Can you be Christian and gay?

So if that man can interpret the bible and be correct, the entire bible may be interpreted however you see fit... crumbling under the weight of its falsity.

Saying the word can be interpreted weakens the message of the bible. This isn't HG Wells, this is the professed word of god that a billion people base their life on...right?

Exactly.

 

Well you carry on hating pretty much everyone! Because everyone sins, and if that means they are sinners that go to hell - who will be left? God acknowledges us as sinners, Christians acknowledge themselves as sinners! Jesus came to pay the price for our sin.

God made humans in His image, people do not "choose" to become gay, they don't wake up one morning and say "hmm you know what, today I am going to become a minority who is still hated in so many places!"

 

your a very "all-or-nothing" kind of person, aren't you?


Just because I don't believe that God is the god that has been professed doesn't mean I don't believe He has something worthwhile to hear. God gave us free will, and I intend to exercise it. I believe that, through reincarnation, everyone will eventually reach Truth, or Brahma.

Oh, crap, does that make me a Hindu?

I think you're trying to explain your view in a very "black-or-white" type of way, but you're not seeing all the shades of gray..

 

I see the gray, but a gray point isn't very strong?

*Personal* spirituality is fine, I don't have the answers... I just happen to despise those that join an organization that believes it has all the answers... even through all the tremendous corruption, etc etc.

Church is an institution that seeks control, therefore I feel it my duty to enlighten its members.

Everyone should seek their own personal spirituality... but not ignore logic and reality. Just be aware of your beliefs... given thousands of years of evidence, an educated choice can definitely be made.... there is no educated choice in following the bible as truth, or following any christian religion.

Now lets all learn kung fu

 

Right and wrong. Fundamentalist Protestants base their lives on the Bible. Catholics, as you're probably aware, base their lives on the Bible as interpreted by an infallible Church. Mainline Protestants tend to base their lives on a variety of sources, including the Bible but liberally interpreted according to its spirit or fundamental principles, judged in the context of reason, intuition, tradition, and experience. For several decades after Jesus' death, there was no New Testament, and considerable doubt about the valididty of the Old Testament among Christians. The early Christians were mainly charismatics, going on the basis of their own understandings of oral tradition, guided, they believed, by the Holy Spirit. And yes, there was considerable variation in belief. The Bible isn't H.G. Wells, but I think it comes close--to Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and other great literature (also, the Qur'an, the sutras, etc.) as a source of insights. Jesus summed it up well in two commandments: love God and love your neighbor. Sounds good to me, so I'll go with it--the summary, that is.

 

What does it even mean? "sins done in vain"?????? The only unforgivable sin, according to the Bible, is one "against the Holy Spirit". Whatever that means, there's no basis for saying it means homosexuality. You're creating a straw person, reading the Bible the way nutcases like the Rev. Phelps
and the Westboro Baptists would and then ridiculing the result. And I agree, it's ridiculous, but it's also not Christian.

 

Being gay, bisexual, pansexual, transsexual, heterosexual, or any other sexual doesn't exclude you from choosing a religion that fits you and doing your best to follow the ideals laid out by your spiritual path.

From a Christian perspective, I believe that sex is amazing whether you're gay, straight, or otherwise. It depends on how you use it. Rape, molestation, and incest are all examples of sexula immorality. I think any true Christian would condemn those. Sexual orientation and sexual activity are a blessing when used correctly.

 

So are priests and other celibates violating God's law?

 

And?

The Bible says "love one another" too. Christianity isn't dependent on the Bible. It doesn't matter what it says. Yeah, it's a nice guide, but it's also a human work.

 

Homosexuality as a sin is something I'm not sure about. All the messages you get, on both sides, are biased and embellished and generally blown out of proportion, especially since this religion has been around for so long.

I know that it's stated to be a sin explicitly in the bible, but I can't get myself to believe that acting on true, deep love for someone is depraved and perverted.

 

I don't know about you, but a religion that cannot accept Homosexuals as regular people is a religion that should be questioned.

A pastor that I once looked up to, said if you know one that is homosexual, do not even eat with them at the same table.

May I ask why? Homosexuality is a lifestyle just like any other. The same way people are activists, vegetarians, Buddhist, and such. A very close-minded way to live, IMO.

Peace and Love, John.

 

Christians follow the Bible, the Bible is the word of God, it is said that man should not lie with man as he does with a women, hence so many christians not agreeing with it, as the Bible is the word of God.

I have spoken to many vicars about this issue, some have plainly disagreed with it, some have said they are ok with it, so still a very big issue.

The bible says it is a temptation which is to be steered away from, not a lifestyle but a choice and weak at that.

 

Did Jesus himself say it? If Jesus is the messiah, and the messiah is God, then whatever Jesus says you should follow, right? God came as Jesus, so whatever Jesus says, should be followed, because you're receiving the direct word of God.


I don't think Jesus ever discussed homosexuality. If God thought it was an important issue, he would have discussed the issue as Jesus.

Jesus protected people from being stoned to death. Jesus forgave a prostitute.

Why would forgiveness end there?

God is all about love. Treating homosexuals as unequals isn't loving.

 

No He didn't say anything about it!

Homosexuals aren't treated as unequals, it is considered a sin - but we are all sinners, that's the reason Jesus came. We will all be forgiven, just need to acknowledge that we commit sins - whatever they may be - and ask for forgiveness! It's as simple as that!

 

The simple act of being gay is a sin? I don't see why.

Being gay is a part of who you are. You just can't stop being gay. These people need loving affection - Why can't they have that?

 

I don't see how people come with the conclusion that being Gay is a choice.

It is most definitely not.

May I ask you something? (Assuming you are straight.)
Did you ever CHOOSE to like women? No.


It is not a choice, however you are not born with it either. It is something that you pick up from your environment and also your role models/influences. My best friend is Bi-Sexual and Christian. He said he developed that way of thinking in his earlier years since he went to an all boys Boarding School.

That is a lie, and I have reason to believe that even you acknowledged that one yourself.

If they aren't unequals, then we DEFINITELY wouldn't have laws against it. If they weren't unequals, then we wouldn't be having this discussion, as it would be accepted in our society.

And unfortunately, just because a few statements in some dusty ol' book says it's a sin, we have half the world thinking that.

 

Lying is a sin, cheating, stealing etc, alot of things can be considered as a sin. Like I said before the bible mentions it. And seeing as the bible is made up of the Old and New Testament, the former cannot just be ignored.

To be honest I don't know where I stand on homosexuality. At church once the preacher was talking about sin and mentioned homosexuality and that he knew people at church were struggling with this inclination and to keep fighting against it and not give into temptation. That's how they see it, that the person, while has not chosen their orientation, is being tempted and is not fighting away from it, but giving in.

 

As a Christian I can say that I did not make that up! I can only speak of what I know. People sin - that is known - even if you are not religious you have to admit that people do wrong on a day to day basis? If you are a Christian, you follow the word of God, He said cheating on you partner is wrong - do you agree with that? That not respecting parents/ others is wrong etc - all makes sense to me.

I think America is very different regarding homosexuality than the UK. I think the reason it is made such a big deal, whereas certain other issues aren't is that it is considered a lifestyle choice and is not something homosexuals are protesting against being, the Christian view being we need to acknowledge what we are doing wrong in Gods eyes.

Please don't be angry towards me, you asked a question and I am trying to answer it.

 

It can be learned, but once learned it can stick... for life, and you cannot change from that.

Also, there is evidence that shows that homosexuality can be genetic as well.

 

I guess that would be down to the individual person, only they know how they feel and whether or not things could change. If something is learned then it can also be un-learned so to speak. Pavlov/ Skinner for example, I know they didn't do anything with homosexuals (and almost always used animals) so they are not the best examples, but they show that conditioning works. Also little Albert - conditioned to be afraid of white beards which then became associated with his pet rabbit - then unconditioned. I'm not saying it will work with homosexuality, just responding to the way you put it.