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Religious take

Discussion in 'Coming Out Advice' started by timetochange16, Feb 24, 2010.

  1. I am not out yet, but I'm working on it and one of the things that boggles me is the religion aspect of this whole thing.

    I was born and bred a ukrainian catholic. I am by no means a bible thumper or a good christian but part of all thats going through my head is I wonder if there is a people out there who are gay and have a strong religious faith. I would love to know how you integrated the religion with the sexuality and it all being ok. Anyone?
     
  2. Shevanel

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    Hate to sound like a jerk, but use the search bar here on EC, take a look at all the threads, because many like this have been done before. Yes there are people who are still religious (like me), there are people who aren't, there are people in between. Tons of different people.
     
  3. RaeofLite

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    I think there are some churches that are ok and accepting of gay people. At least they were handing out invitations to attend their congregations at Vancouver Pride 09. I know that's on the otherside of the continent from you but I'm sure there are some.
     
  4. Beachboi92

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    there are LGBT friendly churches you just have to look to see if they are near you. I am personally not religious but i am willing to bet that there are plenty of LGBT people who are also very religious or at least a little :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes: In fact my uncle was transgender MtF and was a very religious person :slight_smile:
     
  5. padre411

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    I am an Episcopal priest in the process of coming out after 36 years of being closeted. I'd be happy to answer what questions I have.

    The fundamental religious question concerns our being made in the image of God. The leap of faith that must be taken is to decide whether being gay is an defect in our image of God or instead part of the mystery of being made in the image of God.

    I'm a mystery man. There is a lot of biblical criticism that sheds light on what the bible has to say about Christianity.

    John McNeill's book "Freedom glorious freedom" was helpful to me. He came out while a Roman Catholic priest. Most of the book is great but his discussion of archetypes went over my head quite a few times:Freedom Glorious Freedom

    The other book that was helpful was Taking of the Masks by Malcolm Boyd. He is an Episcopal priest.

    Taking of the Masks

    Again, please PM me or write on my wall if I can be of any help.

    peace,
     
    #5 padre411, Feb 24, 2010
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2010
  6. Thanks for the input. I checked out some of the threads. Very interesting. I guess I need to do some research.
     
  7. Jonah 4

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    My faith is pretty important to me. I wouldn't be going to a religious college if it wasn't. For me I've come to identify with the idea of grace. And tbh, i have a difficult time reconciling a god that opposes homosexuality and believes in the death penalty for it with that idea of a gracious god. Ergo, I've simply come to see the Scriptures in a different light. My perspective isn't new but some fiercely disagree with it. On a similar note, I've come to the conclusion that I would be living a lie if I denied my sexual orientation.
     
  8. SaturdaySaviour

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    There's nothing wrong with being gay and religious. The Church likes to bash gays from time to time, but you'd be actually surprised how many people are tolerant, or even accepting of us.

    IMO your religious beliefs shouldn't be influenced by your sexuality.

    I was raised Catholic, but I've never felt God in my life. I'm getting my confirmation sacrament this year just to satisfy my family. I'm pretty much in the closet, but people here don't like talking about it anyway, so we're all acting stupid.
     
  9. It boggles me how homophobic people think that we can deprogram ourselves, which bugs me because I didn't choose to be attracted to the men. I guess I've always wanted to be sure I had a strong faith background but always have had doubts because gay people aren't allowed (in most places) to be married in the eyes of God. I just want to know that there is a place I can go to better myself spiritually and know that I am able in the eyes of God to be happy personally with whoever I end up being with.
     
  10. padre411

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    1 Corinthians 15:10:

    "By the grace of God I am what I am, and God's grace towards me has not been in vain." :eusa_clap

    Peace,
     
  11. dude99

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    Well there are many gays that are religious and even go to church. I even went a few times to a Metropolton community church and the people there were really friendly and accepting.

    In additon your city may have a group that is dedicated to gays and lesbians who have a christian background. I attended a few in the past and they were great.
     
  12. starbucksshoote

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    I'm running for my church's Parish Council this weekend - it's an Anglican cathedral church - and not only are they tolerating of gay people, they have recruited them to serve in leadership positions.

    There are many, many threads that talk about this issue - you will travel your own faith journey with this issue.

    "So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them... God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good."
     
  13. seadog

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    God is love. Sex calls us into relationships with others, based on love.
    Don't listen to what others say what God sez. God can speak for him(her)self. Listen and think for yourself. You do have a brain, yes?
    Judge actions based on the result. If growth in love is the result, then the act is good.
    In the OT Moses told everyone that God had spoken to him, giving him the WORD of right and wrong. 663 rules to live by. all from 12 commandments. Some 2000 years later JC came and said, essentially, forget the rules. leads to bigotry. Just love, and forgive. God is Love. Peace, and prosper. Love beyond labels!

    (I'm roman catholic, btw. Mass and communion every week (mostly))
     
    #13 seadog, Feb 26, 2010
    Last edited: Feb 26, 2010
  14. seadog

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    Nice!
     
  15. This is all making much more sense. Thanks everybody.
     
  16. Holmes

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    I'm not religious, I'm an atheist, so in another context I might suggest that you question the foundation of your belief. But this isn't what this is about. Just thought I should let you know where I'm coming from.

    Some of my best friends are Roman Catholics, three in particular. And two of those are a lesbian couple. I've never asked them about how they integrate their sexuality with their religion, but they clearly do.

    From a religious perspective, consider that according to what you are taught, God created you with a capacity to love. You can only truly love, in the romantic sense, those who are of your sex. If you were to find yourself in a sham marriage with a woman, you would not be able to show her the love she deserves and needs. Romantic and sexual attachment is an important part of our lives. There will hopefully be a man out there with whom you can form a relationship with and you can each be an important part of each other's lives. This seems very much in keeping with the message of Christ, as regards human connections. Of course there's the "love your neighbour aspect", but everyone is meant to do that, there is a more specific type of love, between a loving couple.

    What else would religious have us do? Surely we should each find meaning in our lives as makes sense for us. Many denominations are quite open about homosexuality, while still being clearly Christian, but I know leaving your church is a big deal.

    You could look up Andrew Sullivan, a gay Catholic, who has written on this subject extensively. He has argued that his church as good as ignored gay people, while giving some moral guidance to heterosexuals, even if that is unrealistic. An equivalent approach would be for religions to embrace gay people, encourage them to have stable relationships, and to avoid promiscuity and infidelity, in the same way they do with couples who are married in the church.

    Consider this piece from The West Wing. A good Roman Catholic like Jed Bartlet knows what to take from the Bible, what really is important, and what a good Christian can safely ignore.
    [YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD52OlkKfNs[/YOUTUBE]
    Sorry if my own lack of religious faith makes me a bad person to give temperate advice on this.
     
  17. OMG I love this clip..... Brilliant!