Casey
10-19-2007, 02:07 PM
So this week/month/time in my life has gotten so much better that everyday i wake up and just smile because i know that God is looking out for me!!
First of all, if you had read some of my earlier posts, they were very very emo and i dont like going back to reread them. But *sigh* things have gotten better! The girl im in love with and plan to dedicate the rest of my life with has reaffirmed her love for me. A few months ago she and i broke up because she felt that my soul was going to be condemned because of our relationship. I was not in agreement with this and there was a big falling out. BUT over the past months we have come together again and became the best of friends that we were in the beginning! Our love for each other has never changed and might grow into something more once she and i are ready! yay!!
But now for the real reason of this post: I had emailed my pastor and asked what her views concerning gays, bisexuals, and so forth. I had not been comfortable or ready to ask this before, but i knew that now i could handle it! and here is what she sent back:
"I do not believe that God hates gay people, or that God will condemn them to Hell because of who they are attracted to. I could not believe in or serve such a God. As I see it, there are 2 main factors involved in why people condemn homosexuality or bi-sexuality.
First, there are about 4 scripture passages that speak against homosexual sex. People who say that reading those passages in light of new social & scientific understandings of human sexuality leads to not taking the Bible seriously, that it undermines the power and authority of scripture to inform Christian living. So for them it's an issue of undermining Biblical authority.
I do not believe that the Bible was ever meant to be read as a literal piece of historical material in which every word was meant to pertain to all people for all time - a LOT of it yes, but not all of it. We all (every one of the denominations) hold to a set of sort of privileged scriptures which help us interpret the rest. In other words, some scriiptures hold more authority and power in our lives than others: We don't stone children for being sassy , though the Bible says we could. We don't force women to wear head covering in church ("because of the angels" ????) or insist on their being silent. We don't forbid the wearing of clothing made from "mixed fibers." We agree that some things have changed, and that in light of these changes the BIble does not speak eternally & definitively on these issues, that those words were written in light of certain specific cultural norms and conditions which no longer apply. The question is which scriptures, whichc issues. And for some people, the idea of homosexual sex is so abhorrent, or (I suspect) so deeply frightening that they refuse to include it in this category.
Secondly, most people who hold that concern (about scriptural authority) also believe that being gay is a choice ... that one can choose not to be gay, that they can be "healed" of their perversion, or by sincere confession and repentance can be turned from their sin. These are the folks who say things like, "God loves the sinner, but hates their sin " meaning as long as they continue to sin they are outside of God's acceptance. I reject that kind of thinking.
I have several gay friends (guys mostly - but I know several lesbians as well) and from what I know about them and their experience I am firmly convinced that our sexuality is something that is an inherent part of our whole being, our "created" being if you will. It is present from birth or shortly after, and is not something that can be greatly altered by intellectual choice. There is significant evidence, increasingly, that show anatomical & neoro-physiological differences in the areas of the brain goeverning sexual desire between gays & straights. The gay people I know have known they were "different" since their earliest awareness of themselves, as very young children.
If this is true ( and remember, a lot of folks reject this) then God has created certain of His children as gay, bisexual or transgendered people. For what purpose, only God knows, but perhaps to try and reinforce that it is love that makes the difference in transforming the world and all of us, not gender. I think that may be the point to all the amazing diversity of human beings in all their racial, intellectual, personality & emotional differences.
For me, it becomes a question, ultimately, of WWJD .... that trite little question of "What would Jesus do?" He never said a SINGLE word about homosexuality. Don't you think He would have if it was a burning issue of salvation? He did speak about treating others unmercifully, of being judgemental, and of having false idols in our lives such as money, a sense of superiority (Pharisees) and of oppression and exploitation of others.
Jesus time and time again told us that the main point of all of it; the giving of scripture, His incarnation, His ministry on earth of loving, teaching & healing, His death & resurrection - all this was that we may know the depth of God's love for us, so that we would in turn share that love with others. And it's not just one or the other - according to scripture it is always a both/and: to know that God loves us so that we may show love to one another.
Loving one another is not optional for Christians!
In light of this conviction, what would Jesus do? - he would show love, and keep reminding us that it is not our preogative to judge others. I believe that in the end God will probably save everyone, even if it's a last minute thing like the thief on the cross ... who could face the Creator at the moment of their death and still not believe?
But however it works out, THAT IS UP TO GOD ALONE!
I believe that Jesus spoke so much more about how we should be living in the here and now as God's children, as disciples of Christ and workers for the Knigdom of God - more than He ever spoke about getting to heaven (salvation) that it must be at least as important as making sure we're going to heaven."
This goes to show you that not all leaders of the church are against us!! YAYAYAYAYAY! :D :) :pray: :love: :p
First of all, if you had read some of my earlier posts, they were very very emo and i dont like going back to reread them. But *sigh* things have gotten better! The girl im in love with and plan to dedicate the rest of my life with has reaffirmed her love for me. A few months ago she and i broke up because she felt that my soul was going to be condemned because of our relationship. I was not in agreement with this and there was a big falling out. BUT over the past months we have come together again and became the best of friends that we were in the beginning! Our love for each other has never changed and might grow into something more once she and i are ready! yay!!
But now for the real reason of this post: I had emailed my pastor and asked what her views concerning gays, bisexuals, and so forth. I had not been comfortable or ready to ask this before, but i knew that now i could handle it! and here is what she sent back:
"I do not believe that God hates gay people, or that God will condemn them to Hell because of who they are attracted to. I could not believe in or serve such a God. As I see it, there are 2 main factors involved in why people condemn homosexuality or bi-sexuality.
First, there are about 4 scripture passages that speak against homosexual sex. People who say that reading those passages in light of new social & scientific understandings of human sexuality leads to not taking the Bible seriously, that it undermines the power and authority of scripture to inform Christian living. So for them it's an issue of undermining Biblical authority.
I do not believe that the Bible was ever meant to be read as a literal piece of historical material in which every word was meant to pertain to all people for all time - a LOT of it yes, but not all of it. We all (every one of the denominations) hold to a set of sort of privileged scriptures which help us interpret the rest. In other words, some scriiptures hold more authority and power in our lives than others: We don't stone children for being sassy , though the Bible says we could. We don't force women to wear head covering in church ("because of the angels" ????) or insist on their being silent. We don't forbid the wearing of clothing made from "mixed fibers." We agree that some things have changed, and that in light of these changes the BIble does not speak eternally & definitively on these issues, that those words were written in light of certain specific cultural norms and conditions which no longer apply. The question is which scriptures, whichc issues. And for some people, the idea of homosexual sex is so abhorrent, or (I suspect) so deeply frightening that they refuse to include it in this category.
Secondly, most people who hold that concern (about scriptural authority) also believe that being gay is a choice ... that one can choose not to be gay, that they can be "healed" of their perversion, or by sincere confession and repentance can be turned from their sin. These are the folks who say things like, "God loves the sinner, but hates their sin " meaning as long as they continue to sin they are outside of God's acceptance. I reject that kind of thinking.
I have several gay friends (guys mostly - but I know several lesbians as well) and from what I know about them and their experience I am firmly convinced that our sexuality is something that is an inherent part of our whole being, our "created" being if you will. It is present from birth or shortly after, and is not something that can be greatly altered by intellectual choice. There is significant evidence, increasingly, that show anatomical & neoro-physiological differences in the areas of the brain goeverning sexual desire between gays & straights. The gay people I know have known they were "different" since their earliest awareness of themselves, as very young children.
If this is true ( and remember, a lot of folks reject this) then God has created certain of His children as gay, bisexual or transgendered people. For what purpose, only God knows, but perhaps to try and reinforce that it is love that makes the difference in transforming the world and all of us, not gender. I think that may be the point to all the amazing diversity of human beings in all their racial, intellectual, personality & emotional differences.
For me, it becomes a question, ultimately, of WWJD .... that trite little question of "What would Jesus do?" He never said a SINGLE word about homosexuality. Don't you think He would have if it was a burning issue of salvation? He did speak about treating others unmercifully, of being judgemental, and of having false idols in our lives such as money, a sense of superiority (Pharisees) and of oppression and exploitation of others.
Jesus time and time again told us that the main point of all of it; the giving of scripture, His incarnation, His ministry on earth of loving, teaching & healing, His death & resurrection - all this was that we may know the depth of God's love for us, so that we would in turn share that love with others. And it's not just one or the other - according to scripture it is always a both/and: to know that God loves us so that we may show love to one another.
Loving one another is not optional for Christians!
In light of this conviction, what would Jesus do? - he would show love, and keep reminding us that it is not our preogative to judge others. I believe that in the end God will probably save everyone, even if it's a last minute thing like the thief on the cross ... who could face the Creator at the moment of their death and still not believe?
But however it works out, THAT IS UP TO GOD ALONE!
I believe that Jesus spoke so much more about how we should be living in the here and now as God's children, as disciples of Christ and workers for the Knigdom of God - more than He ever spoke about getting to heaven (salvation) that it must be at least as important as making sure we're going to heaven."
This goes to show you that not all leaders of the church are against us!! YAYAYAYAYAY! :D :) :pray: :love: :p