Jesus Christ hated her adultery.

Jesus Christ loves the sinner.

Jesus Christ hates the sin.

If no sin is greater then another then why aren’t there more protesters for ‘lust’,'adultery’,'murder’,or ’sin’ in general?

We all live a life of sin, it’s not that we want to but it is what it is. I was born ‘different’ as some may say. You all were born ‘normal’? What is ‘normal’? Who is to say I am not ‘normal’ and straight people aren’t?

Many Christians or believers stand around with their well put together signs, saying gays are an abomination and should be put to death. The bible is a book that has my highest respect. Yes it says that “If a man Lies with another man as he does with a woman, he should be stoned to death”. Now it goes on to say that “If someone commits adultery they should be stoned and put to death as well. Abomination in those Hebrew days meant unclean. News Flash people, they have preachers that come on television and say that they have committed adultery…Should we put them to death? Of course not. The original bible was written in the Hebrew Language, the bible has been revised thousands of times. How do we know that everything that was analyzed and revised was written the way God wanted it to be. At the end of the original bible, the last page in fact, it simply states do not take away or add to this book.

“people are not born gay or lesbian, its a choice” sound familiar? I’m sure it does. Now with that said. Why would people choose to be different, looked down on, committing suicide because of the hard life they lead. If people say that there is no way God would allow someone to be born gay or lesbian, I asked them in return, “why would God allow some people to be born with both sexes? Why would God allow some kids to be born without arms, or without legs? Why would God allow some children to be born with Cancer and waiting their turn to be treated at Saint Judes? Why would God allow me to have always known that I was different since the age of 5? There are no legitimate answers, but I have a pretty good theory that came to me during prayer, and my talks with my maker, God.

Lets take this into consideration A HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION: If you are a straight woman, lets just say that the normal relationship was the complete opposite. Lets say that heterosexuality(straight) actually meant same sex couples, But from a very early age, you noticed yourself noticing boys. The norm now hypotheticly is that you should grow up and marry a woman since you are a woman. Lets call your neighbor John. You find John extremely cute, sweet, and you have an instant connection with him. He makes you laugh and you just have fun with John. You two grow up, you still look at john the way you did when you were five. If your parents new about this they would disown you. You keep it hidden, and go on to marry a woman, because that is what you are supposed to do, not what your heart wants you to do. Would you have had control over your feelings for John? would you allow other people to determine your happiness?, or would you go with what makes you happy regardless of what others say to you?

Maybe its time you looked deeper inside yourself, what if? what if you have been wrong this whole time? What if you caused someone who was gay or lesbian to take their own life, because of things you may have said. I advise you to watch the movie PRAYERS FOR BOBBY. This young man threw himself off of a bridge into oncomming traffic and he died. Why did he do this? because his mother said that she would not have a gay son. She tried setting him up on dates with girls, but its not fair to those girls, to be caught up in a marriage with a man who can not give himself to her completely. He actually thought something was wrong with him when he was growing up. He was raised in a christian home. What if one day your child comes home and says mom, dad Im gay. That just might be another test from your savior, watch the words you say. God Bless you, God Bless those who have taken their own life because of the words, and ignorance of others. Why would you be so mad about gay people, and not so mad about people within your own family committing adultery, lying, cheating, maybe even killing. Karma is a very real thing.

May GOD be with you all. I know he’s with me

In His love,
Cam

Thanks for the caring timbre of your comment. Youth ministry is a challenging call and one that, at the moment, is especially needed. Too many of our LGBT children are suffering at the hands of young people who are less-kind and believe it’s ok to harm us.

I wanted to offer a comment on your rules - as I expect they are rules in regards to how you respond to young people.

1) The challenge we who are gay struggle with in regards to calling homosexual-ity a sin is that to BE homosexual is far more than homosexual sexual acts. None of the other sins you mentioned are a state of being, so much as a way you might treat someone or act. BEING homosexual is not just about acts, but about an identity - an identity we have to come to understand is created by God, for we are created by God.

2) your second rule presumes that a homosexual relationship is less than God’s best, but, for many of us, coming to terms with who we are frees us to nurture and engage in healthy, whole, and honest relationships. It’s hard to imagine that health, wholeness and honesty are less than God’s best.

3) I am excited that you’ve found “plenty of examples” of those who come to an understanding of themselves that does not include homosexuality. However, I lift up to you again that attraction is but a part of what it means to be a homosexual person.

The unfortunate result of tying homosexual, to same-gender sex, to the Biblical references to sex acts as part of a heteronormative society is that we, as people, are reduced to either the collection of sex acts we are presumed to do, or to a sinful being. Nobody likes to be reduced to a sinful being - no matter that, in Christian understanding, we are all victims and instigators of sin, nor do any of us like to be reduced to the collection of sexual acts we engage in, regardless of sexual orientation.

Be careful, please, Aaron…you hold our children in your hands. There is not one answer for the whole of humanity on any other aspect of life. Take care before you presume that one perspective on sexuality is the only Godly thing that could be applied to human beings everywhere. You do not have to understand to respect, and you do not have to approve in order to remain welcoming.

Last thing - your observation about parentage of the questioning youth in your ministry is interesting. However, I - a lesbian woman - had a very caring same-gender mother, and a distant other-gendered father. Both were very concerned with my safety and knew at a very early age that I was different. Their concern about my safety was not about who I was, but about what other children would do to me because of who I was.

When you make room for God to act in situations you’ve never experienced before, you make room for a God that is, truly, much bigger than either of us could possibly imagine. That sounds more like “God” to me.

Blessings,
-Mel

Rev. Elect Melanie “Mel” Martinez
Director, MCC Online Ministries

As a youth pastor I deal with plenty of teenagers who are attracted to the same sex. My humble experience has showed me a few commonalities that makes me question the legitimacy of homosexuality as a spiritual lifestyle. I find it interesting that with each teenager that I have counseled, the same-sex parent has been distant or absent, while the opposite-sex parent has been grossly over protective. Such commonalities make me think that same-sex attraction is a psychological mechanism some use at an early age to counter a painful adolescence. If this is so, then rather than accepting homosexuality as a legitimate expression of Christian spirituality, I believe ministers should seek to lead people attracted to the same sex to healing.

At the same time, I have to recognize that the reason this is such a huge issue is that historically the church has done a terrible job addressing the needs of those sitting in their congregation who are attracted to the same sex (as evidenced in some postings above).

So what if the roman centurion of Matthew 8 5-13 was homosexual (I don’t think he is, your interpretation fails to explore one particular option: that the slave was indeed a dear friend of his). The fact that he healed him wouldn’t celebrate homosexuality. The fact that he applauds his faith doesn’t mean he’s applauding his whole lifestyle, just his faith. Jesus reached out to prostitutes without promoting prostitution. Jesus reached out to tax collectors who stole from the poor, but he doesn’t promote stealing.

As I address same-sex attraction in my ministry, I use a few rules:
1) My sins are arrogance, quick temper and others. Theirs is homosexuality. Are they any worse sinners than I? Absolutely not.
2) Some terrible experience in their life has allowed them to settle for less than God’s best. There is a life of abundant joy that God has in store for each one of us as we shed our sin and choose to be led by the Holy Spirit instead of our own desires.
3) There are plenty of examples of people who have been attracted to the same sex but chose, in obedience to the Holy Spirit, to live a heterosexual life and thereby experience the abundant life God promised.

Jesus knew that God exists in every single one of us and so to discriminate a person is to discriminate God. Hate and Judgement separates, love brings together.