Homosexual marriage

[Guest LadyC]

well at least we've found some common ground somewhere. i think if someone is on their deathbed, their significant other, regardless of gender, should be allowed to visit.

but there must be a pond of quicksand between us on other issues. it IS our responsibility to step out of our comfort zone and explain to others how their sin separates them from God. how their unrepentence will permanently prohibit them from entering the kingdom of heaven. we are commanded to do just that. and not just about homosexual behaviour, but about ALL sinful behaviour. it's called witnessing.

[Guest LadyC]

sure i see what you're getting at. i just don't see where you get the idea that my approach is some loud, abrasive, stand on a street corner holding a "you're going to hell" sign type approach. i don't think that's the approach anyone on this board uses, although i could be wrong.

i've had gay friends and gay roommates (well, when i wasn't married i had gay roommates) and they never once have thought i was harsh or abrasive, or in your face.

but in the public arena, in the political arena, we HAVE to stand up for what God commands and be loud. and that's a relatively new thing, because before the gay rights movement became such a loudly squeaking wheel, it wasn't something we had to be so forceful about.

as long as they are forcing and demanding to be allowed to call it marriage, to indoctrinate our kids, to slobber all over each other in public places, we have to stand up and demand that they keep their private life private.

[OneLight]

LadyC,

I posted this in another thread, but feel I should use it here also. I'll probably get slammed for my stance, but here it is anyway:

We can fix nothing. All we can do is be a light onto this generation so that their sin is brought out of the darkness and into the light so it can be recognized. To do this, we need to live the life God has put in front of us. Be an example. Show them the love of God that we have in us. Love them and accept them for who they are, as Jesus did with every one of us when we came to Him. Allow the Spirit to show you how to handle the situation as you enter it. This is done on a one-to-one basis. Find a sinner and help them. God does the condemning, not us. I agree that not everyone who says "Lord, Lord" is a Christian. Even more reason to reach them through Love. They are seeking God, even if what they are following is a god that they have made. Yet, they are searching. We need to allow the Spirit to show us how to work with them so they can see the real Truth.

Step down from your soapboxes and get rid of the megaphones. Speak easily and in love to the one you are sent to help.

In Christs Love,

OneLight

[Guest LadyC]

onelight, you're not going to get slammed by me, i think you're exactly right.

i think the problem is this. we all discuss it heatedly on these boards, and people make assumptions as to how we each approach individuals we cross paths with in real life.

how we discuss it here, among fellow christians, is totally different from how we discuss it with unbelievers. as i pointed out in my last post. i've had many friends, and even a few roommates, who were gay. if i'd have been condemning towards them, they wouldn't have accepted my friendship, much less shared an apartment with me. know what i mean?

my upstairs neighbors are lesbians, and until recently, had a male gay roommate. we often sat around shooting the breeze, sharing a pizza, or running errands together. they know where i stand, and i've talked to at least one of them at length about God. and yet they never felt offended.

[OneLight]

know what i mean?

My mother was bi-sexual. My sister was a lesbian. My daughter is a lesbian. Many people I know are gay. My job, in part, is working with gays. I have to answer yes.

Love in Christ,

OneLight

[Guest LadyC]

know what i mean?

My mother was bi-sexual. My sister was a lesbian. My daughter is a lesbian. Many people I know are gay. My job, in part, is working with gays. I have to answer yes.

Love in Christ,

OneLight

fortunately nobody in my immediate family was caught up in this sin. although i (we, actually) suspected for a long time that one of my daughters might be lesbian. (she proved me wrong when she got pregnant and subsquently married in high school.) but the possibility was one that prompted many long, heartfelt discussions with my husband, and a few with my other daughter who thought it would be useful to challenge me on the "no boys in the bedroom rule" by asking "what if she's lesbian, is she allowed girls in the bedroom?"

i would have loved my daughter just the same if she'd turned out to be lesbian as i do knowing that she's not. but i'm glad i never had to come up with the answer to bedroom visitors rule.

[Guest LadyC]

know what i mean?

My mother was bi-sexual. My sister was a lesbian. My daughter is a lesbian. Many people I know are gay. My job, in part, is working with gays. I have to answer yes.

Love in Christ,

OneLight

fortunately nobody in my immediate family was caught up in this sin. although i (we, actually) suspected for a long time that one of my daughters might be lesbian. (she proved me wrong when she got pregnant and subsquently married in high school.) but the possibility was one that prompted many long, heartfelt discussions with my husband, and a few with my other daughter who thought it would be useful to challenge me on the "no boys in the bedroom rule" by asking "what if she's lesbian, is she allowed girls in the bedroom?"

i would have loved my daughter just the same if she'd turned out to be lesbian as i do knowing that she's not. but i'm glad i never had to come up with the answer to bedroom visitors rule.

Interesting thought. If i may ask, what did you end up deciding about the lesbian/girls in the bedroom thing? You dont have to answer if you dont want to. I dont mean to be nosy.

we never came up with a solution to that one. we couldn't forbid girls in the bedroom for no reason, and we had no way of knowing for sure if our suspicions were correct at that time. fortunately it became a non-issue.... well i say fortunately. it wasn't so fortunate though that we ended up with another issue to deal with, that of a teen pregnancy.

i think if we had been correct and had our suspicions confirmed, we would have had to prohibit any overnight guests, or any closed doors. that would have been a tough one. maybe the teen pregnancy was easier.

ok, off to my tea... i have seven minutes to cross the street to the church.

[Guest lovinghim4ever]

And yet...........................no real answer to lovinghim4ever's question! Divorce is rampant in the church yet it is glossed over, people who committed adultry, divorce and marry the person they commited adultry with attend service as a couple and its okay...................but just mention homosexual's and the big guns come out.............hyporoacy!

Thanks Scarletprayers. At least someone understands what I said.

"He that is without sin among you,

let him first cast a stone."

John 8:7

[sweetycakes]

I agree that the church in recent years has tended to focus on re-marriage and homosexuality, whereas sin is sin.

But I also find myself compelled to reject both homosexuality and adulterous marriage, which I see as a 'lifestyle' choice, and permanent, whereas other sins (lying, stealing, anger, etc) are things we all struggle with, and yet wish to see an end to in our lives, as opposed to embracing them and declaring them equal and valid in the eyes of God.

[Smalcald]

I just think we need to be consistent and practice what we are preaching.

I don't know if we need to go on so much about homosexuality? Obviously it is sin in scripture there simply is not doubt about that, but you know once we say that, where do we go next? I think right now in society the homosexual rights movement is in full gear, so it is in the news all of the time. People need a cause and right now that cause is gay rights. I don't feel the need to become embroiled in the secular debate. Now you want to push my buttons on the issue bring it up in my congregation about ordaining gays or marrying them! But outside of that which thank God does not stand a chance of happening in my congregation right now, I don't know how much I even want to argue about it?

Marriage for me is something that God ordains and I believe the secular law would be nice if it followed what God has commanded, but it does not follow God's commands on a range of other issues so I guess we should not freak out about this one.

There is no doubt in my mind that gays will be able to marry in the US within 20 years if not before. So the question is how do we want to prepare ourselves for that soon to be fact?