Interesting Comment From My Father

I believe there's some truth to what he said. Many people manipulate the bible's content for personal reasons, no one can tell us, with proof, that everything written is exactly the same as when it was first written.

I just came out today through facebook, and I have many christian friends, even my pastor(a female) and she liked my post and commented on it. She was very respectful and understanding. So I believe you can have a great relationship with God and still be gay, in fact, after accepting my homosexuality, I'm even more close to God than before.

 

Thank you! I'm glad you could understand it! Anyway, I'm sure things will work out, my mom is very religious, she believes homosexuality is not natural, but she understood my stance and respected it. I hope the same happens to you!

Like I said, being gay is not an obstacle for God, I'm sure of it, I feel it is something that brings you closer to him. I mean, most people see us as something wrong, but then there is Him, loving you no matter what. I hope you get to experience the love God haves towards you, never forget that you are special to him.

 

Best thing you can do is agree with him and say "Yeah, the bible could definitely be inaccurate in some respects". You can also mention that it was written 300 years after the said events and also originally in a different language.

 

I totally agree with this.
Once you love and accept your God's creation (i.e. You), your relationship with him can become a lot stronger.

I know a fair few Christians that don't take the bible as complete historical fact. As a result, they tend to be more naturally accepting and loving towards LGBTIQ people and I think their God loves them for that.

 

I agree. The Old Testament that Paul probably used was the Septuagint. The New Testament was written in Greek, in fact a little different Greek than what the upper class used. Anyways, the English language has a more rich vocabulary than what Greek had, so some Greek words can be translated into a dozen different English ones. This leaves room for mistranslations. :bang:

Congrats Kabuki! I'm glad your pastor was respectful! Ironically, other fundamentalist Christians don't believe women should be pastors because of one(?) Bible verse telling women not to talk in church. And of course, that makes me happy to hear that you're closer to God than before! :icon_bigg

falcenav, good job playing it cool. I think you could point out to your dad what he said today about the Bible may be iffy in places if/when you eventually come out to him. Does your mom share the same beliefs? Does the Bible study group? Church? Those outside influences could impact what your parents think and they may persuade them to change their minds, so keep that in the back of your mind.

 

Exactly. Most people think that the translation is the correct one, but like you said, since the vocabulary is much more vast and richer in english, they might be translating things as they see correct. This definitely leaves room to a lot of miss translations.

Thanks! She is someone with such a big heart, I'm proud to have her as a pastor. I believe gender doesn't impede someone to be used by God. In fact, the verse that says that, is specific to a church from those times, women had little part on their culture so they had to abide to the rules of their country. This also applies to another church that Paul visited, where women had a very prominent role on their lifestyle and culture, so it was permitted for women to play an active role on their churches. I guess people just decide what to approve and what to disapprove, which is not what God intended, in my opinion.


falcenav, I definitely agree with what IG88 said. You can use that opportunity to bring your concerns, maybe learn more a bit of what your parents think about it in a more deeper way. Maybe they end up surprising up, who knows.

 

I'm sorry your Dad feels that way and I know it can be rough. My Dad has made a few....colorful remarks about gay people. I usually just laugh at this point and know that he's got a nice taste of irony coming his way.

I struggled with the religious issues for a long time and there are a few things that finally made it snap for me. There are several verses in the bible that attest to the fact that it may be inaccurate. I don't know the verse numbers, but basically:

1) false profits: Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves... Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them...

This openly admits there will be corruption in the fellowship and in my mind applies to the bible its self as well. A lot of people try to spin this and say that gay ppl don't have fruit, because they can't pro-create. My counter to that is adoption and the relationship that spurs from them.

2)In god's image: God created man in His own image, in the image of God

I'm a firm believe in the idea that we are born with our sexual orientation already set. With this belief and being a creature of God, why would God say that because of how he made me, I am not entitled to his kingdom.

3) Biggest thing: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

I think this verse is all too ignored when people chose to spew hatred and I think your pastor has this nailed to a "T". The most important thing is to love your God and second your neighbor whatever his/her orientation/gender/color/etc.

also check out the Matthew Vines Video and the movie "Fish Out of Water", they both make some well placed arguments and show what is in my mind a more factual representation of what the informed and caring Christan thinks as well as some pastors.

 

"the Bible does not say what it means, It says what it says" i read this about 6 or 8 months ago and it sort of "gelled" things for me in relation to scripture and life/LGBT issues. this and Jesus's Commandment to his followers, and thus to all Christians; "Love each other as I have Loved you" this is sometimes known as the 11th Commandment or the New Covenant.

i hope this is of some help to us all.(*hug*)

 

Hey! I just wanted to say that I really recommend the videos of Matthew Vines. I felt very identified with what he said. I posted it on facebook too so that others could understand how some gay christians feel about the subject of homosexuality and sin.

 

Although you didn't say anything to your Dad, be sure to remember this moment and mention it when you finally decide to tell your parents (should the religious arguments arise). It could be that your Dad is now developing a more rational attitude towards the Bible and moderating his views on certain life issues. Let's hope so.

There is a big difference between taking the Bible seriously and taking it literally. If you take the Bible literally in every detail you have to believe a number of foolish propositions that make little or no sense in the 21st century. You have to bend your mind to deny basic scientific concepts and ideas and that shouldn't be necessary to live as a faithful Christian in the modern world. Being faithful doesn't mean being foolish and living by the same standards and societal attitudes of the ancient tribes, who had a very different idea of God. Personally, I think God (however you see 'Him') would be rather disappointed if we did not use our knowledge and intellect to better effect.