And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them. And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, And said, I pray you brethren, do not so wickedly. Genesis 19:5-7

As Holy as the Bible is, you would think people would want to use it to perpetuate the love, grace, rest, and salvation, offered in and through scripture. However, more than enough people are inclined to use God’s Living Word, to satisfy their own vanity. In giving the benefit of the doubt to those who use the Word for their own personal edifications, some of them really do not know; some genuinely do not understand the power and glory they are abusing when they use Scripture to pass judgement on and/or stigmatize a community, a person, a way of life, even a thing. They also fail to make the connection that in doing so, the very thing they are condemning has a greater chance of being exalted and instead they who condemn will be held accountable for not staying in their lane, as condemnation has been reserved by God as something only He can do.

The Bible, throughout history has been a vehicle for the vane, for the abusers, for the removed, to exert power and control over whatever they see fit. During the Crusades, a holy war, the Bible was used to murder and coerce people into Catholicism. During the Slave Trade, the bible was used to exert power and control over slaves and much crazier, even, the Bible was used as a confirmation to slave owners and traders that they were participating in something Holy and Godly as set forth by Scripture. There are much more instances throughout history of the Bible being used and perverted to satisfy vile and human dysfunctions, but right here today, there is a community that cannot seem to escape the use of Scripture to justify the blatant discrimination and stigmatization they endure – The LGBT Community.

Members of the LGBT Community are no strangers being ostracized for their lifestyle. And, literally, the only leg ostracizers have to stand on is Scripture and their vain perversions, interpretations, and understanding of it. Somehow, someway, the Scripture is connected to the the blatant social and civil inequalities and inequities that exist against members of LGBT, in today’s world. For example, the only real reason people who are against same-sex marriage have is scripturally substantiated: God intended marriage to be between a man and a woman. Sometimes execution of the discrimination that LGBT members face or have faced isn’t as direct. Sometimes it’s downright ignorance. Sometimes the person who hates that someone is gay, lesbian, trans, etc., may only be smart enough to say, “It’s just not right!” They don’t know why it’s not right. Perhaps it was an idle word they’d received. Maybe they themselves are in the closet. Maybe two generations before them, someone allowed what Scriptures warn us against:

Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Colossians 2:8

The fact of the matter is, whether it is direct or indirect, Scripture is the umbrella of all discriminatory acts suffered by the LGBT. Colossians 2:8, I’m sure can be cross-referenced dozens of times. The Gospels talk to us about those whom we allow to build on Christ’s foundation, as does a couple of other books in The New Testament. Throughout the bible, false prophets are around and we are charged to recognize them and stay away from their teachings and drama. Talk about the vanity of fools gives way to lessons about whom we follow. Without a degree, socially accepted credentials, or any formal theological training, I am confused about the confusion and debate, as a matter of fact, I am confused as to why a debate even exists. Indeed, an avid reader of Scripture, I am dumb-struck at the behavior rampant in the world. I am often left wondering, “What Bible are they reading,” or, “What Bible have they read”, thinking surely it isn’t the one I am familiar with or any of it’s contemporary translations.

My Salvation, Your Condemnation will be a series of essays dedicated to exposing the supposed contradictions of Scripture. And when I say supposed, that is exactly what I mean because if you ask me, there isn’t one contradiction to be found. However, I am sensitive to the fact that in all actuality, Scripture seems to contradict itself. I am here to show you that the contradictions don’t lie in actual Scripture, but in the understander, the interpreter, the reader. The contradictions lie in society, they lie in vanity, and the madness of human nature. Contradictions find places to grow in the retina of the untrained eye and festers in the heart.

Using Scripture, personal experiences, love and understanding, I pray to show the LGBTQ, a community to which I belong, that we are, can, and will be blessed. That there is a great salvation, for us, to be had. We are afforded the liberties offered through Christ. I do not know what I will write next, but to begin, I will with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. This story, parable, even, is the main story that fuels the fire of people who are against people who are in the life.

“You shouldn’t be gay, don’t you know the story of Sodom and Gomorrah?” “Yes, I do know the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, but what does it have to do with me being gay?”