In a previous article I said that only 14 of the 192 UN countries allow gay people to live, be free, have job security and marry each other. The irony is that all 192 countries are supposed to comply with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that the United Nations General Assembly adopted on December 10, 1948. Article 22 of this declaration describes social security. It establishes that every person, as a member of society, is the holder of the economic, cultural and social rights essential for their dignity and the free development of their personality.
This means that every person has the right to the cultural, employment and social welfare advantages offered by the country in which they live. This includes government programs that promote the welfare of the nation. The person has the right to sufficient food, housing, health services and the following benefits for their survival:
- old age pensions;
- maintenance of a widow or a son in case of death of the breadwinner of the family;
- Medical attention;
- Maternity benefit;
- Unemployment benefit;
- Sick leave benefit;
- disability benefit;
According to the website “dosomething.org” there are 1.7 million homeless teens in the United States and 40% of them are members of the LGBT community. At most, the LGBT community is about 10% of any population. If 40% of homeless teens in the US are part of the LGBT family, it means that a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender teen is 4 times more likely to be homeless. Why is that? I think it’s fair to say that many LGBT teens are thrown out of their homes by their own families. That is why they are at greater risk of ending up on the street. I use the US as an example for several reasons:
- The United States is known as the land of the free.
- The United States has a moderate position on gay issues
- The United States, as the leader of the West, is supposed to lead by example
As a Christian, I believe that Jesus is my Savior and the ultimate example of how I should treat other people. That is why I hope that the church intervenes when the government of a country does not fulfill its responsibility towards the weak, the sick, the widows and the children. I believe that the church, if it wants to be the voice of God in society, must be at the forefront defending those whose rights are not protected. Unfortunately, many churches are doing the exact opposite in this case. They are in the forefront of those who tell parents that they should abuse, neglect, discipline and abandon their own LGBT children. Instead of defending the weak, they are shouting against them. Perhaps it is time for the church to ask itself if it is doing what it was sent to do.
In my Bible, Jesus was not at the forefront of stone throwing, and yet as I check the many websites that churches have, I only see stone throwing and hate against the LGBT community. Even when Jesus believed that the person before him had sinned, he did not throw stones.
I think there are supposed to be two major powers looking after the youth in this world today. They are Christianity and the United Nations, however, in terms of the information above, neither of them sticks to their own statements.