February 20, 2015 Saturday

It's been a long, long while!!! I don't have a good internet connection in Bataan, not to mention I'm rather busy with extracurriculars. I tried badminton and table tennis for a few days but lately I've been spending time learning karate from master. I'm not going to forsake arnis, of course, it's just that this is more accessible at the moment. In fact, I'm going to bring my two sticks to Bataan tomorrow.

That said, we've been doing modules and a few errands as PE trainees. And I've been having fun so far.

Anyway, last Feb 13 S- texted me first. I have been texting every saturday for a few weeks and decided not to specifically on Feb 13, but voila! We'll also meet on Feb 25.

Will I court her? I don't know. Maybe. But recently my mind has been cleared up (thank God!!!). I know now what I'm looking for in a wife: someone to serve the Lord with. I knew this a few years ago but apparently it got muddled up after talking to C- for the last time. If I find that quality in S- then I might go for it. To be fair, I haven't seen that in anyone yet. I find people endearing and interesting, and I imagined myself serving C-, but I've never pictured myself standing side by side someone. Of course, service and love are part of romance but partnership; that's a different thing.

As I've been reading Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, I realized that these emotional attachments of mine (the summer moon, T-, and L-) are going to be a problem. I think it best to fix them before moving forward. But I am not really sure about that. In any case, it's more or less okay. I mean, I don't think it's a problem on their side anymore; it's more about my attitude toward others of the opposite sex.

Also the issue about Manny Pacquiao, I whipped up that note in a few minutes. I think it's good. Haha. N- dm'd me on twitter last night about it so I decided to write.

Of Homosexuality

I slightly touched on this topic on When Love is Wrong, but I want to clarify a few things about our take on homosexuality. It’s simple: Humans have rights, and humans are sinful. May karapatan, makasalanan.

I would like to ask both camps to please stop cherry-picking. And more importantly, it’s not about taking Manny’s side or not.

Yes we believe it’s a sin; go read Romans 1:22-31. Homosexuality is a sin along with “unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:" Although during that time the context might have been about male prostitution (I am not saying that it is), the apostle condemns the very act. It was more a side comment after talking about idolatry. (Go read the text itself, not Facebook posts, please. Read and see and think for yourselves, since you take so much pride in that.) Verse 27 “for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another.”

Atheists/unbelievers will say homosexuality is natural. Please note that we also believe that creation has been cursed, and natural doesn’t necessarily equate to good. I know you do not believe the Bible, but that is another issue. Let us be civil, just as you take so much pride in yourselves to be, and have some respect here.

Now to fellow Christians: that’s not the point at all. It is not just homosexuality. Notice that the apostle placed a greater value on the issue of lust. The standard is much, much higher. “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” “Be holy, for I am holy.”

We do not downplay sin, for “the fear of the Lord is to hate evil.” “But those who are outside God judges. Therefore ‘put away from yourselves the evil person.’” Not only that of others’, but also of ourselves. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” We are all a sexually broken people, in one way or another. Don’t we also get caught up in the romances of this world and desire girlfriends and boyfriends and love life and sex and marriage more than God? These are means to worship, but in a sense we also have “worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator.” Do not cherry-pick.

“Those who are outside God judges.” That is not for us. I am for LGBT rights’ on marriages. Humans are sinful, but humans have rights. It is not the law that they need. They need the Christ, just as much as we do. Are we not free from the law? Then why do we impose it on others? Did not Moses create laws for divorce? Yet the Christ says “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.” No, it was not this way from the beginning. But “God gave them up into vile affections.”

If you are bothered by this, remember that these things must happen. “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as [they were] from the beginning of the creation.”

Yes, homosexuals have rights. And yes, we believe that homosexuality is a sin. Thankfully that is but the first chapter of Romans. We do not end there. At the beginning of bad news is good news. We might have been born this way or that way, but thankfully we can be born again. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” We look at sin in all its filth, so we can see the blood of Jesus in all its purity.

PS I salute you Manny for standing for what you believe in. I do hope that you tell the remainder of the story: that you tell the good news, for what has been quoted from you is only a distorted half-truth.

PSS Elections is a different matter