Yesterday I heard a report that stated that Mississippi had enacted an “anti-gay” law. Before that I heard that North Carolina was “restricting the rights of homosexual and transgender citizens.” Both of these items claimed to be “news,” a tag which suggests that it was written by a “journalist,” or that it adhered to standards for “journalism.” To call such wording in such contexts “journalism” is an affront to everyone’s intelligence. It is the obvious expression of an opinion by word choice that projects inferences not supported by the facts.

In both instances, states have acted in response to both overreach by the federal government and cultural hysteria. Citizens in North Carolina,  a majority of the citizens, are concerned with common human decency. The concern was aroused by an attempt to force men and women to accept the presence of people of the opposite biological gender in private spaces. Private spaces for males and females exist precisely because people consider their gentalia to be private. Normal human beings want to be in private places when they engage in activities which expose their private parts. Women in the women’s bathroom where they might repair bra straps, urinate, fix a slip or change sanitary napkins do not want to be at risk of exposing themselves to male view, even if it is a male who thinks he is female at the moment. Likewise they may need to discuss private matters or solicit assistance of various kinds that would be inappropriate for the presence of someone with male body parts. Normal women do not want to be exposed to a mentally ill male in their restroom. The professionals in the realm of psychiatry have stated publicly and gone on record as saying that gender confusion is a mental illness, not a protected civil right. The law passed in North Carolina includes provisions beyond the bathroom question, but all the provisions are designed to protect standards of common human decency which have been in place in human cultures for thousands of years. Nobody is forcing religion on anyone. It is simply a matter of normal human standards of behavior.

In Mississippi, there is also a common sense protection for people whose religious convictions correspond with the normal standards for human cultures worldwide, with a few very recent exceptions. Mississippi passed a law that protects anyone’s right to hold the conviction that same-sex marriage is something to be shunned. Mississippi law now assures that someone who wants no part of a same-sex marriage need not be part of it. It isn’t about preventing people from engaging in same-sex marriage; it is about preventing them from shanghaiing people who do not want to see or participate in a same-sex wedding.

Many of the people who support both of these laws self-identify as Christians. They consider the Bible to be their guide for faith and life. They don’t reject same-sex marriage because they simply find it a revolting idea. They reject it, because God wrote in his own revelation of himself that he abhors homosexuality and considers it to be a repulsive sin. The people who believe the Bible do not think that homosexuality is the only sin, and they would never claim that they themselves are without sin purely because they are not homosexual. They simply recognize the sinfulness of homosexuality and reject participation in it. They reject participation in lots of other sins, too, but to date, other sins have not attained the public support now given to homosexuality. There are many people who have nothing to do with the Bible who also reject homosexuality for reasons of their own. The law in Mississippi will protect them, too, if they choose not to decorate for a same-sex wedding or serve food at a reception for a marriage of two men. The law will not force anyone to attend church or memorize Scriptures. It will simply protect people who reject homosexuality as a lifestyle.

Likewise North Carolina’s law.

The number of people who may find themselves impeded if they choose to enter a bathroom inconsistent with their biological gender will be few. The statistics show that gender confusion is not rampant in the population. There are very few such people among us. Those people need psychiatric care and polite but firm, gracious guidance to the right bathroom.

God does not want us to stop loving people who suffer from gender confusion or from homosexual inclinations. Neither does he want us to hate murderers or thieves. God loves everyone, and he wants us to do the same. However, God does not suggest that we coddle such behaviors or join in just to be kind. The Bible, the revealed Word of God, teaches us we should refuse to participate in any form of sin, and according to the Bible, the class of all sinful behaviors includes homosexuality and gender confusion.

The foundation of recognizing such behaviors as sin lies in the recognition that human beings are created by God. Human biology is God’s handiwork. In this broken world, we must expect that human beings and their biology are affected. Satan and his demons are busy in their efforts to divert the whole human race away from God, and they act to the limit of their power to wreak havoc. The book of Job and the gospel of Mark make it very clear that they can work on both body and mind of human beings. We are enjoined to be loving to people suffering from attacks on their biology, but we are not asked to approve their behaviors as if they were normal or acceptable.

Everyone in the US who wants common human decency to prevail in the culture and all people who believe in religious liberty must applaud and support North Carolina and Mississippi. There remain 48 states who could benefit by passing similar laws.

Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.  Galatians 1:10