Matthew 22:39 (KJV) calls for all believers to love one another:

…Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

There is no simpler interpretation to that passage—suspend judgement, and simply be accepting and loving, regardless of who your neighbours are; even towards your enemies.

Just recently, over 10,000 pink-attired Singaporeans turned Hong Lim Park into a sea of pink, where they gathered to form a giant pink dot in a show of support for inclusiveness, diversity and the freedom to love.

This is the greatest irony. It took the last marginalised minority of volunteers to preach the message of love to the public. And they successfully got their message across, even through the mass media. Why isn’t the church the one doing it instead, preaching the message of love?

The institution of the church has been too busy judging and criticising areas of society that it has failed to be relevant to take the lead in shaping society’s views. Their actions have left the LGBT minorities alienated and rejected from the body of Christ (and their accompanying social support structures), as if they are not of God’s creation, and that God’s love is conditional.

If the church were to reject them, who shall they turn to? Do they not deserve God’s love and care that is showered through the followers of Christ?

Even if believers are to condemn “their sin” (a discussion for another day), why do we apply double-standards to other sins? Are divorcees condemned to hell the same way LGBT minorities are? Why are followers of Christ tolerant of people who break the covenant of marriage? What about the adulteress? Or those that have pre-marital sex?

I believe that broken people need God’s love and touch (through His believers) the most, and a majority of the LGBT minority are, or are once, broken and/or abused. With untold discrimination and the lack of social support structures, these people have difficulty seeking assistance and support. Bigotry and hatred will not help nor improve things, and there always have been cases of unnecessary suicides.

Thanks to the virulent nature of the Internet, such a case spawned the “It Gets Better” project where strangers from all over post videos on YouTube to encourage LGBT individuals not to waste their lives unnecessarily and to just hang in there as “it gets better”. The institution of the church was no where to be found.

“People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

To be a light of this world, and the salt of the earth, how could any follower of Christ ignore this minority? How would believers be able to plant the fruits of the spirit within them? Why would they even want to hear the gospel if no one wants to hear their plight?

It would really be tragic if the status quo is to be maintained any longer. Your thoughts, if any, in the comments section please.

P.S. I avoided using the word “Christian”, even though it implies the followers of Christ, as there are many that call themselves Christian and yet do not follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.