nonsense about hating homosexuals. Nobody is as extreme as Westboro for sure, but I think a lot of adults in their tiny, subtle ways, they contribute to a culture of hate. And I know as much as any new born believer, the first thing they teach you, God doesn't hate.