Religion+Gay=?

Here is a link to the full video "For the Bible Tells me So" :

http://emptyclosets.com/forum/showpost.php?p=444011&postcount=10

Before anything, watch this Start to Finish. It goes through the lives of various religious gay people, giving peronal accounts and stories of how they made it work, as well as busting myths commonly spread about gay people and de-bunking various verses in the bible used to condemn gays. Everyone i know who has watched this video has gained some sort of peace of mind on the subject, including myself (a gay christian).

If you still have questions after that, feel free to post them on my Wall and i will answer them. Ive studied the topic quite alot and taken many a class on exegesis and hermeneutics of the bible.

 

Start asking yourself why you believe rather than what you should believe.
Also, an you can ask any good theologian if you don't believe me, only 37 of the 39 old testament books even speak of or affirm an afterlife, which is funny considering that most of the homophobic bible quotes are in the old testament.
Here's a really helpful video concerning faith:
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wV_REEdvxo&fmt=18[/YOUTUBE]

 

ever read the bible? there is nothing that is directly homophobic when translated from the original greek and hebrew texts. it is the personal translations from preachers and people who write homophobic sermons that creates the image that christianity will condemn all gays to hell.

actually, you can blame the romans for homophobia. christianity is a branch from judaism, and so it developed many traits from the jewish people, who had to live under the romans cruel ruling, as you may of heard of in some bible stories such as baby moses and joseph and the technicoloured dream coat. well, that was the egyptians, but their position was the same as the romans, they were just gentiles to the jews. anyway, jews hated romans. this was a fact, just becasue romans shaved their faces, jewish men grew breads to show that they where not alike. romans would have sexual relationships with the same sex for recreational purposes, so when the jews heard of this, homosexuality became a disgusting and unthinkable act because thats what the romans did.

this way of thinking still exists in some religious groups for reasons that are totally piontless, the main one being gays cannot have children so there is no use in letting them marry. religion and sexuality don't have to be in constant conflict. spirtuality and faith are very personal things, if you believe in god, no one can stop you by telling you you'll go to hell, thats gods job if you believe in that.

i don't mean to sound arrogant and one-sided if thats how my little rant sounds, i just thought i'd voice my opinion. hope it helps

 

I have only recently come to peace with being gay and being Christian, but it took ALOT of research and thinking on my part. One thing that was helpful to me was a letter I was linked to by someone on another religious forum I am apart of. It might not totally go with everything you believe, but it still might be helpful. Here is the link:

http://www.godmademegay.com/Letter.htm

Hope maybe that is helpful .

 

Until you are face to face with your god then you will never truly know the answer. Christians and all other religious people tend to believe in what they want to be true, on both sides of the homosexuality front. Logically there is nothing wrong with being gay, morally/religiously its subjective.

 

http://www.fallwell.com/selective%20quotation.html

This is a good website that explains different things that the Bible says is wrong that many people disregard and do everyday. Such as eating shellfish and laying with a woman when she is on her period. People try and use the bible to justify why being gay is wrong. If they are going to "follow" the bible stricly then they should abide by all parts of the bible.

This site also says that men should not trim their sideburns or their beards...isnt the pope clean shaven?

 

There is something really important you have to keep in mind when reading the bible. It was written by humans. Men. From hundreds of years ago. Their personal beliefs were projected onto what they thought God wanted. The Bible says a lot of things. But they should be taken with a grain of salt.

 

Wow. That was a long read - but it was incredibly thorough. I'm SO glad you provided that link.

To the OP: I'm really glad that you found EC. I'm hoping that spending some time here will help you see that you can be Christian and gay at the same time.

 

Truth be told it's all in the way the bible is interpreted; My dads a preacher and we have a million and ten bibles floating around the house and for sake of argument i like to compare the versions. For example: Sodom and Gomorrah, the King James version says that the man wanted to have "Relations" with the outsiders while the New International version says that they wanted to have "sex" with the men; Now relations didn't always mean having sex in the bible but those who translated it felt that's what it meant. It's all in your interpretation. Personally I think that certain denominations are compatible with being gay, while some, such as mine, are not. It all depends on how you see it and where you go. I hope that answered your question without getting too confusing.

 

I'm actually writing my final paper on this. Saying the title makes me feel really smart
"An Examination of Homosexuality in Christianity Using the Wesleyan Quadrilateral"
If anyone is interested, I could send it along when it gets done.

 

Actually, I would love a copy once it's done, Spinach Wrap. I devour most anything dealing with the conflict of interests when dealing with homosexuality and religion.

 

I would also enjoy a copy of your work whenever you finish .