Paving a pathway to hell doesn’t move you closer to God
In a year when it seems like anyone with a pulse and a few crazy ideas is running for president, Pete Buttigieg has taken center stage. Pete Buttigieg is the mayor of South Bend, Indiana. But that is not why he is frequently a guest on Sunday morning press shows and what is keeping him in the headlines. Mayor Buttigieg has taken up a war of words with Vice-President Mike Pence about being gay, and has boldly declared, being married to his partner Chasten “has moved me closer to God.”
God desires all people to follow His Word.
Buttigieg is a democrat, and I admittedly have not studied much about his political views, however, I do want to address two of his theological statements that he has recently made. Doing his best to assume moral high ground Buttigieg declared that being gay was not a choice but was given to him by his Creator. “If me being gay was a choice, it was a choice that was made far, far above my pay grade…And that’s the thing I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand. That if you got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me—your quarrel, sir, is with my creator.” (see USA Today’s piece here).
While I do not know your pay grade Mr. Buttigieg, I do know science and God are not the reason you are gay. Yes, there were several studies published in the early 1990s (and a few in 2000s) that diligently tried to assert a genetic cause for homosexuality. (e.g., Simon LeVay, 1991; Bailey and Pillard, 1991; Dean Hamer, 1993). However, science has a way of “self-correcting” itself and all of those studies were shown to be poorly conducted and other scientists could not replicate the original findings. In other words, the studies were false. Simply put, science doesn’t support the notion that homosexuals were “born that way.” Again, I recognize saying such in modern times is to beg to be labeled a hatemonger or homophobe. However, my conclusion comes from the scientific evidence—not emotion.
It makes logical sense if one were to set aside the hyperbole, political spin, and passion for just a moment. If homosexuality were genetic, then if an identical twin were homosexual then his twin would have to be as well—because they share the same genes. Yet, this is not what we see in reality. Also, if it were genetic then we would eventually see this gene disappear from the human population—as homosexual couples can’t reproduce.
Mr. Buttigieg is desperately trying to ride in on the coattails of true civil rights issues, but the scientific evidence does not support that he was born that way. If it is not genetic, then that makes it a choice. It also takes the “quarrel” about his behavior and who “he is” away from the Creator, and directly to Mr. Buttigieg’s own doorstep.
The second statement I want to examine is when Buttigieg indicated that being involved in a same-sex marriage has brought him closer to God. “Being married to Chasten has made me a better human being because it has made me more compassionate, more understanding, more self-aware and more decent,” he said at the LGBTQ Victory Fund’s annual brunch. “My marriage to Chasten has made me a better man. And yes, Mr. Vice President, it has moved me closer to God,” he added, prompting applause (story here).
How does a homosexual marriage bring someone closer to God? There is only one way—and that is if Mayor Buttigieg has recast God into a god that is not found in the Scriptures. In other words, Buttigieg has recast God in an image that he desires—which is idolatry.
God instituted marriage between a man and a woman, (Genesis 2:24). All throughout the Bible marriage is referred to in terms of a man and a woman—even when Jesus speaks of marriage. Homosexuality, on the other hand, is condemned all throughout God’s Word. Whether we are talking about the patriarchal age with Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19), or the Mosaic Age (Leviticus 18:22-23; 20:13), or in the New Testament (Romans 1:24-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Revelation 21:8) God views this behavior as an abomination.
Mr. Buttigieg must have skipped over the Scriptures that declare God as holy (1 Peter 1:16) and that sin separates man from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). The holiness of God is frequently referenced in the Bible. The inspired psalmist observed, “But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel” (22:3). Additionally, we read, “Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool—He is holy” (Psalm 99:3). The prophet Isaiah noted: “But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness” (Isaiah 5:16).
Paul revealed in 1 Corinthians 6 that individuals involved in the type of behavior that Mayor Buttigieg and his husband Chasten are involved in will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. In Revelation 21:8 we read that people who practice sexually immoral behavior shall “shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Does this sound like someone who is getting closer to God?
1 John 5:3 declares, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” In John 14:15, Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Therefore, to “love” is to do what God says in the way he says to do it. In other words, to be loving is to be lawful; to obey God’s commands. The real question is not whether Mayor Buttigieg “feels” closer to God, the real question is whether or not this presidential candidate is willing to humble himself, repent of his sins, and obey God’s commands.