In an anti-homosexual church and struggling with how to stand up for gay people...

Re: In an anti-homosexual church and struggling with how to stand up for gay people..

i understand, there are plenty of people her like you and me who have grown up in these volatile environments, taught at a young age the importance of playing the role, suppressing those true feelings. i don't know what to do either, i'm dependent on the folks, bound by education duties, i guess i have to suck it up and remain patient. please remember, you have nothing to prove for your fellow homosexuals. i've also felt tempted to be "the hero" and announce i'm gay, but with some consideration i realise it the negative consequences - disownment, possible homelessness etc. - outweigh the benefits - the truth. although it's a nice thought to stand up for what you believe in, sometimes it's wiser to keep your head down and keep yourself safe, for now.

welcome to EC, you are safe here buddy (*hug*)

 

Re: In an anti-homosexual church and struggling with how to stand up for gay people..

I would just not tell them until I could sustain myself...
If they are so anti gay they might really dissown you.
You have nothing to stand up for,no one here wants you to stand up for them if it could be bad for you.

 

Re: In an anti-homosexual church and struggling with how to stand up for gay people..

"God Bless you both"???

I am a bit confused at how you can say that when the religion discriminates against you and wants nothing to do with you (or would if they knew your sexual orientation). I certainly wouldn't want anything to do with any religion like that. (I don't have anything to do with any religions and haven't at any point so that is the reason for me wondering how you could still stay with it)

 

Re: In an anti-homosexual church and struggling with how to stand up for gay people..

Well I'm glad you feel like you want to stand up for us, but like Moskva and Zam said. This life isn't easy. Your still quite young and though you have a goal in mind. Right now isn't the time to act on it. Wait till your older and more independent.

Truth be told you really shouldn't STAND UP for anyone here We're all in this together. As such, we should be cooperative (&&&)

Don't take what Steak Boy here said to seriously. I bet he didn't mean it in a bad way. Everyone has their beliefs and/or religion. Personally I thought it was sweet :3 It shows that you can focus more on the good side of things, than the bad.

Take care, and keep yourself and your boyfriend safe :icon_wink

 

Re: In an anti-homosexual church and struggling with how to stand up for gay people..

First, I wanted to just say that I actually really admire your ability to maintain your faith while accepting yourself despite a lot of surrounding individuals disagreeing with one facet of yourself. It provides a lot of hope and instills some confidence in me, if not others, that Christianity can at least coexist, if not coincide, with homosexuality.

I just wanted to let your know to continue to do so if you feel comfortable with the system you are employing; however, I don't think it's wise to "stand up", so to speak, for gay people in an environment where the opinion is known to be uniform and immovable. Although select few members may share similar viewpoints, with your age, I can see a lot of potential backlash with introducing opposing ideas to the consensus. In other words, the likelihood of you successfully changing the perspective of individuals is slim, but the chance of being criticized is high.

Even though it may seem like a very noble and honourable thing to do, it probably isn't the wisest thing to do if you are to preserve your way of thinking and way of life. For example, there is no point trying to send waves of soldiers into a losing battle if their services can help win the war another day, especially if it's only because it's the honourable thing to do.

For now though, as mentioned, I would find comfort in LGBT support elsewhere (such as EC), while dismissing any anti-homosexuality in the Church setting, at least until you are much older. I don't recommend confronting the matter, and would be very hesitant to enter into a relationship with another homosexual church member, only because of the repercussions and high likelihood of being discovered - but that's another matter.

I am not religious myself, but I think I can sign off saying the following.

God bless!