I know the topics involved here (homosexuality, suicide, etc.) are very serious and may strike close to home for some of you. I don’t take these things lightly. I seek only to shine the light of God’s word upon issue we face as individuals and as a church that we may walk circumspectly in these often confusing times.
I first saw the “It Gets Better” video production during American Idol on May, 11. Here is a link:
It begins as a video claiming to be aimed at reducing suicide among youth of non-traditional sexual desire/behavior (LGBT) due to bullying. Bullying of anyone for anything is wrong and should be stopped. I can relate to being bullied and teased in school and in hindsight I can see how it could have led to very serious consequences in my life. Bullying that leads to physical or emotional harm may even be cause for some type of criminal or civil charges. But, with that said I see several errors with this project’s message and also the potential for great harm if accepted without discernment.
An essential question to consider is: can someone be against bullying on moral grounds, against suicide on moral grounds, against homosexuality on moral grounds and at the same time actually love the individuals involved and want to see each of them find freedom in Jesus Christ from what we see as life destroying sin?
Before consider that very important question I will address some possible errors of logic and questions of motive in the production -
1st - it asks a question and assumes an answer that may well be in error:
The question - Why are (LGBT) kids committing suicide? If you were to watch this commercial/video you would walk away thinking it is caused by bullying. Is suicide caused by bullying? In all cases of suicide should we look for a person or persons outside the deceased to blame for their death? How many different kinds of other people’s actions or circumstances might cause suicide? Bullying is wrong, but so is suicide and we should counsel people (young or old) that there are other ways to deal with people’s meanness and hard circumstances than suicide. We should also seek to root out and discipline bullies as they will be bullying someone else if they run out of (LGBT) kids to pick on. If a child commits suicide after being bullied for having “funny looking hair” will we see TV commercials addressing it? Why is this issue, one of many that young people are bullied for and a drop in the bucket when it comes to overall teen suicides (although one is too many), being singled out. Further, why is the message “It Get’s Better”, rather than here is how to deal with bullies and other problems that might lead a young person to consider taking their own life? Perhaps there is more than suicide prevention in mind here.
2nd - I think there is clearly a dual agenda here:
Suppose the message here isn’t just about getting young (LGBT) people to not commit suicide in response to bullying, but also a call to ignore their conscience and traditional moral values when it comes to their sexual desires or behavior? If one of the issues faced by these young people is the possibility that their desires/behaviors are actually wrong and it is leading to some anxiety or inward struggle, should they listen to that inner voice and question their desires/thoughts or keep giving in to those desires with the promise that “it gets better”. Suppose this lifestyle is not their ticket to happiness at all and it doesn’t get better as this handful of people in the video claim it will? Perhaps we should be helping young people evaluate their desires and actions as they relate to society as a whole, discussing if their truly is any basis for absolute moral standards and if so what are they.
3rd – It ignores the possibility of a higher, God given moral standard.
Suppose that the Bible is true (as I believe it is) and we are all born with desires for things that God calls sin. What if we really are to confess these things as sin, accept forgiveness as found in Jesus and then seek the power of His Holy Spirit to live righteously? Suppose these many sexual behaviors which go against the word of God are to be resisted with His help in this life and will be removed completely in the next life as His followers are finally perfected? We may be setting these young people free from fear that bullying will last forever or free from the fear that they won’t have a “good happy life” or fear that they may be doing something that is truly wrong, but suppose the freedom we gave them is really freedom from a relationship with God now and forever!
This is not a unique situation; consider other once commonly held moral standards that we have thrown out as a culture - abortion, pre-marital sex, state run lotteries and the general failure to accept personal responsibility (credit abuse/bankruptcy, criminals excused as victims, etc.). Where does it end? Where do you draw the line at what is acceptable and what is not? Without some higher God given standard of behavior, some absolute standard of right and wrong that transcends our best thinking and feelings, then I would agree it is impossible to truly call wrong any of these behaviors -
Homosexuality
Transvestitism
Pre-marital sex
Abortion
Terrorism
Or for that matter- bullying or suicide!
We are all born sinners, wanting what we should not want, whether (LGBT) thoughts/behaviors or infinitely more ways to sin in thought and deed. Fortunately, God has given us His Son Jesus to save us if we believe, and then His word and His Spirit to help guide us and empower us to live as individuals and as members of society in this life.
Gal. 5: 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (NKJV)
The more society calls good evil and evil good the harder it will be (persecution will come) to show the love of Jesus by speaking the truth about sin (suicide, bullying and yes LGBT) and the need for grace found in Jesus Christ.
Lord, may we find help and hope in You as we stand for truth out of love for You and our fellow man!
For further information on this topic you may want to listen to the audio link found at the website below:
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