"If anyone says "I Love God' while he hates his brother, he is a liar. How can he love God whom he does not see, if he does not love his brother whom he does see?" From the Holy Bible - 1 John 4:40 "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you." From the Holy Bible - 1 Peter 4:12-14 "Every religion, from the oldest to the nuttiest, has a simple message behind it; one thought that's expressed in a myriad of prophetic forms: every single person, without exception, is of such infinite worth - we are all shining stars. The idea is the same throughout; it's just a matter of how we want it presented to us. Theologically speaking, I'm drawn to how the Catholic Church deals with it. Sure, sometimes the message gets muddied or forgotten, but that's where faith comes in: I know that I am loved by Someone out there. For anyone (even the Church) to treat me with disrespect or hatred just because I'm gay is to deny my inherent worth - to ignore the very Image in which I was made; it's to spit in the very face of God. And as long as I understand that, I'm okay." From Edwin, author of "The Hound of God" Comments from Jevic, The Tarheel Writer One of the biggest stumbling blocks in the acceptance of a homosexual orientation is religion. There are many ways to look at things. Religious zealots prefer to interpret the Bible one way, while others interpret it differently. The links below are to several sites that I found while doing a little research into how the Bible looks at homosexuality. These sites offer a different perspective into how to interpret the Bible. It has long been my belief that the Bible should not be translated literally. In other words, you have to understand that this document was written over two thousand years ago. The Bible says slavery is OK. The Bible says women should not speak in church. The Bible says a lot of things that the general population does not agree with anymore. Among those is the Bible's reference to homosexuality. If religion is one of the stumbling blocks to accepting who you are, surf these links and check it out. I think you'll find that the Bible's teachings are more about love and acceptance than hatred and condemnation. One interesting thing to note ... Jesus had absolutely nothing to say about homosexuality ... nothing. That in of itself is significant. ReligiousTolerance.org WhoSoEver.org QChristian.org MCCChurch.org
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