Can you be a Christian and still think being gay is okay?
By katran
@katran (585)
United States
May 2, 2009 1:49pm CST
I realize that this is a controversial topic, and that is why I am starting it, to be honest. I have tried as much as possible to not take a side in this argument, because it is difficult for me. I come from a very religious Christian family that has very strong beliefs about what is right and wrong, yet I, like most American children, have grown up in a world where I have had gay friends and have seen the homosexual lifestyle become more and more accepted. For the longest time I sided with my family and firmly believed that being gay was wrong and society should agree. However, more recently my mind has started to change. Part of the reason I started thinking about it was because of this letter:
http://www.humanistsofutah.org/2002/WhyCantIOwnACanadian_10-02.html
The letter brings up some very good points. There are lots of things that the Bible says are wrong or that the Bible says are right that we do not follow anymore. The reason is because Jesus told us that the most important commandments were to love God and love each other, and he freed us from the notion that we have to follow all those laws that God gave to the Jewish people. So why have we chosen to agree the eating pork is now okay and that we don't have to be circumcised anymore, and yet we have kept the notion that homosexuality is an "abomination"? It seems to me like that should be something to think about.
I still don't know where I stand on this issue, but I can tell you that I think it is blatantly un-Christian of a person to not show love to everyone, including homosexuals. Wouldn't you agree?
4 people like this
7 responses
@Polly1 (12645)
• United States
2 May 09
I am a Christian, Here are some of my views on the subject. Its not my place to judge others. I don't think people choose to be gay. As Christians we are supposed to love and accept everyone. We are all sinners, not one of us is perfect. I could say a few other things but I think you get the idea. BTW, I am straight, My kids are straight, I am happy about that. But if one of my kids had come to me and told me he/she was gay, I would accept it and love them unconditionally.
@Ravenladyj (22904)
• United States
3 May 09
Its not my place to judge others. I don't think people choose to be gay
very true...
But if one of my kids had come to me and told me he/she was gay, I would accept it and love them unconditionally
and BRAVO to you for that! I'm not a Christian and havent been in a long time but I have to say that IMO your take is a very POSITIVE Christian attitude..
1 person likes this
@ulalume (713)
• United States
4 May 09
Well, Christianity is fundamentally about being hypocritical. With one hand you show love (knowing that god is watching you), and with the next hand you strike down all the non-believers for not thinking in the same way as yourself. Hell, this happens within Christian sects as well.
In the documentary Religulous, Bill Maher said a good (and comical) question: if you were writing a list of things you would want people to live by, wouldn't you want to write a book rather than a short list (most of which is about only serving you)?
Thats not verbatim, but its the basic idea. Christianity and its beliefs are so open ended. Nothing in the bible really makes a whole lot of sense.
@katran (585)
• United States
4 May 09
I find it interesting that you are being so condemning on Christians while you are criticizing them for condemning others. And you say Christians are the hypocritical ones? Nobody is "striking down" anyone. Most of the population of my country is Christian, and I very rarely see people running around telling others that they are going to hell, and the few times I HAVE seen people doing this, other Christians were the first ones to tell them to shut their mouths.
Religulous was not a documentary. It was one man's INCREDIBLY biased chop-up job. If that is what you take as your source, you are little more than a fool. Anyone with half a brain knows better than to accept a biased view of something as fact. Also, someone who knows nothing about the Bible would say that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If there is something you don't understand, I would be happy to explain it for you. I haven't been asked a question by an non-Christian that I could not answer yet. I highly doubt that you have one I haven't heard before.
@Mr_Schitzo (117)
•
2 May 09
I love eveyone when i am on my meds.
(except Poles)
I saw a red car yesterday.
@cmofi123 (344)
• United States
3 May 09
Here is my share.
Do you all recall Maria Magdalena? For those of you who don't now (don't remember the english name for it) she was, what we call now a sl@t who slept with many men.
When the people started judging her and they were trowing rocks to her, Jese came and defended her. He said, "The person who is clean of all sins trow the first rock" No one threw it right?Seriously for those people that follow the bible. Did you think that it was going to be easy to be a good Christian? God created everything himself. He put obstacles in our lives to see how we will handle them.
I'm laughing at the comments that people are making. Marriage is between a man and a woman. But let's be honest here and let's turn the table around. You guys think that being Gay is against the Christinanity? Because Gay is a sin, now let me see your dirty laundry.
How many of you lost your virginity before marriage?How many of you live with your men (women) have 1, 2, 3 kids but you are not "LEGALLY MARRY"If this the case and we are going to judge people because they are gay and the bible saids that is a sin, millions of people (us, including my self) we will populate hell. Our virginity was suppose to be given only in marriage right? right?Again who are we to judge. First, let's take a look at our dirty laundry before we go out pointing fingers.
@katran (585)
• United States
3 May 09
You are right. The bible says that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The difference, many people say, between people who chose to lose their virginity before marriage or have kids out of wedlock or many other sins is that we know those things are wrong when we do them. Generally, a Christian who does those things will feel guilt, and then they can choose to repent. On the other hand, gay people don't think they are doing anything wrong. They sin proudly.
That being said, I'm not even sure it is a sin anymore, so...I'm just telling you the way people tend to look at it.
@meiteoh (416)
• Switzerland
2 May 09
Love the sinner, hate the sin - that's what I believe in.
I believe in the freedom of choice and free will which is what God gave us and that I have no right to force my beliefs and choices on another human being since God never did the same to me.
And before you ask - I'm a Christian and my views (the above) have landed me in hot soup with my peers in my church. Lets just say that NO ONE speaks to me at all these days (in fact, none of them realized that I have migrated to Switzerland - one thought that I was still in Malaysia even though I left early last year) but they have no problems trying to get on the good side of my hubby whom they see as a "potential person to save".
@celticrogue (450)
• United States
3 May 09
I really like your answer in the second paragraph.
I, too, am Christian, and believe as you do. God gave us a free will. We have the freedom of choice - to believe or not believe. We cannot force our views onto anyone. I live in the USA, our constitution is written to emphasize that - we have the freedom of religion, freedom from the state forcing us to worship in a state-approved religion.
Some people think that since Jesus called upon us to spread the good news, and preach to others, that they now that the right to ram their beliefs down our throats, which will drive more people away than convert them.
@celticrogue (450)
• United States
3 May 09
I very much agree. Jesus preached that our Father wanted us to love each other as we loved ourselves. And this goes very deep - we love ourselves very deeply especially during tough times - wars, economic recessions/depressions, legal desputes in our communities,etc. We are always out to protect ourselves, then loved ones. So, being a Christian, calls us to love and respect everyone.
I agree that the letter brings up some very good points. Most of God's laws outlined in Leviticus are approprite when starting a new culture with religion and you want to make sure that the culture survives. You set it up so that you do not do want neighboring cultures do. Dietary laws are such to protect your people, especially in ancient times when the understanding of diseases was more mystical than fact. You outline laws to make sure there is peace within families so that families can come together to put together society. And that society will work together.
@runner0369 (641)
• United States
2 May 09
thank you for the great topic. I believe that none of us can know for sure what God wants from us or what the right thing to do in every situation is. We have His Word to guide us but not everything is black and white. It is not our place to judge. Each person should strive to act as they believe God would want them to, whether or not you act rightly I believe that if you truly strive to act as God would want you to, then everything will work out. I do not know whether or not being gay is ok today. I have my own opinion, but my opinion has no effect on reality. Each person must make there own decision. I think it is clear that regardless of what you decide, as you said, we should show love to everyone, regardless of what they decide on the homosexuality issue and all other issues, we cannot judge a person because they choose differently than us because we have no way of knowing for sure that we are right and even if we are right, we have no right to cast judgement on anyone, I believe God was pretty clear in His statements that tell us not to judge others. Good luck in your search for the truth! An open mind is always a good place to start. I pray that God will guide you to the truth.
