Mia14
07-23-2006, 08:01 PM
At www.godmademegay.com (which I found from another thread on this forum), there is an amazing letter someone wrote which points out ten statements that church congregations must come to accept about homosexuals:
1. Homosexuality is an unchangeable nature; it is not a lifestyle choice.
2. All people are created in the image of God. The homosexuality of gays and lesbians, created by God, is good and not evil.
3. The homosexual is just as normal a person as a heterosexual and should not be thought of in sexual terms.
4. Several passages in the Bible speak of same-gender sex. In every instance, the Bible is talking about heterosexuals who, filled with lust, have become sex perverts. The Bible says nothing about innate homosexuality as we know it today or about people who are homosexuals.
5. The burden imposed on homosexuals by society is a great evil. We should stand in revulsion against, and do all we can to oppose, the prejudice, the hatreds, and the condemnation of a society that make the homosexual's life so difficult.
6. Homosexuals are being sinned against by our churches. Like our society, our churches need to change.
7. Gays and lesbians in general have the potential for outstanding character and accomplishment; some may have greater potential than most heterosexuals to be exceptional persons.
8. It is not only unrealistic to expect homosexuals to live without sex, but also it is psychologically harmful to them for them to do so.
9. Full acceptance by society, including the blessings and legality of marriage should be extended to gays and lesbians in the same way it is extended to others.
10. As in society, gays and lesbians should be accepted and affirmed in our churches and given any opportunity for service, including ordination, that others have.
There's background and research to accompany each of these statements. I thought it was something important to read for those of us who might have to explain our humanity to someone not quite as informed. :)
1. Homosexuality is an unchangeable nature; it is not a lifestyle choice.
2. All people are created in the image of God. The homosexuality of gays and lesbians, created by God, is good and not evil.
3. The homosexual is just as normal a person as a heterosexual and should not be thought of in sexual terms.
4. Several passages in the Bible speak of same-gender sex. In every instance, the Bible is talking about heterosexuals who, filled with lust, have become sex perverts. The Bible says nothing about innate homosexuality as we know it today or about people who are homosexuals.
5. The burden imposed on homosexuals by society is a great evil. We should stand in revulsion against, and do all we can to oppose, the prejudice, the hatreds, and the condemnation of a society that make the homosexual's life so difficult.
6. Homosexuals are being sinned against by our churches. Like our society, our churches need to change.
7. Gays and lesbians in general have the potential for outstanding character and accomplishment; some may have greater potential than most heterosexuals to be exceptional persons.
8. It is not only unrealistic to expect homosexuals to live without sex, but also it is psychologically harmful to them for them to do so.
9. Full acceptance by society, including the blessings and legality of marriage should be extended to gays and lesbians in the same way it is extended to others.
10. As in society, gays and lesbians should be accepted and affirmed in our churches and given any opportunity for service, including ordination, that others have.
There's background and research to accompany each of these statements. I thought it was something important to read for those of us who might have to explain our humanity to someone not quite as informed. :)