**Please no commentary about if you agree or disagree, I'm not a fan of arguments :icon_sad: I have a friend who is extremely Lutheran, and I want to come out to her, or at least be somewhat more open, but I want to get an idea of what her perspective might be. She is the nicest person I've ever met, and would never do anything she thought would hurt anyone, but she tends to avoid things she disagrees with. I think her most likely reaction will be to tell me she's ok with it and then stop talking to me. I'm not going to force a friendship that can't be mutual, but she's a really amazing friend and I want tell her and still have things be ok between us, if possible. So, what I'm wondering is if any of you know specifically what the Lutheran church teaches on homosexuality and why, so I'll be able to see things from her perspective and maybe talk through some things enough to show her that it's ok. Right now I'm thinking of mentioning that I've always been this way because that's how God created me, and he wouldn't create something he didn't like or without a purpose (although I'm not entirely sure I believe in a God... but she definitely does). Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks guys!!!
Everything I could find in a four minute Google search said beliefs differ depending on the Lutheran church itself so my inexperience there won't help. Without that, I would suggest bringing up local gay news stories around her and trying to gauge her reaction if you're trying to test the waters to see if she can warm up to the idea or completely reject it and never talk to you again.
Yeah that's about all I was able to find, but it does seem like they aren't too strongly opposed to various orientations themselves, for the most part... I probably will test the waters some, but she's been a close friend for quite a long time and I feel dishonest not saying anything, so I'll probably end up saying something regardless
Yeah, it really depends on the church that she is attending. Some are more accepting of it than others. You might try testing the waters a bit with some gay news stories before you come out to her. That way, you can gage her reaction when you bring up that topic.
As stated before, the churches vary. In general, in the US, the churches that belong to the ELCA are the most likely to be accepting. But even ELCA churches vary as far as LGBT acceptance. Then, even in churches that accept LGBT people to some extent, you'll find people who aren't wild about gay people. Likewise, I'm sure, you'd find people in Missouri Synod Lutheran churches (conservative) who are perfectly accepting.
The Lutherans aren't a single organized body, so different Lutherans believe different things about homosexuality. If she is in america, odds are she doesn't support it.