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We know What THEY Say,

But What Does God Say?


The Bible and Homosexuality

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Click here to go directly to the biblical studies and bypass my preface.

The Christian religion is incredibly doctrinally diverse! In order to exist as the United Body of Christ, this diversity must be accepted and honored, even when one disagrees with some point of doctrine. What the Bible says about homosexuality is simply another of those myriad differences that exists within the Church. It goes without saying (so I'll say it anyway) that I fail in this attempt. I sometimes find it difficult to show Christian charity toward people who espouse what I believe to be prejudice and unchristian judgementalism, but that doesn't change the fact that what we are all supposed to do is LOVE one another, even as Jesus loved us... unconditionally.

The Church has always been doctrinally diverse! One person believes in the pre-trib rapture, another in mid-trib, another in post-trib and still others believe there will be no rapture at all! Each camp can provide scriptural evidence that supports their view. Some Christians believe they will spend eternity in Heaven living with the angels, while other equally faithful Christians believe we will spend eternity on the New Earth according to God's original plan. Some Christians observe the biblical Sabbath, some honor Sunday as the Lord's Day, while others believe all days are the same. Some pray only to God the Father, others to the Virgin Mary and the Saints, while yet others pray only to Jesus. Some Christians believe God tortures people in a burning pit of hellfire and eternal damnation, some believe Jesus provided universal salvation for everyone, while others believe in reincarnation and yet others believe in 'soul sleep' and a future resurrection at the end of the age.

There are so very many doctrinal differences within the Church! Who can authoritatively say, "This is the true teaching?" The fact is, as the Apostle Paul tells us, we are ALL looking as it were through a darkly tinted mirror (I Cor 13:12). Only God knows the answers to our countless questions with certainty and only God is fit to judge on these diverse questions or to decide whether any of our services and beliefs are acceptable. This, despite our well-intended conflicting opinions, is the obvious truth.

Below you will find several of my studies on homosexuality and the Bible. You may agree or disagree with the conclusions I draw and that's all right. What I hope to demonstrate is that as in most cases, devout and sincere Christians should be able to agree to disagree on such matters. We all have scriptural reasons for believing as we do. Friend, God loves us ALL and only God can ultimately decide who to accept and who, if anyone, to reject.

Our Creator has cultivated an infinite variety of flowers for His Garden with myriad colors, textures and fragrances. All of these flowers are beautiful and all of them proclaim the glory of the One God who alone is blessed forever and ever, worlds without end.

You are heterosexual? Mazel tov! You are gay? Mazel tov to you too! You are transgendered or bisexual? Congratulations my friend! It doesn't matter to God any more than a carnation is inherently "better" or "more righteous" than a daisy! Together they all make up the Holy Garden of Life. So be the best flower you can be for God's enjoyment. Let your leaves reach up towards the heavens and allow your unique scent to waft in the breezes! Love others and try to do good to everyone as Jesus taught us. Always remember that the title "Christian" means "Christ-like" so try and be like him in ever thing you do! Share the Gospel in love with everyone as the occasion arises, but don't tell people God doesn't love them (which many who proclaim anti-homosexual beliefs do whether they intend to or not), nor point out the alleged sins of others, that's the Holy Spirit's job, not ours! If we concern ourselves with our own sins and shortcomings, this will keep us more than busy (Matt. 7:3)!

Concerned Christian friend listen, if people love God and seek to do His will, God can "zap them straight" if He wants to, although personally, I've never known God to do so. And if they don't love God nor seek to follow His will, what difference does it make who they love anyway? (John 3:18).

Everyone knows that most so-called 'ex-gays' were never really gay in the first place. Life can be hard at times, and most of these people were emotionally distraught victims of abuse who engaged in homosexual acts as a form of self-protection, denial or rebellion. Just read their testimonials, they were clearly reacting to some deep hurt in their lives. For instance, they may have been abused as children by a trusted adult and wrongly determined they could therefore no longer trust opposite gendered people. Many such men will tell you they were neglected by their fathers. Craving his love and acceptance, they turned to other men, not because they were gay but because deep inside they still felt like unloved sons in need of male acceptance. To avoid more pain and sorrow, such people sometimes enter into what we might call "the homosexual lifestyle." But being homosexual is much more than whom one has sex with, as any gay person will tell you. Many people who have engaged in same-gendered sexual acts are not "gay" anymore than those homosexuals who have engaged in heterosexual acts are therefore "straight." Its just not this simple.

Other so-called ex-gays are gay men or lesbians who are living lives of self-denial and repressed guilt. Out of a misplaced sense of shame such people pretend to be what they are not. They marry opposite gendered people, raise children and appear to be heterosexuals in every way, or perhaps they live alone and yet within their hearts they know they are living a lie, a painful falsehood they must keep from everyone. Such people have been convinced by religious teachers, family, or society-at-large that homosexuality is a sin, a mental illness, something to be ashamed of and hidden, and therefore they deny this vital part of their true identities. This is truly heart breaking to behold and is dreadfully unfair to both themselves and those with whom they share their lives. How many women believe there is 'something wrong' with because they husbands are sexually distant? How many men feel unloved because their wives are distant and sexually aloof from them? In some cases this is because the spouse is a self-denying lesbian of gay man and neither partner is being fulfilled in the relationship.

You who judge and condemn the LGBT Community, please understand the unintended results of your condemnations: A significant percentage of gay and lesbian people want nothing to do with God and Jesus SOLELY because of the unchristian hatred espoused in God's name by well-meaning but doctrinally mistaken Christians. I have heard so many gay people say things like, "Well, if I'm not good enough for God then to hell with him!" Or, "If I'm going to hell anyway, why bother trying to know God at all?" It is a horribly difficult choice the Religious Wrong places before homosexuals: Either they must live unfulfilled lives in denial of their true natures, they live as hypocrites, or they experience the wrath of God. What a choice! For such unbiblical spiritual blackmail, surely such misguided Christians will surely be held accountable to God:

And again:

The Biblical example for Christians is to walk humbly before the Lord our God, to pray for one another and never to judge one another. This is what we're all called to do.

So, we know what THEY say... But what does God say?
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Studies in the Word by Pastor John

** Do You Have Questions? **

Ask Pastor John your questions about homosexuality and the Bible by e-mail, or via Allexperts.com using the panel below. I'm here to help.

** Abused Scriptures **

Go to: Do we really need the Bible?

Go to: Return to Sodom

Go to: Hey Jude!

Go to: Romans One

Go to: I Corinthians 6:9 Go to: Leviticus 20:13, 14 Go to: Eunuchs for the Kingdom

Go to: Guilt by Association

** GLBT Biblical Heros **

Go to: Jonathan and David

** Christian Issues **

Go to: Should Christians be vegetarian? Go to: Do We Need The Bible? Go to: Is God Like My Father? Go to: Is This Good News? YES! Go to: Hate Crimes and Jesus Go to: The Death of Jesse Dirkhising

Go to: What I learned at Star Wars Episode One.

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Go to The Historic Creeds of the Christian Faith

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** Lavender Videos **

Go to: Lavender Videos that can help people better understand this community

Go to: Why are the Fundies Boycotting Disney?: Is Jesus Upset Aout Health Care For Gays?

Go to: Meet the Fundies: An opinion piece

Go to: Gay Christians: An Oxymoron?: A concise look at the abused biblical verses by the UFMCC denomination.

Questions and Answers About Homosexuality and Religion


Questions and Answers About the Bible and Homosexuality

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