Christians’ Beliefs and How They Influence Their Decisions
Basically, human beings have demonstrated to perceive things depending on where their attention is focused and the expectations connected with that source of attention. This perception has entirely been referred to as a belief and everything a human being does can be traced to what he or she beliefs. A belief is a psychological attitude that a certain proposition is factual, even without requiring justification. Theology scholars have argued that there is a strong relationship that links humans’ beliefs and their behavior. In light of this, Christians have a strong belief that their lives are endowed in accordance of Jesus Christ’s teachings. The word Christian means a follower or a person who is associated with Christ and he or she is justified to live in line with Jesus Christ’s teachings. The predominant belief among all Christians is that Jesus is God who incarnated into manhood to salvage human afflictions and manifest the spiritual significance. Therefore, Christian beliefs relate to Jesus Christ and those beliefs usually help Christian in confronting societal challenges affecting them. In connection to this, Christians are reported to accommodate every individual in the society in spite of their morality in accordance with Jesus Christ’s teachings. Therefore, this paper explores how Christians’ beliefs of Jesus Christ influence or impact their general perception about the equality issue especially their take on gays and lesbians.
The 21st century has been bombarded with an issue that is posing mixed reactions among various individuals in the society. The issue of gays and lesbians has taken the world by storm and each group in the society has raised its own views concerning the matter. Clergy people and politicians have been put on the spotlight regarding this issue, generating vague attitudes of people towards one another. Consequently, each religion has aired its take on the issue and provided reasons for its argument. Christians have not been left behind, but they seem to have different interpretations and perceptions. Christians in the developed world have supported this issue and moved to the extent of allowing gays in the church and even overseeing their marriages. On the contrary, Christians from the developing world have strongly opposed this matter, citing that the bible only sanctified the marriage between a man and a woman. Therefore, the big question is why Christians in the western world allow gays and lesbians in their churches. This question takes us back to the prior discussion of human beliefs and their source of attention. In their defense, Christians argue that Jesus Christ did not prejudice those who were considered as sinners and outcasts in the society. In reference, Jesus is quoted in the bible, Luke 19:1-10, visiting a tax collector, Zacchaeus, who was believed to take poor people’s property for his self interests and benefits. Additionally, Jesus was ordained by a woman who was believed to be a commercial sex worker. These two people that Jesus had an encounter with were treated as sinners and people chose not to associate with them. The belief that Christians adopt from those teachings is that, a Christian should accommodate and portray positivity to every person in the society. To the western world Christians, that is a sufficient justification for their position on the issue of gays and lesbians. If their mentor Jesus Christ accepted to dine with an evil tax collector, then they have no option other than accepting each person in the society.
Although the western world has generally supported gays and lesbians, but the developing countries remain adamant in accepting the issue. Similarly, they have bible reference to support their position about gays and lesbians. In the bible, Jesus Christ was born to a family comprising a man and a woman. In addition, God ordered two cities, namely Sodom and Gomorra to be destroyed because the residents committed numerous evil deeds homosexuality being one of them. Therefore, in their understanding homosexuality is a sinful practice which should not be entertained in the society. This is a contagious issue, not only in Christianity, but also in other religions. The overall impact of beliefs that Christians decipher from Jesus is felt in both of their arguments. These arguments affirm how each individual understands biblical teachings and how they influence people’s lives. Christians in general have a strong connection with Christ’s teachings decoded in the bible, but they sometimes differ in interpretation. These differences exhibit their various resonate understanding of handling issues in the society based on their beliefs about Jesus Christ. The Christian communities’ behavior can be categorized further into their awareness about Christ and how they envision his teachings. For instance, there are two distinct understandings about gays and lesbians among the Christians as discussed in this paper. Each belief has a biblical reference and justification often referring to Jesus Christ. Although those beliefs exhibit differences in understanding societal challenges, but they do not display any dispute among Christians. In conclusion, it is evident that Christian perceptions and mode of handling society challenges is dependent to the belief they cling to Jesus Christ.