[dsdrane]

And don't get me wrong...I'm glad you're here. We need all the allies we can get. That said, I respectfully encourage you to learn more.

Originally Posted by K-Dog

I was trying to express that the church views homosexuality as sin, and gay people do not. And whether the church is on the right side or the gays are, it doesn't matter becuase the church claims to follow the teachings of christ, and according to his teachings either it is a sin, and he will forgive or it isn't a sin and you have committed others and need forgiveness for those. The point I guess I am trying to make is it doesn't matter whether being gay is a sin or not, because the church is wrong all the way in doing "gay bashing."

Firstly [and, I might add: thank God], "the church" is not a monolithic entity. Many denominations have no problem reconciling the teachings of Christ with either growing or complete acceptance of homosexuality. They may be in the minority, but they are there. Moreover, this acceptance is actually based upon -- rather than runs counter to -- the teachings of Christ.

Secondly, it absolutely matters -- to people on both sides of the debate -- whether being gay is a sin. It may not matter to God, but it matters to a) homophobes because it provides a theological blessing to anything from exclusion to bashing, and b) it matters to gay people because no one should have to seek forgiveness for something that requires none. This goes to someone's essence of how they view themselves...what they see as positive or negative about themselves. When I confess my sins at church each Sunday, I know in my heart that being gay is not on the list. I'm one of the lucky ones. There are others who still wonder and worry and, frankly, being told that "even if it is a sin, don't worry; you'll be forgiven" doesn't cut it when it comes to day-to-day life in the here-and-now.

Granted, there are others here for whom the idea of "sin" is irrelevant -- either because of a different faith system or because of the lack of one. This doesn't mean, of course, that they don't have their own struggles. It just means that they don't have to navigate through the choppy waters of Christian dogma and how that dogma relates directly to them as gay Christians.

As I alluded to before, I don't think it's enough to defer a judgment of sinfulness to God. It leaves people dangling...and lets others off the hook. One should state clearly how they feel. A "yes" or "no" is preferable, but I also believe "I don't know" is a perfectly reasonable response. At the very least, it lets people know where they stand.

Originally Posted by K-Dog

There is no greater sin in any faith than anger, hatred and bigotry.

On this I agree with you wholeheartedly!