Being Gay and Christian...is this possible?

[paintedgoldfish]

I am a new Christian of about 5 weeks. I am attending a First Assembly of God church and I know that they believe that being Gay is a sin. I am a Gay woman in a 9 year relationship.
I have been told that I can loose my salvation if I remain in a homosexual relationship. I have been told that it is between me and God. And I have been told that God doesn't care who I love, just that I live my life for him.
I realize that this is a liberal forum and the answers I get will be reflective of the liberal views here. What I am looking for is what the Bible says on the issue.
Can I be Gay and be a Christian? How do we know how God feels about the subject?
I don't want to loose my relationship with my wife. She means the world to me and we rely on eachother for assistance with our various medical needs.
I am afraid to give God my whole trust and love for fear that he will take her away from me. I want to reach out to God to draw me closer to him but I am too afraid to do it because I know he willl change my heart. I don't want him too.

Is it ok to stay with my wife and why?

 

[freezerman2000]

I have a dear friend who is gay and Christian...Christ comes first in his life...all other concerns second.
Talk to God and ask him for guidance...man's interpretations of what the Bible says is fallible...God is not.

 

[kiwimac]

I am a new Christian of about 5 weeks. I am attending a First Assembly of God church and I know that they believe that being Gay is a sin. I am a Gay woman in a 9 year relationship.
I have been told that I can loose my salvation if I remain in a homosexual relationship. I have been told that it is between me and God. And I have been told that God doesn't care who I love, just that I live my life for him.
I realize that this is a liberal forum and the answers I get will be reflective of the liberal views here. What I am looking for is what the Bible says on the issue.
Can I be Gay and be a Christian? How do we know how God feels about the subject?
I don't want to loose my relationship with my wife. She means the world to me and we rely on eachother for assistance with our various medical needs.
I am afraid to give God my whole trust and love for fear that he will take her away from me. I want to reach out to God to draw me closer to him but I am too afraid to do it because I know he willl change my heart. I don't want him too.

Is it ok to stay with my wife and why?

If yours is a healthy, compassionate relationship based on mutual love and respect then stay together. Make a home together where Christ and others are welcomed and where difference and diversity are embraced. You may also want to find a more gay-friendly church but that is very much up to you.

 

[kiwimac]

<staff edit>
Are you a liberal Christian? If you are then welcome but otherwise please post here carefully.

 

[NvxiaLee]

Are you a liberal Christian? If you are then welcome but otherwise please post here carefully.

Don't worry, I won't hold this against you. Supposedly Conservative Christians are often offended by the quoting of scripture, too.

 

[paintedgoldfish]

Kiwimac, It is a healthy and loving relationship. Could you suggest a Gay friendly church?

 

[kiwimac]

Quakers, Metropolitan Community Church, Some Anglican parishes. Look online for "Gay-friendly" or "affirming congregations."

 

[trek4fr]

Can I be Gay and be a Christian? How do we know how God feels about the subject?

I suppose, PaintedGoldfish, it might depend on how *you* define a Christian. Is a Christian one who follows the entirety of the Christian religion, which is extremely varied in all of it forms from location to location, denomination to denomination, and century to century? Or is it someone who endeavors to follow the teachings of Christ to the best of his/her ability?

If you define a Christian as someone who seeks to follow the teachings of Christ and believes that God has revealed something of his will in the person of Jesus Christ, then here is everything that Jesus himself had to say about the subject of homosexuality:

...


Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Jesus never mentioned homosexuality even one time and never condemned it. If the Son of God didn't condemn it, why would those who claim to follow his teachings?

Again, it comes down to whether you desire to be faithful to the teachings of Jesus or to the religion that came along later. For me, if Jesus didn't mention it (and it did exist back then) and he didn't make it a big deal, then I, as one of his followers, don't make a big deal of it either. He said his followers would be known, not for their sexual preferences, but for their love. So if you are in love, I can't see how your relationship could be not Christ-like.

 

[Jase]

<staff edit>
If you're going to quote scripture, at least point out the errors in that verse. Notably that the word homosexual was not added to that verse until 1958, and for hundreds of years during the Reformation meant masturbators. And according to Paul's contemporaries, referred to temple prostitution.

 

[paintedgoldfish]

Jase, that is very interesting information.

trek4fr, I think it is important that Jesus never mentioned homosexuality. Yours is a perspective I haven't heard, but it makes more sense to me.

 

[Jase]

On this point, hopping over in the Conservative forum,someone had this to say:

People sin I get that and there is forgiveness. I am talking about churches that preach it is ok to be gay or have abortions. Even though it clearly goes against scripture they are taking bits and pieces and twisting it to benefit them. And that is not biblical at all they are fallin into the ways of the world. They are more worried about what is politically correct verses doing what God says.

How on Earth does somebody stop being gay? Sure we could argue having homosexual sexual relations can be controlled, although the notion that celibacy is possible for every single gay person is stupidly absurd and even Paul disagrees what that theory. But to seriously claim that merely being attracted to the same sex is a sin against God? How does one repent of that? I mean seriously. Does anyone know any straight people who can voluntarily choose not to be straight?

I tell you, I should stay out the Conservative and Fundie forums. They make me want to throw large objects at the wall. And they make me seriously lose respect for Christianity.

 

[Jase]

Jase, that is very interesting information.

I've been researching it a lot lately. There are only 5 supposed anti gay passages in the Bible (out of over 37,000 total verses). And from what I can tell, every single one of them is specifically prohibiting the type of behavior engaged in by the Pagans. Which was almost exclusively temple prostitution and pederasty.

I'm not going to claim that I'm 100% without a doubt right no matter what, but based on my research and personal experience, I can't possibly see how a loving God can condemn gay people just for being gay.

 

[Searching_for_Christ]

Interesting that the whole homosexual thing, is something you think wasn't added until the 1950's. In my 1599 Geneva bible (the translation that predates the KJV) it uses the term "buggers" which at the time meant sodomites and people who practiced unnatural sexual relations...homosexuality is an unnatural sexual relation.

 

[kiwimac]

Are you aware of what meaning the word had in 1500s English? Perhaps a little research would help you.

Middle English (originally denoting a heretic, specifically an Albigensian): from Middle Dutch, from Old French bougre 'heretic', from medieval Latin Bulgarus 'Bulgarian', particularly one belonging to the Orthodox Church and therefore regarded as a heretic by the Roman Church. The sense &#8216;sodomite&#8217; (16th century) arose from an association of heresy with forbidden sexual practices; its use as a general insult dates from the early 18th century

Source

 

[Searching_for_Christ]

Yes, its funny how most people find something disagreeable in scripture and what must it be? its a wrong translation, perhaps it was put in there by bigots! Here is the historical fact for you. PRACTICING Homosexuality has always been viewed as sinful. Don't dismiss historical orthodoxy just for the sake of being modern and un-insulting.

 

[kiwimac]

The word in Greek is malakos and it means 'softness' either in dress or in ethics. It never actually means 'homosexual' and certainly the 1st century understanding of what homosexuality is is not supported by the modern understanding of it.

 

[Searching_for_Christ]

The word in Greek is malakos and it means 'softness' either in dress or in ethics. It never actually means 'homosexual' and certainly the 1st century understanding of what homosexuality is is not supported by the modern understanding of it.

Why should I trust your interpretation and not that of all the scholars that have worked on translating bibles and such? I wont.

I however have said what I needed to say. Homosexual acts are sinful, but not having the attraction. I will not debate this.

 

[kiwimac]

Never mind the fact that I have spent 35+ years studying the scriptures? Feel free to study it out for yourself.

 

[Jase]

Interesting that the whole homosexual thing, is something you think wasn't added until the 1950's. In my 1599 Geneva bible (the translation that predates the KJV) it uses the term "buggers" which at the time meant sodomites and people who practiced unnatural sexual relations...homosexuality is an unnatural sexual relation.

A sodomite is not a homosexual. It was translated in the KJV from the Hebrew Qadesh which was a shrine prostitute.

Please take your anti-gay rhetoric to the Fundie and Conservative forums. It's not welcome here.

 

[Jase]

Yes, its funny how most people find something disagreeable in scripture and what must it be? its a wrong translation, perhaps it was put in there by bigots! Here is the historical fact for you. PRACTICING Homosexuality has always been viewed as sinful. Don't dismiss historical orthodoxy just for the sake of being modern and un-insulting.

Don't come to the Liberal forum and attack our views on scripture and these issues. It is a violation of the board rules. Your views on homosexuality are wrong. End of discussion.