Do you worry about going to hell for being GLBT?

I have to and sometimes this mindset is what keeps me from actually dating.

 

Why would it matter to an all powerful god what a human does in there sex life or what sex they are attracted to as long as they are not causing harm to another living being? I myself am not worried because I am an atheist.

 

I used to feel guilty, but not anymore.

This might actually sound conceited, but if God were to exist and had issues with gay people, I'd demand an audience with Him and ask where was He in so many important times in my life and why was He so cruel. Not that I wanna test God, but I do feel He can't be both benevolent and anti-gay; merciful and cruel. If being gay was a Hell-damming sin, and "worse" sins were also punishable by the same way, Heaven would be a lonely place.

 

You have nothing to worry about, The bible also says that working on sunday, Being lazy, And eating too much are sins.

 

Being LGBT+ is not a choice, and it doesn't harm anyone or anything, and it's all about love. So why would a loving god send you to Hell for this?

I'm non-religious and ex-Christian, and I came out to myself right after that deconversion and I used to have nightmares all the time about dying and being terrified of Hell, I WAS terrified about going to Hell.
I can't believe I've gotten through that, but the nightmares have stopped and I'm happy with myself now.

Since I assume you are a Christian, there are many Christians and religious people who believe God would never condemn homosexuality, or even that the Bible or other "holy" books do not suggest that.
Matthew Vines is pretty popular with this explanation, I remember I liked his video a long time ago.

[YOUTUBE]ezQjNJUSraY[/YOUTUBE]

So did many other people really like it and learn from it. I hope this helps.
I really am sorry for all of you who have to live with this fear, because I went through it and I know how honestly scary it is. (*hug*)

 

To be honest, I was raised Christian (Still identify as Christian), and I actually never ever worried about this. My experiences with religion in general have all been very positive and supportive and community-like, though. I've heard my grandma and others say that it's a sin but all sins can be forgiven, and I had a teen bible given to me that said it was a sin too. I never touched it again once I read that line at the end (In the FAQ section of the bible), actually.

Despite all that, I've, again, never considered it a sin. I've known ever since I was like 4 that I wanted to marry a guy and have a wedding cake with two little guy figurines on it, even though I thought I was straight like everyone else. It always seemed normal to me despite the fact that there weren't many gay role models way back around a decade ago. I never would believe that the god I believe in would punish me for loving someone of the same gender, or call it a sin, because I figure love is always good, whether it's between a man and a woman or other pairings.

 

It really doesn't, you know. Taken literally, it might appear to say something about homosexuality, but history and context is all important when considering these few verses, which are grossly exaggerated.

If we only read the Bible literally (as so many sadly do) it tells us all sorts of things that we might find difficult or uncomfortable, but many of these things are conveniently ignored.

I am a Christian, but I don't see my sexuality as sinful and I certainly don't worry about going to hell. The leaders of many churches don't even subscribe to the theory that homosexuality is sinful.

 

My god, rather than condemning non-straightness, smiles that there is another avenue in the world for us to express our love. People go to hell (maybe?) for increasing suffering, on purpose, without regret. There are plenty of genuinely evil people out there whom deserve our disgust without having to invent more sins.

 

Good one. What amazes me is that people who do wrong and do harm for the purpose of profiting can sit there in church being prim and proper ... and respected ... while the person who has rolled between the sheets with another consenting adult of the same sex has committed some kind of abomination according to some of the pea brained churchgoers out there. They choose to elevate this behavior to a higher level of sinfulness than egregious greed. I still believe but I have seen some crazy things that almost make me sick when it comes to religiosity.

---------- Post added 20th May 2015 at 12:35 AM ----------

Or, to use the simplistic phrase, "God doesn't make junk." That might be too simplistic for some applications - thinking the Tsarnaev brothers - but, in almost all other cases, this maxim applies.

 

Even though I was raised in a Catholic household, I've always been an atheist, so no.

 

When you die you just die. I'm more worried about the regret of not having done things when I die than I am about going downstairs.

 

No

 

I consider myself Christian, and I was raised Christian as well. My dad is a Bible literalist and believes that being gay is a choice and a sin, etc. etc. I'm the exact opposite, I put little to no faith in the Bible, especially as the "infallible Word of God". A lot of people, for example, quote Romans, but Romans is Paul speaking to the Romans. And there have been proven translation errors in the Bible in the past. So I don't put much stock in it. Finally, reading in and of itself is not a one-way street, when you read something, you read it through a lens, either one someone else has given you or one you've made/choosen. Most people read the Bible the way they were taught to, which means that something that could mean 100 things has been boiled down to 1 person's retelling.

There's also this: God is love, the Devil is hate. God creates, the Devil destroys. We're born gay or straight or anything in between (and we're not the only species either). That means we were created this way, does it not? (I read this yesterday and it's pretty much perfect: “Satan created no man; God created no sin. But I’m a gay Christian. So … ?” .)

 

Being atheist I do not believe in all them fairy tales. So no

 

I don't believe in hell, so saying I will go to hell for being a homosexual is as futile as saying santa won't give me any presents. You can't be frightened by things you don't believe exist, so the answer to your question is no. I'm not afraid of going to hell for being a homosexual.

 

This was a constant fear when I was religious. I used to fear that I'd be where I am today...lol (out and about and without god ) Religion can be healing, helpful to the meek, but if raised in the wrong environment, it can be devastating.

 

Being an atheist that doesn't believe in heaven or hell, no.
Even when I was Christian and Southern Baptist I didn't feel that way, because I felt that the verses about homosexuality aren't actually about homosexuality, they're about cult rape and other similar things.

 

Pretty much this.

I remember some time ago I wanted to change my sexual orientation (I wanted to be asexual so badly), I had no idea that it was not possible... So I don't think you would go to 'hell' because your sexual orientation, since you can't choose nor change it.

 

I found this site about a year ago while I was trying to write an argument on why God loves gays.




Right now, I try not to believe that there is no hell, and it's just an afterlife. And then we descend back to live in another body. It's the circle of life.