Okay, so, before you start reading this, I want to tell you: PLEASE do not argue in the comments. This studio simply brings forward some things I've gathered FOR YOUR INFORMATION. Not for you to bicker about. You don't have to agree with me. You don't have to support me. But please be respectful and consider everyone involved in this. Okay. So. Recently, I read an article. I had been feeling really down that day, because I was struggling with being gay AND being a Christian. My friend showed me this preaching session by a gay pastor. I'm going to tell you some of what he said, because this is something I truly struggled with until I read this article. So let's go. There are about six passages in the Bible that are clearly interpreted as being about homosexuality. Only three of them are direct. In the Old Testament, there's the famous Leviticus, calling same-sex behavior an abomination. And in the New Testament, in Romans, Paul speaks of women “exchanging natural relations for unnatural ones,” and of men abandoning “natural relations with women and committing shameful acts with other men.” So according to traditional concepts, both the Old and New Testaments reject same-sex relationships. Another thing is from Genesis: Adam and Eve, male and female. They entered the world before sin. And so according the traditional interpretation of this scripture, if someone is homosexual, their orientation represents a sign of brokenness in humans. While having a same-sex orientation isn't a sin, acting upon it is seen as one. Christians who are gay are thus called to refrain upon our attractions, to deny ourselves and follow God. Within this framework, Christian gay people have a problem. Straight people are never forced to see their orientation as a big characteristic about them, but it still is. What orientation for straight people is their capacities for romantic love and self-giving. It's because we have an orientation that we can get married, have kids, and create families. For many people, having a family also relies on having a spouse. That is true for straight people as well as gay people. Gay people have the same capacities for romantic love and self-giving as straight people do. The amount of love that gay couples have for each other is no different from the amount of love straight people have for each other. But the consequence of the traditional interpretation of the Bible is that while straight people must avoid lust and promiscuity, gay people must avoid romantic relationships entirely. A straight orientation would be seen as a gift. In can be used in sinful or irresponsible ways, but it can also be harnessed to create a loving, long-term relationship, and eventually a family. loving marriage relationship that will be blessed and celebrated by their community. But gay people, though they are capable of and desire loving relationships that are just as important to them, are told that, for them, even life-long, committed relationships would be sinful, because their sexual orientation is simply broken. And so we are told that our orientation will never be celebrated by our religious community. Philippians 2:4 tells us to look not only to our own interests, but also to the interests of others. And in Matthew 5, Jesus instructs that if someone makes you go one mile, go with them two miles. And so I’m going to ask you: Would you step into my shoes even for a moment, and walk with me just one mile, even if it makes you a uncomfortable? I am gay. I didn’t choose to be gay. It’s not something that I would have chosen, not because it’s a bad thing to be, but because it’s extremely inconvenient, it’s stressful, and it can often be lonely – to be different, to feel not understood, to feel unaccepted. I have a desire to one day create a strong relationship with someone and start a family of my own. But according to the traditional interpretation of the Scripture, as a Christian, I am excluded from that possibility of love, unlike straight people. I don’t sense a special calling to celibacy, and I may well find someone I grow to love and would like to spend the rest of my life with. But if that were to happen, following the traditional interpretation, if I were to fall in love with someone, and if those feelings were reciprocated, my only choice would be to walk away, to break my heart, and retreat into isolation, alone. And this wouldn’t be just a one-time heartbreak. It would continue throughout my entire life. Whenever I came to know someone whose company I really enjoyed, I would always fear that I might come to like them too much, that I might come to love them. And within the traditional interpretation of Scripture, falling in love is one of the worst things that could happen to a gay person. Because you will necessarily be heartbroken, you will have to run away, and that will happen every single time that you come to care about someone else too much. (See project labeled please read this 2 to continue)
