Another Perspective on ‘Pride’ Marches
To those who participate in them or cheer them on, and for much of the surrounding culture, the various pride marches that homosexuals and others regularly put on are just colourful and vibrant parades. Just like any other festive march, they are seen as fun and happy events, and certainly harmless – even a good thing.
But what does God think about them? At the end of the day that is the only thing that really matters. It does not matter how many people may participate in them or watch them, or how much the mainstream media utterly gushes over them. What matters is what the creator of the universe feels about them.
And his view on all this is quite different indeed. Consider just a few passages that come to mind here:
Psalm 12:8 [The wicked] freely strut about when what is vile is honored by the human race.
Psalm 36:1-4 I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good. Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong.
Proverbs 2:14: [The wicked] take pleasure in doing wrong, and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil.
Proverbs 4:16 [The wicked] cannot rest until they do evil; they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
Isaiah 3:9 The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves.
While these verses of course do not have in mind the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras or any other contemporary homosexual pride events, some of them most certainly do refer to homosexuality and that sort of sin. That is certainly the case with the passage from Isaiah with its direct reference to Sodom.
And passages like Romans 1:18-32 speak especially about the sin of homosexuality. Paul concludes his strong words there on the topic this way: “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”
To say all this is not to minimise other sins. Someone gossiping about others all day, or refusing to forgive another person, or holding a grudge against another, or cheating on his taxes, or lusting after his secretary, etc., is also a sinner. So I am not saying there are only some sins that are horrible – they all are, and they all sent Christ to the cross.
However, Scripture does speak to greater and lesser sins, and speaks to greater and lesser punishments for sin. I have discussed this in some detail in this two-part article:
https://billmuehlenberg.com/2010/11/12/are-all-sins-equal-part-one/
https://billmuehlenberg.com/2010/11/12/are-all-sins-equal-part-two/
And the Bible especially singles out those who take pride in their sin, who flaunt it, who celebrate it, and who parade it. Some of the verses offered above are indications of this. Some sinners at least more or less know that what they are doing is wrong, and may even try to break free from it. But others delight in their sin, justify their sin, parade their sin, and flaunt their sin.
It seems the various homosexual pride marches are a perfect indication of this sort of thing. They want the whole world to see their sin and to embrace it and celebrate it. The holy and righteous God of the universe is certainly not going to take all this lightly. Repentance is the only way forward here.
Oh, and one more verse. Since innocent and vulnerable children are so often dragged into these debauched events by adult activists, the words of Jesus seem quite appropriate here. As we read in Luke 17:1-2: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.”
Christians and ‘pride’ marches
Let me deal with a related issue here. Should Christians attend homosexual pride marches? In my books, yes and no is the short answer. Yes they should go if their intention is to offer a biblical witness, sharing the good news of the gospel, telling people they can have their sins forgiven and they can be delivered from their dead-end lifestyles.
Preaching biblical truth is always a good thing if God calls you to do it at such events. It is one thing to seek to reach out to those heading to hell, but it is quite another thing to go there in solidarity with the perversion and sin. Sadly some Christians will go to these marches to participate in them, identify with the marchers, and celebrate and endorse the lifestyle.
All this discussion arises from a piece I wrote yesterday concerning a leading politician claiming to be a Christian who happily attended and entered into the festivities of a homosexual pride march over the weekend. See here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2018/03/05/26640/
This is not the first time of course such things have happened. Indeed, it has at times been even worse, with some “Christian” leaders marching arm and arm in solidarity with homosexuals as they flaunt their sinful lifestyles. I have discussed this in the past, including in this older piece: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2008/03/02/marching-with-the-10-rebs/
As I wrote a decade ago,
Let’s send the message out to our young people that this is a great lifestyle to explore and get into. After all, if church leaders are marching with the homosexual activists, then it must be a fully acceptable lifestyle, something that all of us should embrace and approve of. Indeed, this is just what the homosexual activists are saying.
One homosexual, writing in the Sydney Star Observer, said that it was a great idea that these church leaders were marching. “Shifts like this will mean enormous things for gay Christians, GLBT kids growing up in Christian homes, and for others whose adult relationships with friends and family are strained by religious-based prejudices.”
Exactly. And if these same Rebs march in fornication pride celebrations, that will also mean ‘enormous things for fornicating Christians, fornicating kids growing up in Christian homes, and for others whose adult fornication relationships with friends and family are strained by religious-based prejudices’.
Of course all this is exactly part of the long-term homosexual agenda: the complete and total acceptance and blessing of the homosexual lifestyle. They know that the Christian church is the last obstacle to this aim. Thus they are rapt that these gullible Rebs are handing them on a silver platter what they are seeking.
Sadly but expectedly, at least one Christian leftist got quite upset with me when I wrote that, claiming Jesus was a friend of sinners and that it is basically just peachy to march with defiant homosexuals. I replied:
Sorry but I’m not buying your argument. It is typical liberalism – theological and political. To be consistent David, you and the Revs should be marching in a money changers march, apologising for Jesus’ treatment of the money changers. He was certainly intolerant, judgmental and unloving there, wasn’t he?
Indeed, will you be marching arm in arm with capitalist pigs, rightwing racists, conservative dictators and multinational oppressors, and apologise for how they have been treated by the church? Somehow I don’t think so.
But not only should you be marching in solidarity with them, but also with the porn stars, paedophiles, sado-masochists, and so on.Sorry, you have turned the gospel on its head, and perverted it. Jesus identified with sinners, yes, but always with a view to setting them free of their bondage by means of repentance. He would never glorify and promote sexual exhibitionism and debauchery.
The whole of Scripture would speak to these truths. But let me offer just one famous passage: Psalm 1:1. It says,
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers.
Such people are blessed as they avoid evil and do not go along with it. The opposite of being blessed is to be cursed. Those who cannot discern right from wrong, and simply go along with and endorse sin are certainly not the recipients of God’s blessing.
If Christians think they are doing God a favour by making excuses for sin, celebrating sinful lifestyles, and publicly flaunting moral evil, they had better think again. And if they are Christian leaders doing this, I would not want to be in their shoes when they one day stand before their creator and judge.
[1487 words]
Amen. You could fill a small book with just the scriptures about this e.g :-
2Pe 2:12 But these, as unreasoning natural brute animals having been born for capture and corruption, speak evil of the things that they do not understand. And they will utterly perish in their own corruption,
2Pe 2:13 being about to receive the wages of unrighteousness, deeming indulgence as pleasure in the daytime, and reveling in spots and blemishes, feasting along with you in their deceits,
2Pe 2:14 having eyes full of adultery and never ceasing from sin, alluring unstable souls, having a heart exercised with covetousness. They are cursed children
2Pe 2:15 who have forsaken the right way and have gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness,
2Pe 2:16 but had reproof of his lawbreaking, a dumb ass speaking in a man’s voice, held back the madness of the prophet.
2Pe 2:17 These are wells without water, clouds driven with a tempest, for whom the blackness of darkness is reserved forever.
2Pe 2:18 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they lure through the lusts of the flesh, by unbridled lust, the ones who were escaping from those who live in error;
2Pe 2:19 promising them liberty, they themselves are the slaves of corruption. For by whom anyone has been overcome, even to this one he has been enslaved.
2Pe 2:20 For if they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the full knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and are again entangled, they have been overcome by these, their last things are worse than the first.
2Pe 2:21 For it would have been better for them not to have fully known the way of righteousness, than fully knowing it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
(MKJV)
The greatest irony of the LGBT etc.etc cult is the use of the rainbow as its symbol. Again, nothing original here – the rainbow has a two-fold meaning in Judeo-Christian tradition. Biblically, the sign of the covenant between God and every living creature on the earth Gen 9:12-17- a reminder of what God did to destroy wickedness and evil on the earth.
The Talmud used the rainbow similarly as a sign of the covenant between Noah and God but with it came the 7 Noachide Laws, number 6 being
“Harness and channel the human libido. Incest, adultery, rape and homosexual relations are forbidden. The family unit is the foundation of human society. Sexuality is the fountain of life and so nothing is more holy than the sexual act. So, too, when abused, nothing can be more debasing and destructive to the human being.”
So does the LGBT cult know that their symbol represents the very covenant which reminds us of God’s response to the evil which, et al, is the very sin which they commit?
One might question the whole notion of “pride” as a virtue: Thomas Hobbes remarked that government is necessary for mankind because their passions – including pride – need to be ruled. Hobbes’ Biblical text for his book, Leviathan was:
Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.
He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride. – Job 41:33-34 (KJV)
Yes there are sins we are all guilty of but the difference is these folk “have been given over to a reprobate mind”. They do not believe they are doing anything wrong. They can no longer differentiate between deviant harmful behaviour and that which will harm them and the community. They honestly cannot understand why anyone would consider their “pride” a problem or their sordid behaviour in front of children an issue. As far as Politicians, well we have not had true Bible believing politicians for many a year. Apart from a few, those that portray themselves as Christian have done so because they believed it would benefit them. The next crop of politicians will no longer find it beneficial to portray themselves as Christian, in fact they will go out of their way to distance themselves from Christ and His followers. They will be pro “gay”, pro abortion, pro islam, pro anything and everything goes”. The snakes will no longer need to pretend the are doves. As for me, I no longer vote.
Philip
Beautiful; but you miss one thing:
The gay rainbow has only six colours not seven.
I’m not sure, but it may well be that the sixth colour of the list of seven is omitted by them.
Again I’m not sure that anyone of them is a Talmud student, and that they meant to delete that colour, but the imagery is stunning.
They certainly intend to have law six omitted in full and in detail.
Thanks heaps for your Talmud observation.
Rainbows feature in pagan and New Age mythology as messengers or bridges between humanity and the gods. The notion of a Rainbow Bridge and the creation and elevation of a global consciousness via the agency of extra-terrestrial spirit entities is apparently all part of a “New Deal” to take humanity to the next stage of its alleged evolutionary ascent to super-humanity… The obliteration of characteristics and definitions is all part of a thoroughgoing embrace of pantheism, where “thou art that” and the individual is one with the universe and ultimate reality is supposed to lie beyond the “illusions” of opposites and the physical realm… I understand each of the six colours of that Rainbow Flag have symbolisms for those who march under it…
Great article Bill,
Key verse 1 Corinthians 6 v9.
Christians who march and support homosexuals and lesbians are leading them straight to Hell.
How can I as a Christian, ethically or morally do this? I cannot. Such a position is contrary to Gospel of redemption.
God bless,
Phil
The NSW premier needs to read these verses and engage her brain and morality, if she has any.
On a similar note:
http://www.acl.org.au/wearing_the_rainbow_badge
As we know it’s simply a reflection of the decaying morals of our modern society. I shudder to think how far down we will go before Jesus returns. Stay strong in the Faith. We know things will get horribly bad before it’s all over. Clearly a lot who call themselves Christians and see no problem with the things that are happening all around us today let alone the much worse things yet to occur are not true Christians. To avoid falling into the same trap as they have done we have to keep studying Scripture and keep meeting like minded true Christians. Imagine the politicians coming to a typical Church fellowship meeting to study the Bible. I can imagine by the time their first attendance to the meeting is over they would have red faces, and would either have to repent (and look for another career) or never come back to the fellowship meeting.
Please, let my touch the subject from my own playground. Many years ago I used to see the present President of Warsaw Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz publicly taking in the Holy Communion. Then I was happy that a politician openly supported Christan values. My former spiritual director Fr. Joseph Bartnik SJ (RIP 2013) one day mentioned that she had belonged to a Charismatic Reneval Movement. Unfortunately I was wrong. Years went by and Hanna showed completely different attitude. Representing center-left party PO ( civil plaftorm) H. Gronkiewicz Waltz stated that in private life she had been a stunch Catholic (sic!) but in no way it could impinge on her public service. Despite numerous public protests and petitions she has been supporting gay parades in Warsaw. If a politician takes part in such a disgusting march he or she kneels down before demons. I guess Hanna G-W as well as NSW premier know well the Bible enough but their souls are smeared so much with sin that the light of God cannot get through. Or I ve heard gossips they were just freemasons…
Three days ago I sent the following letter to the Australian newspaper, CC to the communication minister.
“ABC and Mardi Gras,
I see “ Your ABC “ is once again using taxpayer funds to push their own agenda.
This time it is a video, aimed at children and using gullible children as the stars, promoting the delights of Mardi Gras.
Would you take your children or grandchildren to a strip joint? Of course not, and rightly so; you would be banned from entering. If you walked down the street almost naked, as some do at Mardi Gras, you could be charged with indecency.
I have seen a picture of a little girl of about 4 or 5, covering her eyes as a semi nude male flaunted his stuff in front of her at Mardi Gras. What on earth were her parents thinking? That poor child can never “unsee” what she saw. She had more idea of what was right and wrong than those around her.
I presume the ABC will promote other belief systems so as to be fair and balanced in spending our taxes, as is their charter. Will they for example, promote the delights of, say, Christianity, or Judaism or whatever?
When are the powers that be going to insist the ABC keep to its charter and speak for all Australians? “
I also wrote to the ABC but they have a “get out” clause whereby they need never acknowledge any correspondence received.
I won’t hold my breath awaiting a reply from the Australian or the minister, but I had my rant on behalf of my little grand children
Thank you Bill, for all your hard work in keeping us informed,
Yours sincerely, Helen Phillips.
Romans 1:18-31 shows us step by step the road to perdition, beginning with rejecting the truth of GOD revealed in nature, being filled with pride, refusing to worship Him, leading to same-sex acts and v. 32 states even approval of sin is the same as participating in it.
Romans 2:1-3 is a warning, not to judge others, to do what is right and good.
The rest of the book of Romans outlines the road to Redemption and Righteousness.
Yes Sibyl, although I would quibble slightly with your second point. Romans 2:1-3, like Matthew 7:1, does NOT warn against judging, only against hypocritical judging: condemning what others do when you are also doing it. Throughout Scripture we are urged to judge and discern and exhort and reprove.
John,
the colours of the rainbow flag each have a meaning. From the top, red is for life, orange means healing, yellow is for sunlight, green represents nature, blue is for harmony and peace, and indigo for spirit. The original flag had two extra colours, hot pink for sex and turquoise for art/magic which were dropped for practicality of production reasons. The six colour flag is “official” flag for the alphabet people. Whether the late homosexual activist designer Gilbert Baker meant it as human alternative to God’s covenant seven colour rainbow, I don’t know. What I do know is that many Christians remain ignorant of the difference and what they each symbolise. It is fitting therefore that they are different. But because of the similarity to the natural (God given) rainbow and the affection with which that rainbow is viewed, it seems to me that an “almost” imitation is a very clever satanic marketing ploy. God’s symbolised grace and promise for all to see is a far cry from the self centred humanistic movement and ethos that doesn’t acknowledge Him or His authority in their lives.
For Sybil, the last word concerning Judgement is not, “Judge not, lest you be judged”, it is Jesus saying , “When you judge, judge with righteous judgement.” or “Stop judging by external standards (appearances), and judge by true standards.”in John 7:24. We are required to judge, please examine the contexts of both statements, and you will see what Jesus is driving at. If we are not to judge, what do you make of Jesus calling Herod “that fox” (Luke 13:32), the Pharisees “hypocrites” (Matt 7:5, 15:7), and “whitewashed tombs” Matt 23:26,28), resistant peoples as “dogs” and “pigs” by implication (Matt&:6), and “serpents, generation of vipers” (Matt 23:33), and “You are of your father, the devil” (John 8:44). These are not very favourable character judgements to say the least. When the world uses the “Judge not” words of Jesus, it is not because they want you to be like Jesus, it is so you won’t realise and declare what they are really like. The word of God is misused as a cover for evil or sin. Consider the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, and you will see the devil using God’s word for his own purposes, not God’s. A rebellious world does the same.
Thank you Robert for thorough explanation of LGBT flag meaning. I will pass this info to my Polish friends. As for Sibyl comment the media so called the forth power ABC in the Land Down Under, BBC in the UK, TVN in Poland, and so on and so forth they all have in common that George Soros the world leading hater of Christian values here and there pulls the strings from time to time in order to fullfil his odious plan.
Thanks for clarifying that Romans 1:32 refers to hypocritical judging.
It is heartbreaking to see church groups and Christians around the world bow to the persistent demands, political pressure and to accept the invented hypothetical constructs such as ‘orientation’ and ‘identity’ because of decades of propaganda pushed by the alphabet activists.
Sibyl,
The easy path is to comply. Many of these same “Christian” folk will willingly take the “mark of the beast” and lose their souls. They have become so used to the easy option, there will no no resistance to microchipping.
Regards Phil