WORLD magazine, this is not Christianity

Image source.

So I guess WORLD magazine isn't even trying to pass itself off as "hating the sin and loving the sinner." The contempt for LGBTQQIAP people is just dripping from this article.

The basic point of the article is "you guys, isn't it ridiculous how LGBT supporters keep adding to their acronym? Now it's LGBTQQIAP isn't that the silliest thing you've ever heard?"

Umm... have you spent any time thinking about why that is? Have you perhaps wondered why it might be important to someone to have their identity recognized and acknowledged?

Have you thought about what it means to identify as queer, or asexual, or pansexual, or any of the other letters, and what it means to care for the needs of each specific demographic represented in the acronym?

The bible is clear that we should love people, but I don't see any love in mocking the acronyms that sexual minorities use. Mocking the very meaningful terms which people, made in the image of God and whose diversity reflects God's complex nature, use to identify themselves.

Like, seriously? Jesus said, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." As the song goes, "they will know we are Christians by our love." This is not Christianity.

Image source.

A few other lovely bits from this article:

In simpler days when it was merely an “L” and a “G,” their position seemed stronger because all they had to persuade us of was that some people are born with a hard-wired romantic orientation to the same sex. We were given assurances that if we granted “L” and “G” they would be happy and leave us alone, having achieved total self-actualization and a redressing of offenses against their long-aggrieved identities.

Notice the "us vs them" dynamic going on here. Like, oh these ridiculous gay-rights activists came along and wanted us to sign on to their completely absurd philosophy about rights for L and G people, and we thought if we just agreed then that would be the end of that. As if people who advocate for equality are some kind of nuisance, and we thought the deal was that if we give in a little bit, they would shut up about it. We feel cheated.

(Also, notice the attitude of "it doesn't apply to me, so it's worthless" that's pretty much the basis for this whole article. This is Christianity?)

Then “B” came along, and they had to fairly sneak it in when no one was looking, because claiming that you have an orientation that goes both ways sounds a lot like saying you just like to fool around and you don’t care who with.

Okay, what the hell? That is not what bisexual means at all. I'm a heterosexual woman, does that mean I want to have sex with all men? No, everyone knows that's not what it means. Same thing with being bisexual. It does not mean you want to have sex with everyone. It does not mean you are not interested in monogamy. It just means the set of people you are potentially sexually attracted to includes both men and women.

"They want to have sex with tons of people" is a common misconception about bisexuals, and it's hurtful to them. So basically, this article is lying (yeah the bible has some things to say about that) and is unloving toward our bisexual neighbors. Again, how the heck does this count as Christianity?

In science there is a rule known as “death by qualification.” It is the idea that a theory about something loses its cogency when it gets whittled away by too many exceptions and contrary facts and when you constantly have to tack on new explanations to try to account for inconvenient evidence (evolution theory, for instance).

Umm... adding letters to "LGBT" is not about "making exceptions." It's about being inclusive. Each group represented is different and has slightly different needs. And I believe Christianity is about being inclusive. God loves everyone. God loves lesbian people. God loves gay people. God loves bisexual people. God loves transgender people. God loves queer people. God loves people who are questioning their sexuality or gender identity. God loves intersex people. God loves asexual people. God loves pansexual people. There are no exceptions.

(As an aside: making the acronym longer isn't the same thing as being inclusive. If we use "LGBT" but really we're talking about something that mainly affects LGB people, like marriage equality, and we ignore the injustices against trans people, that's not being "inclusive" toward trans people at all. For me, as someone who's not a member of the LGBTQ (plus whatever other letters you want to add) community, it can feel like a minefield, trying to write something in support of LGBT people, but worried I'll use the wrong word and upset someone. Obviously, the difficulty I may have while writing this is nothing compared with the actual injustice and discrimination that LGBT people face, and if I really support them, I will be open to being corrected when I accidentally contribute to that oppression. So if I say something wrong, you can tell me.)

And one last bit from the article:

My LGBT ["let God be true"] means that even if I am the last person on earth who still believed what the Bible says about the proper use of our bodies, I will choose to believe God over every other word, theory, testimony, report, feeling, persuasive argument, and complicated theology.

Yeah let me fix that for you:

...I will choose to believe [my interpretation of what God said] over every other word, theory, testimony, report, feeling, persuasive argument, and complicated theology.

Yeah, there's your problem. You set your own interpretation up as "God" and then put unshakeable faith in that. Isn't that the definition of idolatry?

Image source.

Perfect Number, why do you even care about this random blog post? I mean seriously, its whole point is "wow isn't it ridiculous how this acronym has gotten so long?" That's so obviously silly and ignorant it's not even worth responding to.

I care because it's a post from WORLD magazine. This is probably the biggest news magazine in evangelical Christian culture. This is a big deal and Christians take it seriously. I took it seriously too; back when I was in high school, my parents had a subscription and I read every issue. And I believed it, because it billed itself as the "biblical" or "Christian" perspective on various issues.

But now... now I see the WORLD bears false witness against others, treats LGBT people as an impersonal, ominous force trying to destroy society, and passes that off as "Christianity." What the hell?

This isn't Christian at all. The bible is clear: Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. What the hell are you doing, WORLD magazine?

You can be conservative if you want. You can believe the bible is inerrant. That's fine. You can hold whatever beliefs you want to, but there is nothing that can excuse the blatant lying about LGBT people. There is nothing Christian about the hate I see paraded around by groups like ADF and Focus on the Family- organizations I was once completely loyal to. I bought into all your bullshit propaganda, and you'll have to answer to God for the way you have led so many little ones astray.

Between this "Acronym absurdity" post and this one reporting positively about a guy trying to establish a legal right to be an asshole Christian who puts anti-gay messages on cakes, as if that's the same thing as Christian bakeries getting in trouble for refusing to sell to same-sex weddings, I have lost all respect for WORLD magazine.

This is not Christianity.