Ever since the Supreme Court decision to legalize gay marriage, people on Facebook have put that rainbow overlay on their profile pic. Matthew posted on July 3rd instructions on how to Vaticanize your profile pic with an overlay of the Vatican flag. It’s a cool way to declare where who we are.

However, there’s another issue that needs to be addresses: the real meaning of rainbows. For generations, kids have grown up knowing that the rainbow was a symbol of God’s promise to humankind that He would never again destroy the earth by flood. Now, it’s become such a symbol of gay pride that when people see a rainbow, they think gay love and not God’s love. Even Christians are taking a knee-jerk reaction to this beautiful symbol. (Incidentally, the “gay” rainbow has six colors while a real rainbow has seven, but it’s too small a difference for most to notice.) Facebook is both a symptom and now the worst offender, and I think we need to do something about it.

Let’s take back rainbows!

Here are some banners and profile pics I created with the true rainbow and the Bible verse of God’s promise. The images are from copyright and royalty-free sites and are sized for Facebook. Please feel free to download and use them.

Here’re the Bible verses that tell the story. (Gen 9:8-17)

God said to Noah and to his sons with him: See, I am now establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you: the birds, the tame animals, and all the wild animals that were with you—all that came out of the ark. I will establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all creatures be destroyed by the waters of a flood; there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth.

God said: This is the sign of the covenant that I am making between me and you and every living creature with you for all ages to come: I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

When I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and every living creature—every mortal being—so that the waters will never again become a flood to destroy every mortal being.

When the bow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature—every mortal being that is on earth.

God told Noah: This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and every mortal being that is on earth.