A Response

Blogging is a funny thing. I'm under no delusions that I'm good at it--I wait long periods of time between entries, I tend to ramble, and I'm not all that convinced that my subject-matter is terribly interesting. As a general rule, I'm simply better at writing about an issue. So today, instead of writing about the things I miss most from home, I'm going to write about a situation which has put one of our fellow volunteers in Peace Corps Belize in the proverbial hot-seat.

For context, this article is today's news coverage of a mural painted on a wall at Orange Walk Town Hall. The article focuses on the use of the rainbow as a symbol of the "homosexual agenda." Much discourse has occurred recently regarding the constitutionality of Belize's sodomy laws, and, unfortunately, the use of the term "abomination" characterizes the predominant opinion. As for me, I cannot make any judgements on political matters as a Peace Corps volunteer, but I can add my voice to the ongoing dialogue between the faith community and the LGBT community. To that effect, I'd like to talk a little bit more about the rainbow.

My most vivid memories of rainbows are from my childhood. Pulling off to the side of some unnamed road, my parents, sister, and I would stare awestruck at the beauty of this natural phenomenon. And, inevitably, we would all think about what it meant.

Genesis 9
12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

Obviously, those were the days when my worldview didn't include a place for homosexuality, and my only experience of the symbolic meaning of a rainbow came from church as a sign of promise.

Most people growing up in the Judeo-Christian world know the story of Noah's ark (for a hilarious but graphic representation, see the Brick Testament). The world as God created it had descended into debauchery and moral decay. God finds Noah, an upstanding example of righteous piety, and charges him with the task of building an ark and gathering pairs of all the animals of the world. The rains come, the water rises, and all but Noah, his family, and his ark full of wildlife die. In the aftermath, God speaks to Noah and creates the rainbow.

I guess it goes without saying that the rainbow, to me, is a reminder of this story, not a symbol of LGBT rights. However, if LGBT activists want to appropriate this sign of God's love, faithfulness, and commitment to all of humanity, who am I to stop them? Aren't peace, love, tolerance, and equality implicit in God's covenant? And if we really look at the heart of the matter, isn't that what LGBT people are looking for--acknowledgment of their humanity? We afford all sorts of people a full range of human rights--from the cheating spouse to the misogynist to the back-stabber (the figurative one, not the literal one) to the drug dealer. Why should homosexuals be any different? And why should they be any less welcomed by a church body of dysfunctional misfits?

This is where Jesus becomes such a powerful figure to me. He surrounded himself with Jews, Greeks, Samaritans, adulterers, tax collectors, fishermen, brothers, sisters, neighbors, and enemies. He implores you, whether you consider them brothers and sisters, neighbors, or enemies, to love the LGBT community. Similarly, the antagonists in the story of Jesus were the religious authorities--the pastors, bishops, elders, and deacons of our day. His legacy to us, again from my perspective, is an inexhaustible pursuit of justice, equality, peace, and tolerance--in short, an extension of God's rainbow covenant.

I know that my views and opinions on this matter are far from orthodox. But in spite of our stances on the ethical/moral implications of homosexuality, we must advocate on behalf of those who have been marginalized by society. In biblical times, these would have been the widow, the orphan, and the alien. Today, they are the starving and underfed, the victims of human trafficking, and the lesbian, the gay, the transsexual, the bisexual.

Finally, if you have read this far, I hope you would remain open-minded regarding this topic. By inflaming others, we stifle the possibility of finding a mutually beneficial resolution to this issue. In that vein, I am more than happy to answer questions or discuss this topic further with anyone willing to do so in a respectful and productive manner. I hope you enjoyed this food-for-thought!

Peace,

Cisco