Are God & Christianity Responsible for the Gay Club Shooting in Orlando?
So many questions are floating in the minds and burning into the hearts of Americans everywhere regarding the recent shooting by a Muslim man in Orlando, FL. Some people are flying rainbow flags in solidarity with the LGBQT community while some Christians are saying what happened was the judgement of God. And just last night, a cousin of mine informed me that “In the U.S., most violence on the gay community is perpetrated by Christians.” There is obviously some confusion on this point (to say the least), so allow me to clarify.
God's desire is to save, birth, heal, deliver, and set free.
Satan's desire is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10, Isa. 61:1-4).
Christians are not those who merely pay lip service to God, but their lives, their fruit, proves that they were born (again), not of the flesh, but of the will and Spirit of God.
Christ and His cousin taught that a tree's fruit denotes the nature and character of a (wo)man. Apple trees do not bear oranges and lilac bushes do not bear brambles. Everyone produces after their own kind and what they are - NOT what they say - is what they produce and impart (share, pour in)to others.
“Fun” Historical Tip: Those who fancied themselves Christian AND Nazis were (are) sadly, horribly mistaken. They kowtowed to a man who thought himself a god, was a tyrant, and was deeply fascinated by and entrenched in the Occult. While the real Christians such as Sophie Scholl and Dietrich Bonhoeffer were executed for their faith and resistance against the antiChrist Nazi regime, the Nazis were doing the killing and, oh yes, tormenting and murdering people like homosexuals (JewishVirtualLibrary.org, University of Minnesota). In his historical fiction Century Trilogy, Ken Follett depicts the gruesome torture - or rather, mauling - of a homosexual under the young Nazi regime of the 1930s. By and large, the Catholic Church in Germany chose the devil they knew - the Nazis - over the devil they didn’t - the Soviets - and turned their heads from the persecution of whomever the Nazis deemed worthy of it.
Don’t Get It Twisted!
The trick of the enemy is blasphemy: to get us to attribute the works of Satan to God and the works of God to Satan. And similar to it is the ever-present inclination to blame God (or His followers) for evil and Mother Nature or humanity for good. Ironic, isn't it?
James 1:17 calls God the "Father of Lights" and declares that every good and perfect thing comes from Him. So how then could Christians murder or incite violence toward, say - I dunno - the LGBQT community, and be of God?? Simple: they can't.
John the Beloved a.k.a. the "apostle of love" stated that we can't say we love God and hate our brother (fellow human beings) (I John 4:20). And the Bible makes no concessions for when someone chooses (to not be delivered from) an alternative lifestyle. We are commanded to love. Period. And Christ went so far as to say that that's how the world will recognize that we are, in fact, belonging to Christ (John 13:35).
And allow me to further clarify that the love of God does not include lying to people or smiling in silent, benevolent "good will" while they die and go to Hell because it might hurt their feelings to share the truth of God's Word with them. Even the famed atheist, Penn Jillette asked, if you believe your faith is the key to eternal life and that all who don't believe will go to Hell, how much do you have to hate someone to not share that with them? So even an atheist can see the irony of a Christian who doesn't share the Gospel truth.
Homosexuality IS sin.
As is fornication (which includes homosexuality), adultery, bestiality, lying, gluttony and drunkenness, hate, greed, thievery, and strife. And ALL unrepentant sin will land you a first class ticket to Hell. But God doesn't want any of us to go there Heck, when He created Hell, it wasn't even done with humanity in mind. It was created for the disposal and punishment of Satan and his fallen ones. So imagine with me if you will:
Let Them...Drink Poison?
You see your brother pouring poison into his glass. Let's say it's Hydrogen Peroxide or some other clear liquid that looks just like water. Your brother is pouring the drink; perhaps he's had some before? And you know that the poison will either make him grievously ill or "kill him dead." But no matter, he loves it. He thinks it smells great and tastes even better! He's beyond happy to drink it! But you know the end result of his actions. So do you let him drink it?
Or do you knock the glass from his hand? Or do you implore him not to drink? And what if he gets offended at your "violent" action? What if he's annoyed or even angered at your daring to stop him from his choice. Or maybe he's too prideful to admit he's actually not sure what he's drinking or its effects, or worse still that he actually knows what drinking the poison will do to him? Heck, what if he literally has no clue that he's about to or is currently drinking poison and he feels stupid or even hurt because you told him the truth? So...does that mean you let him drink it because he's happy or some other emotion? Do you cease to warn him at that point? Or do you avoid it altogether because it's uncomfortable for you?
And would you do anything differently if the person was not your beloved brother, but a perfect stranger? It is amazing to me that humanity shows strength when lunging to save someone from a tangible impending danger: how a man can throw himself in front of a woman if a punch or even a bullet is coming her direction, or how a mother or some other woman can rush into a street to pull a child out of the way of a car speeding their direction like a missile, but won't simply speak the truth in love to someone else?
So while sharing the Gospel and yes, preaching the truth of homosexuality and other sins, may hurt someone's feelings initially, it's simply sharing the Bread of Heaven, the Water of Life, the very secret to spending eternity in bliss with them. So this does not count as "perpetrating violence" toward someone of a different mindset. And if preaching the Gospel incites men and women to physical violence, then Christ Himself is to blame and then He is not the God(-Man) He said He was; He is a liar, and the truth is not in Him.
But thankfully, we have Christ's Word and the words of His apostles and physical, tangible violence is never once incited for the betterment of the world or furtherance of the Gospel.
I'll tell you like a good English, History, or Media teacher would tell you when you've cited some faulty information in a paper: consider your source.
God is not the Father of confusion, nor of lies; Satan is. Give God what belongs to God and Satan what belongs to Satan.
P.S. In case you’re still waiting for a direct answer: No, God did NOT cause the shooting at the gay club in Orlando.
