The floods on the Somerset levels and overflow of the River Thames in Berkshire and Surrey are declining into memory as the months of 2014 roll on. The heart-breaking effects of the excess water will be consigned to the annuls of history, alongside the other floods in places such as Hull, Lynmouth and Boscastle.
It is profitable to stand back and think about some of the lessons, not so much about the practical aspects (although that will take place by bodies such as the national Government and the Environment Agency) but from the theological perspective.
It was during the time of the floods in the early 2014 that David Silvester, a UKIP councillor (who was later expelled from the party), started that the excess water was the result of the legalisation of same-sex marriages. He had written to David Cameron, warning the Prime Minister of the UK that there would be natural disasters following on from this legislation.
However, it is clear from the Bible that God does not act in an arbitrary way. He has set down rules as to how we should live. There are outcomes for people who decide to live in same-sex relationships. Some examples are:
· The UK Blood and Transfusion and Tissue Services will not accept donations from men who have had sex with other men, regardless of whether a condom had been used. This policy was based on their impartial analysis of data so that a safe supply of blood can be ensured. [1]
· Compared with heterosexual women who are more likely to be victims of violence within marriage or cohabitation within the last five years (who are more likely to be victims of domestic violence than men), the figure of abuse by partners of men in same-sex relationships is substantially higher than that experienced by heterosexual women (22 per cent compared to 11.6 per cent).[2]
· According to a study from the United States, gay men are nearly twice as likely to have suffered from cancer as heterosexual men. The research was based on surveys with more than 12,000 people in California, which also indicated that cancer was diagnosed on average more than a decade earlier for gay men.
· A study has shown that rates of HIV infection among homosexual men in France are 200 times higher than among heterosexuals. In the released statistics, scientists from the French National Institute for Public Health Surveillance calculated that nearly half of the 7,000 people with new infections of HIV in 2008 were from same-sex community. Stephane le Vu, who headed up the team, stated that HIV transmission ‘seems to be out of amongst men who have sex with men (MSM). [3]
The biblical passage that people often refer to is Romans chapter 1, especially verses 26 and 27, with reference to same-sex relationships. However, the chapter goes on to refer to other sins such as greed, strife, deceit, greed, gossip, slander – things that we are tempted to do. The biggest mistake we have is to imagine that God has a scale as to the worst sins – to Him, sin is sin. Anything that alloys His creation is an affront to God, regardless of the category that we might put certain sins in.
It was interesting that no-one made the connection between the natural disasters and adultery or any other sexual sin. There is the tendency to highlight those issues that we have a particular aversion to – but God is averse to all sin.
There is a commandment that we are commanded to obey: to look after the earth. In the beginning, God told Adam to ‘fill the earth and subdue it’ (Genesis 1: 28). It does not mean that we are to trash the world, but to manage it carefully as stewards for future generations and (more importantly) for the Lord who gave it to us in the first instance. It is because we have not acted responsibly (such as building on the flood plains or not maintaining the water causeways) that such disasters have occurred.
God does not act in an abstract manner (as can be seen in His ordered creation); but, when we do not act according to His good purposes, there are logical consequences that arise from our disobedience. The thing that God wants above all is to heed what He says and obey Him. He loves us so much and wants us to live lives to the full.
[1] ‘HIV rates ’out of control’ among gay men in France,’ The Christian Institute, 23 September 2010
[2] Research study in the American Journal of Public Health December 2002, Vol. 92, No. 12 and on http://www.ajph.org/cgl/content/full/92/12/1964, quoted by National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) on www.narth.com/docs/dometric.hmtl/ (accessed 12 June 2008)
[3] ‘HIV spread “out of control” among French gay men,’ reuters.com, 8 September 2010; ‘HIV infections in France 200 times higher in gay men,’ pinknews.co.uk, 9 September 2010
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