Of course you can be gay and Christian! Perhaps not a fundamentalist bible Christian like a conservative evangelical, Pentecostal, JW, SDA. Southern Baptists or Mormon but they are NOT the ONLY Christian organisations in America. Why are some people on this board assuming they speak for Jesus and for ALL Christians? You don't! There are MANY Christian organisations that welcome gay people and treat them with respect and allow them to worship and participate free from harassment and persecution. They don’t hide behind, “Love the sinner hate the sin” nonsense either. Some Christian groups that welcome gay people are: Church of the Brethren, Church Women United, Dignity/USA , Episcopal Church , Evangelical Lutheran Church in America , The Interfaith Alliance , National Council of the Churches of Christ USA National Council of Jewish Women , North Georgia United Methodist Conference, Presbyterian Church (USA) , Unitarian Universalist Association , United Church of Christ , United Methodist Church , Young Women’s Christian Association and the Quakers. These religious organisations accept what modern science and over 50 years of research says on homosexuality. They do not preach that gay people are perverted or any more sinful than anyone else. They do not support ex-gay programmes! They recently joined with the American Psychological Association and more than 477,000 health and mental health professionals, to make a statement denouncing it as psychological fraudery and abuse. Do some Christians here know where the idea for conversion camps for gay people first originated? NAZI GERMANY. Go research it. Is that what followers of Christ want to get involved in? Fraudulent threatments that damage people?
I know there are some fundamentalist Christians on this board who take Leviticus and Paul’s letters to the Romans and Corithians 2000 years ago as LAW, demanding slavish obedience to them. They act like Jesus never came and set us free of laws and traditions and as if Paul IS Christ himself when he is nothing more than a human servant and a sinner no greater than you or me. See Romans 7: 17-25. His letters are no more than his feelings, experiences and advice to a specific people at a specific time in history. If we are to follow his personal letters to early churches as LAWS then we deny Christ. In addition, Paul said, in Romans 14:5 “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” In other words, USE YOUR BRAIN and THINK FOR YOURSELF.
How can you be a Christian and when you worship the bible as the final authority and not Christ. It is not the bible that is GOD's WORD. Jesus is God's WORD. The bible is a collection of Jewish law, geneologies, history, poetry, gospels and letters put together by the Roman Catholic Church and cannonized as scripture around 369AD. It is a tool to be used with discernment and in the RIGHT context. All the bible does is serve as a spiritual guide that points the way to Christ. JESUS IS THE WORD OF GOD. To worship ANY OTHER THING as the word of God is idolatry. Only Jesus is "The word of God made human (flesh)" (not words) in John 1:14. The ONLY figure ANY Christian needs to follow is Christ. And what did Christ say when people asked him “Who are the ones who will be with you in heaven?” or ‘Who will get eternal life?” See Luke 10:25-37. What is the ONE commandment Christ ever demanded we follow? See: Matthew 7:12. Christ said this commandment fulfills the ENTIRE LAW and PROPHETS.
These bible worshipers think by idolizing the bible as God word instead of following CHRIST as GOD's WORD, they can predict God’s mind on EVERYTHING and use the bible to judge others. They can EARN salvation and see themselves as righteous. They do not realize the danger they put themselves in. Why? If you judge by the Old law, so will you be judged by God that is what Jesus Christ said in Matt 7:1-2. The truth is NOBODY can follow the entire bible perfectly. Yet, these sects ask their followers to follow bible laws literally or according to THEIR interpretation in order to prove they are Christians. Folks this is called fundamentalism or extremism. They are making a mockery of the FREE GIFT of God’s unconditional love. Remember! Jesus came to liberate people from hopeless bondage to legalistic judgmental abusive religion. Jesus IGNORED religious laws that did not show human consideration for the greater good and he asked his followers to do the same. That is why the Pharisees hated him. See: Mark 2:23-28 and Mark 3: 1-7.
Should we Christina place ANY OTHER burdens or rules on others other than the commandments Jesus gave? NO. Jesus warned some would do so in Matthew 23:4 and they are nothing but blind guides who put religion over humanity. Bottom line, if we are to be imitators of Christ, we are to experience freedom. Jesus said, “My yoke is light.” in Mathew 11:28-30. So being a Christian should never a burden. It should be a JOY! It should be freedom for the heart and soul, refreshing the spirit. If you are gay and in a sect that is causing you to experience self-hatred, suicidal thoughts, rejection, isolation, etc. then you are not in a religious sect that is following Christ but their OWN fundamentalist agenda. They are Pharasees! Remember Jesus said, “The way they treat the lest of my brothers is the way they treat me.” My gay brothers and sisters in Christ, you are loved by fellow Christians like myself and there is a place for you in God’s heaven where Jesus said there are MANY mansions. ONLY GOD KNOWS YOUR HEART! Do not listen to those who would appoint themselves masters over YOUR faith; just remember your only master is Christ.
God Bless!.
(Original Air Date: 10/19/05) Sexual orientation used to be something kept hidden from family and co-workers, but now more and more people are "coming out" and finding acceptance. Anjela says her mother and sister don't support her sexual orientation, and feel she can't be Christian and gay at the same time. Can they reconcile this touchy issue? Then, two men debate whether a person can go from gay to straight, and parents of a 4-year-old boy fear their son's desire to play with dolls and wear heels means he'll grow up to be gay. Are they overreacting to his wishes to be a princess instead of a prince? Talk about gender and gay issues here.
