Because He Was Gay.

I just got off the phone with a very dear friend who recently found out her brother committed suicide. Her brother spent the last 15 years of his life serving and protecting the country he loved so much in the Marine Corps. This honorable man, upstanding citizen, father, brother, Purple Heart recipient, took his life. Why? Because he was denied entrance to the base chapel-BECAUSE HE WAS GAY. The military's policy of "Don't Ask, Don't tell" officially ended 20 September 2011, finally allowing already serving members and new recruits to live their lives openly without fear of official reprisal. As a result, this man, this soldier, felt he could finally stop living in hiding, and he came out to the men he served with.
After he did so, he was harassed, threatened, his 14 year old son was attacked, his home was vandalized, all leading up to the recent morning when he went to the base chapel to worship his God. And as he tried to enter, he was stopped and denied. The men he served with betrayed him. Because he was gay. Never mind that they have known and served with him for years. Never mind that he served in the same hell, pulled the same trigger, bled the same red blood, wore the same uniform, and was proud of the same Red, White, and Blue. Apparently, the fact that he was gay negated all of that, all his sacrifices, the blood he shed for his country right along side them, and the fact that he was a decent, hard working, man and proud American. Apparently, the fact that he was gay entitled them to pure and rampant hate and ignorance. Apparently it gave them the right to abuse him and his family, to vandalize their home and belongings, to deny him entrance to church-the ONE place all who seek shelter, refuge, salvation, and comfort are welcome.
Suicide is NEVER the answer. I should know. That being said, who on this wretched earth has the right to judge any man or woman for anything? None of us. The last time I checked, there is only one God, and only He has the right to judge anyone and punish them. 
First off, I will say this, and in all caps so there is no mistake: I DO NOT CARE IF YOU ARE GAY, STRAIGHT, BISEXUAL, WHATEVER. Did you see that? Read it again. Got it? Good. Some of my closest and dearest friends are gay. Someone, I don't know who, is going to tell me I'm wrong, that I'm in sin, that I should care, and so on. Guess what? Next time you take fire and make it out alive because the guy next to you is a damn good shot, THEN come back and tell me I should care whether he is gay or straight.  I have served with gay and bisexual men. And guess what? Their bullets fly just as straight as anyone else's. Their uniforms were just the same as everybody else's. They were there, in the same 150 degree heat, wearing the same 60-80lbs of gear, stuck in the same shit as everyone else. A person's sexual orientation don't mean a damn thing, because once you put on that uniform, you are all one. We don't harass someone because they like a different color, or a different food, or a different kind of music.This is all in the military context, simply because this was a military issue. Outside the military is much the same, but I will get into that another time. Your race, creed, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, height, weight, color, none of that matters. Because FIRST AND FOREMOST, you are a soldier. THAT is what matters.
The church. Sanctuary. Comfort. Redemption. Salvation. Peace. Guess what? "ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."--Romans 3:23 NOT just "the gays." Or the Blacks. Or the Hispanics. Or the Whites. Or the redhead, the blondes, the short, the tall, the fat, the skinny, or the Easter Bunnies! ALL. See that, in all caps? That's right, ALL have sinned. ALL fall short. Not just one or two. Not just gay or straight. But ALL. Who has the right to deny ANYONE seeking entrance to the church? Who has the right to deny anyone the solace, salvation, redemption, comfort, or peace that they seek? No one at all. God is "not willing that any should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance."--2Peter 3:9 Not everyone BUT the gay, or mentally handicapped, or the Jew, or the prostitute, or the thief, but ALL. "For God so loved the WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son; that WHOSOEVER [whoever] believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."--John 3:16 He didn't love just some, or a few, or this group, but He loved the world. ALL who seek Him shall find Him. ALL who believe in Him shall be granted His grace and Mercy. Not just the straight people, or the white people, or the literate people. ALL. I've said that word quite a few times. Do you get the picture? Not quite? Here you go again...ALL. I do not have the right to judge anyone for what they do or choose. Based on Biblical teaching and wise and Godly counsel, whether or not you believe homosexuality to be a sin is between you and God. If you are gay, I am not God, therefor I cannot judge you. You shall give account to God for whatever sins you commit just as I shall give account to God for my own sins. All are welcome into the open arms of my God and Saviour. Seek Him, and you shall find Him, and He shall not betray you. As such, NO ONE has the right to deny ANYONE access into what is supposed to be a place holy and sacred unto God. No one has the right to deny anyone access to God period. We have all sinned, and are all sinners, thus, none of us "deserves" to be in the presence of God. Yet, amazingly, because of His grace and mercy, He gives us free and open access to Him with no reservation or hesitation.
To top it all off, after his death, the same men he served with, the same people who knew him for so long, his onetime "friends" and brothers in arms, wrote "Thank God Almighty, the fag's gone." This was NOT God. This was NOT Christianity, or faith, or anything even remotely related to God. This was pure and unadulterated hate and ignorance.
The saddest part of this story, for me, is that my friend told me "I swear I will never step foot in another church for as long as I live. I know what the Bible says. And this is how they interpret it? They justify this by quoting scripture? This is what Christianity is all about? These people who claim to love God and follow Jesus? I will never step foot in a church again, not if this is what it all means." And I could find absolutely no words for her. Because she was right. It is because of situations like this that I am hesitant to call myself "Christian." I tell people exactly what I believe, and I say it proudly and try to live up to it. Not because I am not a follower of Christ, I most certainly am. But because The definition of a Christian, and the image that we present as a whole do not add up. Unfortunately, the connotation when the label Christian is used is not very positive, and automatically turns people away. Granted, it is up to us, as followers of Christ to make sure our names, our words, and our deeds add up. My point is that many evils, many wrongs, and many sins have been committed in the name of "following Christ" and in the name of being a Christian.
I could go on and on, but it would eventually merge into a more theological and philosophical discussion. For now, let this situation be a wake up call. You do not have the right to judge anyone, or turn anyone away from God, nor do I, nor does anyone else. Christ was not selective with His sacrifice, nor was God with His grace and mercy.