sgaotw

It's associated with sin because you assume the person lives in the lifestyle. If, for some crazy reason God uses you to reach out to a gay person, would you invalidate a crucial part of him/her by saying, "You're not gay - it's just a label"? God doesn't set you free from being gay - sure He might help you fight the temptation, but red, or yellow black or white, you'd still be gay. You must be wondering why I'm so angry. You're just basically telling me I should hide who I am because Christians will perceive me to be more sinful. What happened to judging after getting to know the person or if s/he's actually doing the deed with members of the same gender? So if you call yourself "straight," then that's OK because "straight" sins are a little better than "gay" sins, and since almost everyone has "straight" sins, it doesn't really matter. OK, I'm done. I hope you never come across a gay person who's trying to seek God. You'll basically spew the same "pray to God and he'll give you a nice wife and family and you'll be straight and everything will be dandy" crap.

Umm...I thought we were born into sin and we are not perfect creatures so we are inherently inclined to sin? Unless by sin you mean "gay" sin, because that sin is worse than looking at Playboy, of course. I brought up the Constitutional amendment to highlight the hypocrisy of defending the "sanctity" of marriage when there are every day occurrences that can be prevented and punished, yet nothing is being done by the religious right. Where's the outcry and rage against domestic violence and child abuse? Forget man-made Constitution - what is the religious right doing for the starving children, racial hatred, hypersexualization, prevalence of pornography, etc etc? Don't they tear away at the fabric of society? You probably thank God you aren't gay. For me, I see it as a blessing. I have more of a reason to follow God because the more Satan pulls at me, the more I call out to God. Why can't you people just accept that there are gay Christians? And what do you care about labels? Isn't "Christian" a label? Hell, why do we even have adjectives in the first place? None of them can accurately describe who we are.

I was glad we were having an open conversation. Now I'm glad to know probably every Christian I'm going to meet is going to compare me with people who have sex with animals. I never said being gay was what defined me as a person. Actually, you did. This just further goes to show I'm better off worshipping God through a television set on a Sunday morning worship service program. Off topic, but if marriage is to so sacred, why not be more vigilant against spousal abuse and child abuse? There should be an outcry, rage, and Constitutional amendment against that.

I just don't understand why you need a label to be you. I already said that I understand you are not doing anything sinful. You said that when you tell some people you are gay, the reaction is that people hide their children assuming you may be a child molester. If I was working in a retail store and a man came up to me and said he was a klepto, what do you think would be my reaction? I would be watching him like a hawk making sure he doesn't steal. At the same time, if this man has never acted on his impulses, he has brought upon himself a type of scrutiny he shouldn't have to wear. As a store clerk, I have been made to think this man will rob me, when nothing could be further from the truth. In addition, if a man never steals, to me he is not a thief because he is tempted to steal. Let me give you another example. Lets say that I had a desire to be an astronaut. There was just something inside of me that drove me to want to be able to explore outer space. If I never act upon that desire and actually become an astronaut, can I honestly tell people I am one? The desire is there, but that is where it ends. To take the title astronaut away from me would not be to take away who I am. Anyway, I did not write any of this to give you a hard time. I honestly believe you are a Christian and just think you are wearing something you shouldn't be. In addition, in my opinion for whatever that is worth, I do believe your life would be easier if you got rid of the title and stopped confessing to everyone you are gay. If I went around telling everyone all of my areas of weakness, or for that matter, if any other Christian did so, there would be people that would look down on us and question if we are real or not. I am not even talking about committing sin, just being tempted. Concerning what you said about fornicators, what Jesus said was that in God's eyes if a man looks on a woman to lust after her, he considers him to be guilty of adultery. The Bible doesn't say that if a man is tempted by a woman he is guilty of adultery. The difference is that a man can be tempted, take the thought captive and reject it, or he can dwell on the thoughts and be guilty of lust. lol I never said people actually hid their kids from me. I'm saying I'm ready for the response. (I'm 21 and I look younger, so I don't give off the creepy old man vibe. lol) Having a desire to steal something isn't a fundamental part of being human. Feeling emotionally and romantically attracted to someone is. Again, this is semantics that I'm tired of. Homosexuality is defined by attraction itself - it's in the head or whatever. You don't have to act on it, but you're still gay. Fornication is defined by action. Lying is defined by action. Walking, talking, breathing, worshipping, and eating are all defined by action. Hypothetically I can be in a near-coma and still be gay. Why shouldn't I wear this label? Because people are uncomfortable around me? Unless I'm openly displaying my lifestyle, they shouldn't be. Again, I don't care if Christians look down on me. Only God matters. Look, if someone came to me looking for advice on women, I'll politely say I'm gay and I'm not an expert in that area. I won't beat around the fence about it. I'm not proud of being gay per se, but I'm proud of the fact that despite being gay, I still choose to follow God. I don't have a giant rainbow flag in my room, but I won't be in the closet because "I make people uncomfortable." Not that I'll ever march in a parade or anything like that. I think this "same sex attraction" label is worse than the "gay" label. It's a way to whitewash an uncomfortable truth.

I don't know if I was born gay or not, and it doesn't really matter for me. As long as I have attraction towards the same gender, I am gay. Why is being gay such a bad thing? As long as I don't act on it, it's not a sin. My concern is by removing the "gay" label, you are taking away a part of me, a part of me that is a real struggle and a means of continuing to search for God, and you're pretending as though my life would be suddenly easier if I stop calling myself gay. If I am not gay and I am not straight, then what am I? If you have a pernicious desire to steal things all the time, you are a klepto, whether you actually steal or not. And yes, they would be fornicators. Jesus said if you thought about it, you might as well have done it. It's also difficult to compare fornication and homosexuality when one is defined by action and one is defined by attraction.

If someone asks me if I'm gay or straight, I'd say gay. I define gay/straight as having feelings towards people of the same/opposite gender. I don't see it as being open to criticism. I don't really care what people think - as long as I don't indulge in that lifestyle, people's words won't faze me. And being gay is part of me. I won't flaunt it, but I don't hide it if someone genuinely asks. I won't lie to myself just because telling the truth makes people uncomfortable around me. If Jesus were here, I would hope He would sit and have dinner with me. Being klepto isn't something to be ashamed about - acting on it is. Being gay itself isn't something I'm ashamed about - ACTING on that is. That's my issue with the church. Telling us to be invisible and taking away a part of our identity. If someone asks a gay Christian man why he isn't married, he should be able to say he's gay and that's that. None of this, Umm..I haven't found the right woman yet, stuff.

I am not going to argue that point because I have never been there, but I was speaking of those engaging in the homosexual lifestyle, not those who are tempted to sin in this manner. We all have areas of weakness in one place or another where satan tempts us, but if we don't give into those sinful lusts, we remain in right standing with the Lord. I was only commenting on the fact that one cannot have a homosexual partner and be a Christian. You know, God is the God of the impossible. With man this is not possible, but all things are possible with God. God can deliver a person out of this bondage! One of the great lies of Satan is to convince us that we must always struggle, and to some extent we always do while we are in these bodies, but Christ came to set us free from what once bound us. He already won the battle! Satan makes us think it hasn't been won yet, but it has. I've never had an attraction to same-sex, but I do understand the bondage to sin in other areas, and God has set me free! I don't have to sin in those areas any more, and in fact, in most I am not even tempted any more. The bible states that if we resist Satan, he will flee. Now, sometimes he will try again, but if you keep resisting and he gets the picture, finally he won't bother you there again, because he knows he's been defeated. Our problems with sin often stem from this idea that we are on the defensive where Satan is concerned, but we need to be on the offensive. That is where the battles are won. So many people live in defeat, because they don't use the sword of the Spirit - our offensive weapon against Satan. He is a big, fat liar, and we have to combat his lies with God's truths. He wants to make a person who has practiced homosexuality believe he will always have this predisposition, but the truth of God's word is that God did not make man for man - that is unnatural, so once we are in Christ, he can change the unnatural to what is natural. He's done this for me. He can do it for anyone. We just have to stop believing Satan's lies and we have to put on the truth. The Bible says if you know the truth, the truth will set you free! Miracles like suddenly turning straight can happen, I suppose. But God doesn't grant miracles for every of life's problems. I just accepted that I have to deal with this. By continue in believing that this will go away, I will always feel as though I didn't try hard enough or God doesn't care. Maybe through this, I learn that this world is full of sorrow and grief, but we have to keep going anyways. I will never have a family, and I'm fine with that. When I tell people I'm gay, they'll hide their kids from me in fear of the pedophile stereotype. I don't really care for Christians anymore who keep telling me I can miraculously turn straight through prayer and the Bible. Paul had a thorn in his flesh God wouldn't take away. This is my thorn, and when I continue to put on a happy face when life is just grim, maybe God will reward me in heaven. I'm sure some (a lot) of you believe I won't even make it there, though. I AM saddened by the pride parades, however. I think it does a disservice for gay people because it perpetuates the stereotype of cross-dressing, flamboyant sex-crazed peope. Maybe sex-crazed isn't THAT stereotypical. But many of you probably know gay people without knowing it. There are lots of closeted people out there with wives and families. The pride parades dissuade the ones who want to be out because they won't want to be associated with all that. I am also saddened by churches that accept homosexual behavior. It's one thing to be loving, but another to disregard the lifestyle. I've heard of a church where they had cross-dressing nuns singing in the choir. That seems like a circus to me, not a worship service. I wish the 'Church' as a whole can be accepting of the homosexual without condoning the sin. It's a disservice (and probably a sin) to not warn the soul of impending doom. But I don't mean of course to carry signs saying "Fags go to hell." I envision a day where there is no shame in admitting that one is homosexual and that s/he needs help to not get into the lifestyle. We are one of you with just an additional baggage we have to carry until the Lord comes. I hope there will be greater understanding in this area, rather than just pointing out Bible verses saying all things are possible with God. All things ARE possible, but all things will not happen because we want them to. What Christian out there WOULDN'T want to turn straight? But we don't always get what we want. I have no idea what causes someone to be gay. Maybe it's a combination of things. But the cause really doesn't matter. Whatever the reason, following God's will has to come first, and if that means not getting married ever, then that's that. I've been to a pride parade once last year. In a nation where God is nonexistent, what do you expect?

I wish I can meet and talk to an actual ex-gay who has lost ALL feelings towards the same gender. In most instances, SOME feelings are still there even with a wife and family, though not as strong.

It's possible to be a homosexual Christian but non-practicing. Turning your life to Christ won't suddenly make same-gender attraction go away. It will just be a life-long thorn that will cause pain and anguish that he has to deal with, with or without the support of Christians/"Christians". Tell that verse to any homosexual, and even if he wanted to turn his life to Christ, he'll just believe he's a lost cause and go on his merry homosexual way.