how do you keep your faith

I wasn't raised Christian but converted to it. It was hell for me, trying to reconcile my sexuality with my spirituality. I was borderline suicidal for a while.

Then my life started changing a lot, and I decided to claim the right to be my own navigator. I don’t let anyone tell me who God is. I wouldn’t base a relationship with another human being based solely on what others had told me to believe about his/her character, so why on earth would I apply that principle to the most important relationship I’ll ever have? No person or group can dictate to me who God is, what He wants from me, or how I should relate to Him. I seek to obey God, not any organization who claims to have Him figured out. Who’s to say they have Him figured out better than any other organization, or better than me, for that matter? The God I love and serve is the God I have met and am getting to know for myself, not a god that any religion can force-feed to me. I also acknowledge that I could be wrong at any time about anything, including religion, and my beliefs are always open to editing, evolving, and improving over time as I gain maturity and wisdom.

I hope that helps. And I hope you are able to find God for yourself, separate from organized religion. I am Unitarian Universalist-- you may want to look into that-- and while I don't identify as Christian anymore, I am deeply spiritual and I have a strong love for God. I try to live right and be a good person. I think that's what counts.

 

I'm a Christian as well. You should definitely check out the video by Matthew Vines. He goes through the verses that people use against LGBT people. I'll put it at the bottom.

I recommend that you research things for yourself. Look at the arguments and see what you believe. Also, you may want to look into finding an accepting church. There are many Christian churches that accept the LGBT community and some are even led by LGBT people.

Also, Aldrick had a very insightful post on this topic in this thread http://emptyclosets.com/forum/support-advice/65350-bible-tells-me-being-gay-wrong-now-i-just-dont-know-what-do.html

[YOUTUBE]ezQjNJUSraY[/YOUTUBE]

Those are some great places to start your research. Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help

 

I'm only beginning to take Catholicism and Christianity seriously right when I told myself I was bisexual. Christianity is a religion of love and compassion, not hate. I will stand by those words until death and beyond.

Here's a video if you aren't sure about yourself and your religion, it made me feel a lot better.

[YOUTUBE]Reconsidering the Bible and Homosexuality - YouTube[/YOUTUBE]

 

Deeply love yourself

God loves all humans.

 

I'm interested too. Being Catholic and Bi is a tough mix. Thank you for starting this thread and thanks to the previous posters. You all give me hope.

 

My faith and sexuality more or less developed alongside each other, so I've never had an identity crisis for being both. However, I still have intellectual/moral crises. At this point I don't have any complete answers, but I'll offer you what I have so far.

First, if you're Christian, you must always remember that sometimes cliche passage: "God is love". That is His essence, and how we primarily understand Him. So be prepared to trust in that. Believe it! If people mistreat you, they aren't living according to His love, are they? They conveniently forget that Jesus associated with the outcasts and the "sinners" of His day. "Perfect love casts out fear". "Seek, and you will find".

One of the major lessons I've learned is that "open questions" are not only acceptable, but necessary for truth-seeking. We have to be honest, and that includes when we don't have the answer to something or we're questioning. (This is the very same process that led me to admit that I'm gay and come out.)

So, for example, when I first began to encounter arguments against or issues with Christianity, I eventually had to embrace my doubts. "Sure, I can't prove my faith, but maybe part of this faith thing is the journey. Christianity is my inheritance, and if nothing else, it will be my starting point." How will we find any spiritual truth if we're not already engaging it somehow? So, for starters, that's what I'd advise you to do. You don't have to give up your faith, but acknowledge the difficulties and issues you're dealing with. You don't have all the answers right now, and that's okay. Work with what you have, first.

So, for example, one of the earlier solutions I came to is that because I'm gay, I must live celibate. This is largely because I tend to be traditionally-minded. However, through the "open questioning", I'm now in a different position for the moment. There are some passages in the Bible that can't be explained away so easily. But with reflection, I have noticed that I already understand certain passages in the context of their culture and time period. (That's why we can't read literal science into the Genesis creation story, and now I'm starting to wonder if this also applies to the modern understanding of sexual orientations, as opposed to the ancient understanding of sexuality.) So now I'm more open to experimenting with my sexuality than I ever have been, within the bounds of common decency of course! This is definitely not a perfect position to be in, as there are probably still problems and issues to work with, but it's a start. Hopefully you can begin to see the different ways of approaching the Bible, while still making an attempt to be faithful to it.

Also, you should check out Dennis Prager. He's a Jewish, conservative talk radio host. (Which probably doesn't sound very promising around here! ) But, he's addressed the issue of the transgendered, and I recall him saying that he actually sees no issue with it, so long as they have embraced their new gender and live according to it. (If nothing else, it shows how you can find harmony between your condition and faith somewhere!)

There's also an Orthodox Christian by the name of Lazar Puhalo who has spoken about the issue, and if I recall correctly, defended the transgendered against hatred.

Anyway, there are some resources out there. Above all, keep an honest, fair, and open mind, and don't lose your head.