Civil Rights and Savage Wrongs
As a person who exhibits dominant African genes, it’s always a privilege to visit the region from which my ancestors were kidnapped about two or three centuries ago. Although they were probably abducted from one of the tribal nations in the west, placing my foot anywhere on the continent evokes an indescribable feeling of belonging. Admittedly, all of my sentiments are not warm and fuzzy, for the African social scape is cluttered by chains of colonization that in many ways appear to be permanent. I’m not just talking about the vibrant vestiges of apartheid that still remain in the South African suburb from where I write this column, but more dangerous is the imposition of ideologies that threaten to further erode the very moral fiber of Africa’s fragile future.
Homosexual “Marriage”
Nowhere are the devastating effects of this ideological assault more evident than in the Republic of South Africa which–in its desire to create a civil society–has uncritically embraced the uncivil agenda of western liberals with their moral relativism. The preeminent exhibit of this decadence is enshrined in the constitution of the new South Africa which in an effort to transcend the evils of apartheid seeks to ensure that no minority group is discriminated against. Apparently, in a bid to prove how enlightened they had become, the 2006 amenders to the constitution decided to do that which even America has not by granting homosexuals the “right” to “marry.”
I have no doubt that those who fought for this homosexual privilege had embraced the argument that the issue of homosexual marriage is all about civil rights. At this very moment, officials of the American headquartered Human Rights Watch are lodging an official protest against the sovereign government of Burundi which recently criminalized homosexual behavior. And in his recent address to the NAACP, the president of the United States compared the homosexual revolution with that of enslaved Africans victimized by America’s apartheid policies. However, those really concerned about civil rights need to evaluate the logical implications of holding the banner of every group that claims discrimination.
Gay Racists
My African identity was inherited from my parents who inherited it from their parents. Before my nine siblings or I even emerged from our forty-week incubation in my mother’s womb, certain physical features were predictable. When I was called a “n—-r” by my White friend’s father when I was just eight years old, it wasn’t because I came out of anyone’s closet. When I was beaten and falsely charged by bigoted police, it wasn’t because I was “outed” by a jilted lover. Like every one of my siblings, I was born Black and the African genes I inherited from my parents has been passed on to both of my children. In fact, the more I think about it, the whole idea of coupling the campaign for gay marriage with the struggle for Black civil rights is not only offensive but may even be deemed racist. Think about it, the proponents of gay marriage are basically saying that being gay is no different than being Black!
It’s probably clear by now that I am offended by the campaign for homosexual marriage. You know what else offends me? When “PC” pop psychologists diagnose me with homophobia. I do suffer from acrophobia and at times have even felt claustrophobic, but to suggest that I have an ailment because I don’t believe that governments should use the legislature to support a person’s addictions is downright condescending.
Sexual Addiction
I know I probably lost some of you with the previous sentence, but that’s exactly where I’ve evolved in my understanding of homosexuality–whether procured by nature or nurture, it’s one of many forms of sexual addiction. Yes, I know there are gay couples who have been in “committed” relationships for decades, but there are also alcoholics and drug addicts who have their preferred ecstasy producing substance. And yes, it is all about the sex–if sexual desire were not a part of homosexual relations those relationships wouldn’t be homosexual.
Hopefully the supporters and practitioners of homosexual behavior are still reading, because I definitely don’t want to leave anyone with the impression that I am lobbying for a twenty-first century ecclesiastical inquisition. Please understand that I don’t just sympathize, but fully empathize with those who are addicted to homosexuality. You see, I am an addict too. My vice may not be an attraction to people of the same gender, but even while penning my frustrations about same sex marriage I fell to temptation by accepting and consuming the generous slice of creme cake and thick peach nectar that my gracious host just placed in front of me. Like many who will read this column, I know the power of addiction, and am humbled by the reality that all have sinned and come short of God’s glory. However, the solution to overcoming my addiction is not found in writing or amending a law, but in embarking on that painful path of changing my addictive choices.
Conclusion
Unless the Holy Spirit says otherwise, in at least one of my messages to the youth of South Africa, I plan to address the issue of sexual addiction. With the alarming incidents of unwanted pregnancies and the horrifying increase in the rate of new HIV cases this is not the time to jump on the hedonistic band wagon that celebrates the indulgence of animal instincts. Our understanding of right and wrong does not have to be determined by our sinful human inclinations. A people who have been dealt many savage wrongs from their colonial overbears need to be reminded of the common sense civil rights enshrined in the will of God: the right to say no to sexual passion; the right to reject morally bankrupt government legislation; the right to shun unstable mores promoted by loose liberals; the right to become a truly civil society where human rights are framed in the context of moral law; the right to stand for the right though the heavens fall.
