Is being gay a sin according to your religion?

[Shadow Wolf]

If you believe in the kind of happiness that Christianity promises, then you will expand your happiness, for now, and in the afterlife

For me, my inner peace, happiness, and even desire to live increased exponentially after I left the Church, forsook Christ, and evicted the Holy Ghost from my heart. Not since have I known such misery and mental anguish.

I don't have time now to do a lot of research.

All the research I posted pages ago, I did it in maybe 10 - 15 minutes. If you really know the subject, you can breeze through piles of studies in no time at all.

 

[shmogie]

On the flip side, because I can't help but feel it can't be stressed enough, for some of us this "god" filled us with self-hatred, anger, depression, and made life miserable. All because some people believe those outside of their little boxes of "black and white," "either or" cannot and will not accept those who do not rigidly fall in line.

God cannot do what you claim. People can. You cannot judge God by the people who say they follow him, you can only judge him by what he says of himself.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

There are many studies which I think it would be best for you to research yourself. Doing so would be more meaningful for you personally. Besides, I had several links bookmarked, but lost them recently in a hard drive problem and I don't have time now to do a lot of research. Here is one link below to get you started...
http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/cdc_nisvs_victimization_final-a.pdf

http://www.americanbar.org/groups/d...ces/statistics/Race_Ethnicity_Statisitcs.html

This is also true of ethnic minorities, which also make up and are victims more often in violence, drug usage, theft, depression, communicable disease et all. Would you say that there's something about being an ethnic minority that is 'outside God's plan' or wrong in general to be an ethnic minority or that there's more complicated sociopolitical factors playing into why this occurs?

 

[shmogie]

http://www.americanbar.org/groups/d...ces/statistics/Race_Ethnicity_Statisitcs.html

This is also true of ethnic minorities, which also make up and are victims more often in violence, drug usage, theft, depression, communicable disease et all. Would you say that there's something about being an ethnic minority that is 'outside God's plan' or wrong in general to be an ethnic minority or that there's more complicated sociopolitical factors playing into why this occurs?

God makes it perfectly clear in the NT that for a Christian, racial minorities do not exist, all races are viewed equally by God

 

[leibowde84]

I am not speaking of " claims made in the Gospels referring to authenticity ", I am speaking of evidence within the Gospels that can be applied in a logical fashion to establish authenticity. You are saying that a witness statement cannot be evaluated to establish the veracity of that witness. Contrary to the rules or evidence, that is totally illogical

I think you might have to look into the rules of evidence a bit more, as witness statements from dead and possibly unidentified individuals would not be admitted at all. Remember, we are talking about authorship, not reliability. Just because testimony fits with historical known fact doesn't mean that the information might have been passed to another who wrote it down many years later. Iow, just because a testimony is factually accurate doesn't support a claim of who the speaker actually was. It is most likely that the stories were shared and passed down in regards to Jesus' life, so you need a lot more to evidence specific authorship.

 

[leibowde84]

Oh, a double bluff huh ? LOL

No, just pointing out that the destruction of the temple not being mentioned does not in any way support your argument for specific authorship.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

God makes it perfectly clear in the NT that for a Christian, racial minorities do not exist, all races are viewed equally by God

If you're using statistics of this ilk to leverage that being gay is wrong, then it applies equally to other minorities including ethnic minorities which share these statistics.

 

[leibowde84]

Well actually Paul did meet Jesus, perhaps in a way you don't acknowledge. Luke makes it clear his Gospel was the result of his investigation into the events, by interviewing the original witnesses. If the dating of the Gospels is, at the earliest 140 AD, as has been proposed, then he could have never spoken to the original witnesses. A blatant lie

This is what I was referring to when I said that claims in the gospels themselves as with Luke regarding authenticity don't support the argument that the text is actually authentic. And, I made it clear that Luke was not in question. But, where did you get 140 AD from? I've never heard that claim.

 

[leibowde84]

Well actually Paul did meet Jesus, perhaps in a way you don't acknowledge. Luke makes it clear his Gospel was the result of his investigation into the events, by interviewing the original witnesses. If the dating of the Gospels is, at the earliest 140 AD, as has been proposed, then he could have never spoken to the original witnesses. A blatant lie

Paul claim of meeting Jesus should get as much validity as anyone, sane or not, who has claimed to have a conversation or visit from Jesus. We don't have nearly enough to judge whether Paul was likely to have had a mere hallucination or not. It's fine to have faith in his authority, but the evidence is severely lacking.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

God cannot do what you claim. People can. You cannot judge God by the people who say they follow him, you can only judge him by what he says of himself.

I was judging by my experience. For me, there was no fulfillment, no happiness, no hope, no joy, no tranquility, no peace of mind, and no "cure" that ever came from following God. God made me miserable, the Bible reinforced my misery, and others affirmed it by their loathing and shunning of the GLBT community.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Why do people think you need belief in an afterlife to be happy?

 

[leibowde84]

Why do people think you need belief in an afterlife to be happy?

I find it so obvious that this is an evolutionary trait that has come up as a product of consciousness. Positive thinking and hope for a long life make people more likely to be successful. It seems logical that this hope wouldn't be limited to our life on earth, as the belief that everything ends with death would limit that hope in a profound way. Also, our belief in judgment after death helps many to be better morally. As a societal species, we have benefitted from this belief.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

If you believe that this is all there is, or that everyone winds up the same in an afterlife, or something of the kind, them you will be as happy as you can be with this life under those circumstances. If you believe in the kind of happiness that Christianity promises, then you will expand your happiness, for now, and in the afterlife

Both sides happinesses are different, yes. I am happy as a spiritualist as yourself a christian. I assume we cannot see another person with happinesses "based on our beliefs" because to me it makes no sense to not commune with ones ancestors while you likewise (edit) without god instead, that is fine.

However, whats not fine is to say another person Is Not happy based on our beliefs: we do not know. If they are happy and say so, who am I to judge? Their happinesses isnt depended on my beliefs (or yours or Inchrist) but in that person and his or her faith or values only.

Who has the right to say someone else is not happy because they do not share our beliefs or religion?

(Edit) Or related to the OP, our sexual orientation?

 

[leibowde84]

Both sides happinesses are different, yes. I am happy as a spiritualist as yourself a christian. I assume we cannot see another person with happinesses "based on our beliefs" because to me it makes no sense to not commune with ones ancestors while you likewise but (edit) without god instead, that is fine.

However, whats not fine is to say another person Is Not happy based on our beliefs: we do not know. If they are happy and say so, whp am I to judge. Their happinesses isnt depended on my belief (or yours or inchrist) but in that person and that person and his or her faith or values only.

Who has the right to say someone else is not happy because they do not share our beliefs or religion?

Well-put.

 

[InChrist]

That's easy to say when you've never struggled with your sexual orientation or gender identity. It's no issue saying god makes you fulfilled when there is no pressure on conforming to sexual and gender norms.

Everyone struggles in one area or another with some major issue(s) in their life which are contrary to God's will or design. I certainly did deal with pressure prior to deliverance, freedom, wholeness and fulfillment in Christ.

 

[leibowde84]

Everyone struggles in one area or another with some major issue(s) in their life which are contrary to God's will or design. I certainly did deal with pressure prior to deliverance, freedom, wholeness and fulfillment in Christ.

But you must agree that you don't know anything about what it's like to naturally be attracted to those of the same sex? As a heterosexual, can you imagine if the tables were turned and God demanded that you be with members of your same sex? Would you be able to change your own sexual orientation?

 

[InChrist]

Do you really and honestly believe those without god are not happy, dont have a fulfilling life, with headache and emptiness?

I do. How would it be possible for anyone to have true happiness or lasting fulfillment if we were each created for the sole purpose of being in an eternal loving relationship with God our Creator...and we are not?

 

[leibowde84]

I do. How would it be possible for anyone to have true happiness or lasting fulfillment if we were each created for the sole purpose of being in an eternal loving relationship with God our Creator...and we are not?

Are you basing this claim about being a homosexual is not loving God merely on scripture? I think that would be the offensive part, as you would be taking the discussion away from rational discourse, relying completely on claims made in an ancient text that literally prejudices homosexuals by damping them to hell.

 

[shmogie]

Both sides happinesses are different, yes. I am happy as a spiritualist as yourself a christian. I assume we cannot see another person with happinesses "based on our beliefs" because to me it makes no sense to not commune with ones ancestors while you likewise but (edit) without god instead, that is fine.

However, whats not fine is to say another person Is Not happy based on our beliefs: we do not know. If they are happy and say so, who am I to judge. Their happinesses isnt depended on my belief (or yours or inchrist) but in that person and that person and his or her faith or values only.

Who has the right to say someone else is not happy because they do not share our beliefs or religion?

(Edit) Or related to the op, our sexual orientation?

The point being made is that I know a non Christian cannot have the true happiness a Christian has because my faith tells me this. There are degrees of happiness, and different types, Christian happiness can only be experienced by a Christian. My faith might tell me Christian happiness might be best for everyone, but I certainly have no right to use that as a tool to judge anyone, nor do I think the person who posted the original post was doing so

 

[leibowde84]

The point being made is that I know a non Christian cannot have the true happiness a Christian has because my faith tells me this. There are degrees of happiness, and different types, Christian happiness can only be experienced by a Christian. My faith might tell me Christian happiness might be best for everyone, but I certainly have no right to use that as a tool to judge anyone, nor do I think the person who posted the original post was doing so

This is counter intuitive. You literally claimed that you know based on faith.