Being a 'Rainbow' Christian is not easy. There is a lot of condemnation and judgement from fellow Christians. Why is that? What is it about sex that gets everyone angry and pointing fingers? The beautiful and moving story of Jesus and the woman who was caught in adultery shows us another picture. It goes like this. A woman was caught in adultery (no mention of the man in the story!) and they took her to Jesus to see what he had to say - seeing as how the punishment was to stone her to death according to the laws written. Jesus did an odd thing, he wrote in the dust - something - and then said "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." The crowd shuffled off. We don't know what He wrote in the dust, but something pricked their conciences and none there were willing to condemn her.

The takeaway from that I guess is that none of us are crispy clean and none are in a position to judge. Jesus was of course without sin - but did he condemn her? Nope - He sent her on her way, exhorting her to sin no more. Did she live a blameless life henceforth? It doesn’t say but my guess is not. Having been forgiven many times myself for my transgressions, I live a better life - but not one without 'sin'.

I have been pondering the Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve. Why do people think of the whole eating the forbidden fruit as a sexual sin? First we have the serpent tempting Eve. "You will be as God's" he whispers. (Similar to his line in the desert with Jesus at the end of Jesus' 40 days. ) So lying - sin number one. Eve takes the fruit, - sin number two, disobedience to God. Not from God's word in a book or any other arms length directive, but a direct instruction from The Lord Almighty Himself. She then talks Adam into eating it too. Sin three - leading someone else astray. Once they had eaten they experienced shame, covering their naked bodies with leaves. This shame about their nakedness where did it come from? Does the knowledge of good and evil make us feel bad about ourselves? Or is shame the sin? They then make excuses to God when He confronts them. Adam says Eve made him do it. Not only that he tries to throw shade on God "The woman that You gave me." Even blames the serpent. Anyway, they get expelled and suffer the consequences of their disobedience. So where does sex come into this? Is it because they were aware of being naked? God made them and placed them in the garden without clothes. He didn't have a problem with their sexuality.

I don't think God does have a problem with our sexuality, what He might have more of a problem with is our treatment of each other. King David, because he desired Bathsheba sent her husband off to the front lines to get killed - to cover the fact that David had gotten Bathsheba pregnant. The prophet Nathan gives David a hard time about stealing another man's wife. We still behave badly, us humans, with the shenanigans that go on. But a loving relationship between two adults that are not hurting anyone else - I don't believe God condemns that. Casting gay people out of the church or giving gay people such a hard time they kill themselves, now that, I think, is a cardinal sin.