Lilly of the Valley said:
If you love someone, will you let them continue in harms way? Is that love? No. God rebukes us when we sin, okut of love and he wants us in a loving way to tell others if they are in the way of death.
But we all sin, all the time. There is no way around it. Every single one of us is, more often than we'd like to admit and probably more often than not, greedy, envious, selfish, quick to anger, jealous, envious, lustful, gossipy, gluttonous, disobedient and/or proud. And if someone were to constantly point that out to us, we would not think they were loving, and we'd be right.
I mean, think of a parent. If a parent were to continually tell their child that their child was greedy (which kids often are), lazy (which they often are), disobedient (which they often are), gluttonous (which they often are), selfish (which they often are), and envious (which they often are), would that parent really be loving their child? Would they be loving their child well? I don't think so. I think the loving parent doesn't chastise their child for those things and tell their child they are a greedy, lazy, disobedient, selfish, bad child, but instead tries to bring out the best in their child, by setting a good example and praising good behavior and saving their disapproval for behaviors that are truly, imminently harmful (like running into the street or trying to touch a hot stove or hitting another child).
If you believe that sinners will burn in hell, fine. Believe that. But, you aren't being loving if you continually point that out to someone. Leave God's judgement up to God. When dealing with other people who you love, I see no reason to criticize their behavior unless they are in imminent, actual, physical harm (and I do not consider you thinking someone is going to be tortured in hell for all eternity by God to be imminent, actual harm). So, if someone you love, gay or straight, is engaging in promiscuous sex, sure I'd say that you should lovingly talk to them about their behavior and why you think it's harmful (risk of disease and pregnancy), or if they are overeating to the point where their health is at risk, you might want to lovingly bring it up and let them know you are there for them if they need you, but even then that should be it. After you broach the subject once, anything more is nagging and is going to cause hurt, and that's not loving.
But, in any case, I don't think "love the sinner, hate the sin" works, especially if you hold to the idea of eternal damnation and believe that "love the sinner, hate the sin" is what God does. So God loves the sinner and hates the sin, and so he tortures sinners in hell for all eternity (unless they accept the right theological propositions)? And torturing people in hell for all eternity is showing love for the sinner in what way? That is hate, pure and simple. The truth is that that view of God shows a God who hates sin AND hates sinners, and unfortunately that is what many people who follow that God do as well.
