Author: Wick

I’m going to tread on some thin ice here. I know I have a few readers, and some will appreciate and some may be offended. I’m not an expert on this topic. But I do think that too many are completely silent on the issue on both sides. So I’ll give my two cents, for what it’s worth.

I believe God created man and woman for each other. I believe a man choosing a man, or woman choosing a woman to share a romantic relationship, goes against the order God has created things in, and is very similar to Eve eating the fruit in the garden. It is, in essence, telling God “I know a better way”. I believe it is a sin. Others can debate about whether it’s choice or nature…I’m not sure. Probably a bit of both, knowing we are born as imperfect humans in need of God’s restoration.

I also believe there is no “greatest” sin. (besides the “unpardonable” sin found in Matthew 12:31-32 – which basically means saying the Holy Spirit is not a source of life – which is obvious why you wouldn’t be able to be made new by that life…you’ve rejected it.) There is no measure of offense against God. To go against His will is simply and unfortunately that, though some have larger consequences in this world. With that in mind, and knowing we are all sinners, I move forward.

We can’t deny that there are many of our human brothers and sisters who have chosen this specific road of homosexuality. I believe too often, the groups that are vocal either for or against it…are the extremes. We cannot remain silent on a topic, simply because it’s socially taboo.

In Illinois, there is a bill being delayed currently, that addresses the rights of homosexuals. It seems black and white, to someone who opposes homosexuality and believes God will judge a collective people by how they make legislation. But to look at some of the issues being addressed by the bill: (taken from the Daily Herald)

“They should be able to make emergency medical decisions just as married couples do. There are horrific examples of partners being denied access in an emergency. They should have access to state spousal benefits, including survivor benefits. They should be able to file civil actions based on spousal status. They should have the right to control the disposition of remains when a partner dies. They should have the right to share a nursing-home room. The list goes on. “

In any case, if you’re an Illinois Resident, feel free to contact your local representative and tell them your opinion on: HB2234: the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act

If you’re near Decatur, it’s either:
Robert Flider
132 S. Water
Decatur, IL 62523
217-428-2708

or

Aaron Schock
235 S. Sixth St.
Springfield, IL 62701
217-670-1653

So my friends have great ideas, and I usually catch on to them much later.

One recent good idea they’ve had forever, and I just got hip to is: NOISETRADE

There are artists out there who – now get this – care about MORE than just making money from their stuff!! *gasp. I know. Crazy, right?

So here’s the thing. You go to NOISETRADE, and find music you like by sampling the artists right then and there, with no downloads needed and no crazy pop-ups to help them exist. It’s extremely easy to use.

If you find an artist you like, you can download all of their cd one of two ways: 1. Tell 5 of your friends about what you’re doing (they send them a link ONCE, and never anything ever again). 2. Pay them whatever you think the album is worth when combined with how much you have available to pay them. (to say it simpler: pay them ANY amount)

Then you download the music onto your computer, and burn it to a cd…and you’re solid.

My only beef? Most of the music selection is uniformly “different”, with a lot of hippy-sounding indie folk. You won’t have heard of most of the bands, because they haven’t spent much time/money telling the world about themselves. Also, a ridiculous amount of them claim to sound like Derek Webb. (he’s one of the founders, so either they’re sucking up to him, or his fans….or maybe one of them actually does sound a bit like him….but I’ve not found any)

But if you go through the selection a bit…you may find a few worth checking out. And it can’t hurt to listen to a different genre of music once in a while….right? And if you’re one of those people who love to go into a social situation knowing something about a good artist none of them have heard of thereby staking your place the the one “in the know” (you all know who you are), this is a pretty good source. 🙂

And by doing so you’re participating in the sharing of art done in a very “right” way I think.