From your own statements you didn't seem to be one who ascribed to doctrines or traditions. Regardless of that, are you willing to be characterized with a tradition that is deceptive in nature? The only reason I've come up with is for the sake of blending in, and not to be 'outcast' from the general consensus. You have the right to call yourself whatever you want, and even coining the term Jesus-follower will probably throw off the average christian for a spell. The only reason I'm having such an issue with it is that it complicates (or even disallows) any type of actual debate. If we are to debate on a subject, especially in a setting like this, the people who are reading or are involved need to know where the debaters are coming from, so to speak.
I'm not speaking on specific theological agreements that most people have, but just the absolute most basic definition of the word Christian (Christ-follower).
For one to debate theology and then claim to be a Christ follower, yet then repeatedly deny the existence of any Christ, turns the entire conversation into turmoil.
Please don't take offense, and know I'm praying for your strength to endure during your time of hardship. Have a blessed day.
I know you are not trying to make my life difficult. You are a good, kind person. That is clear from your thoughtful, considerate posts.
It's true that I do not share many of the beliefs of quite a few people who post here. I have always been up front about what I believe. I have never hidden my beliefs, and I have explained them again and again so people will not be confused. People are free to reject my beliefs, and they are free to ignore my posts.
I do not think that my espousing what I believe causes turmoil. It may complicate the discussion, but these are complicated questions we are discussing. When we talk about "homosexuality," we are not just talking about an abstract topic or a "sin" or something that may or may not be addressed in the Bible. We are talking about the lives of real human beings. Gay people are real people, and our voices need to be heard on these questions. We gay people are the people most directly affected by these debates about "homosexuality."
It's easy for a heterosexual to say, "Homosexuality is a sin." They aren't gay, and so it's really not a personal issue for them. They don't have to change anything about their lives to say that. They can fall in love, marry their spouse, raise a family, bring their family to church openly, all without hiding, without facing denigration, without fearing they will be attacked for this, and without having to justify their "behavior" to other people, notably to fellow Christians. It costs nothing to criticize "homosexuality" if you are heterosexual. You can criticize others and go on living your life as you choose.
For a gay person, these criticisms of "homosexuality" leave us in what amounts to an impossible position. Being told that we can and must change our "behavior" and stop being gay is like being told that we can and must grow another leg. I can wish I could grow another leg. I can say, "Jesus, please let me grow another leg." But another leg is not going to grow. Then to be told that we are damned for not growing another leg, that we will land in hell, in a fiery lake, as someone told me. Of course gay people don't accept this. We know that no amount of praying is going to turn us magically into heterosexuals. And frankly, why should we want to turn into heterosexuals? None of the arguments people have made for how and why we should try to become heterosexuals make any real sense. The only argument people here have is that it's God's will that we be heterosexuals. But if it's God's will, why didn't God make us heterosexuals in the first place?
The issue here, as I see it, is not whether we are Christians or not. It doesn't matter if we are Christians; we are gay whatever faith we embrace. The issue to me is why so many Christians keep insisting that gay people stop being how God made us. Why do they keep telling us that we can and must grow another leg or end up in a fiery lake? These demands leave gay people with nowhere to go. We are told we must do the impossible or be condemned. Why? Because some people point at the Bible and claim that it's God's will that we somehow become what we are not. It's impossible. Their demand is absurd, frankly. And it makes no sense to me as a gay person.
