There is a difference between what is normal, meaning a condition defined by a society, and what is natural, meaning a condition that occurs within nature.
The problems arise when we confuse what is only naturally occurring as being normal.
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Let me explain…
Disease is something that occurs naturally within living entities, and although we consider it normal for a person to get sick, it is not really a normal condition, is it?
What I mean is that we all will get sick occasionally during our lifetime, but being sick is not our normal state of being. It is a naturally occurring event in our lives, but being sick is not being normal.
Here I go into what many will consider to be a bigoted and homophobic statement, but it is actually only a scientific fact: the LGBTQ+ (did I get all the letters?) community are people who are not normal.
How can I say that? Easily- normal means the standard, or majority condition. In homo sapiens, what is normal is to be male or female, to be one of a race that is found throughout the world (White, Black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian, East Indian, Aboriginal, etc.) and to act in a manner acceptable under the laws of that government.
However, in the United States, a Gallup poll in 2023 found that 7.6% of adults identify as LGBTQ+. Less than 10% of the population is not a normal condition, BUT homosexuality IS a natural condition found in our species.
The Bible tells us as far back as before the Flood, there was homosexual activity. In fact, it was rampant, so we could say that in those days, it was normal. But today it is not normal, but it is something that occurs naturally.
Homosexuality occurs naturally, but that does not mean it is normal. It is a sexual abnormality, and whether it be a uncommon hormonal condition, or a psychological condition, or (as I believe) a combination of both, it isn’t normal within human societies across the world.
It is a naturally occurring condition, but those who live that lifestyle cannot claim that they’re normal within human society, although they can say that within the LGBTQ+ society, they are normal.
How’s that for a confusing set of statements?
Here’s something even worse: sin is normal.
Using my definition that normal is what the majority within a society or species do, sin is everywhere. And not only is sin normal, it is natural: in Judaism, we say that everyone is born with the Yetzer Hara (Evil Inclination), and we don’t develop the Yetzer Tov (Good Inclination) until we are old enough to study Torah (Christianity calls it Original Sin).
Yeshua (Jesus) tells us that the path to salvation is through a narrow gate, and along a road less travelled (Matthew 7:13-14), and I, for one, believe what he says.
There are those within Judaism and Christianity who travel that road less travelled because we claim to be saved by means of Yeshua’s sacrifice AND we try to be Torah observant, As such, we are not normal, which is a statement that the vast majority of people in the world would agree with, unconditionally.
And that’s OK with me! I prefer to be abnormal if it means living as best as I can in accordance with the Torah and accepting that Yeshua IS the Messiah God promised to send, a condition known as Messianic Judaism. And, being a Messianic Jewish man, I am not considered to be Jewish by Jews, and by most Christians I am not considered to be truly saved because I do all that “Jewish stuff”.
So, are you normal or naturally occurring? You can be both, you know, if you are a human being who “identifies” as just male or female, and live within the standards of the society in which you belong. But what about your spiritual condition? If you are normal, then I believe (given what I see in the world) that you are probably an unrepentant sinner. To be normal in our society, you must ignore the Torah, you do whatever you want to do and tell everyone that because God is forgiving that he will forgive you, and you claim that because you are a “good person” you will go to heaven.
My…my…my… are you ever in for an unpleasant surprise!
You see, what is normal for human beings is abnormal for God, because (as I mentioned earlier) we are all born sinners, and understanding that this condition is normal within humans, but only natural from God’s view, we need to overcome our normality to be abnormal. We must be repentant and try to live as God said to in the Torah, instead of putting our trust in human beliefs or religious rhetoric.
Joshua told the people that he and his house will obey the Lord (Joshua 24:15), so to paraphrase his sentiments, I say that I prefer to be abnormal in human society but normal as far as God is concerned.
What’s your choice?
Thank you for being here, and please remember to share these messages with everyone you know, even non-believers. Hey, after all, you never know how fertile the soil is until you plant a seed in it.
That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!