a. Many gay people quickly cry homophobia when the religious right speaks of Biblical morality and lifestyle practices. Christian standards are standards for all of those who believe in Him -gay or straight, male or female, black or white, ....., we are all God's children and we should all act as such.^{2 (see below)}

b. Some gay outreaches attempt to dilute the Word of God so that their group appeals to many people. ^{3 (see below)}

c. Some gay people want the practice of open and/or promiscuous relationships to be accepted by Christians and of course many Christians (gay and straight) cannot understand these practices.^{4 (see below)}

THESE ABOVE TRATS, BELIEFS OR ACTIONS OF SOME CHRISTIANS IN THE GAY COMMUNITY ARE ALL UNSCRIPTURAL AND DO NOT CONFORM TO THE TEACHINGS OF THE BIBLE.

Monogamy
God, our creator, invented sex and He intended for sex to be meaningful and fulfilling emotionally, physically, and spiritually, but not a method for just satisfying one's lustful physical desires. Believers in Christ tend to share the belief that God brings two people together in a relationship (as stated in the marriage vow -"what God has brought together, let no man tear asunder").

a. Our bodies are the temple or dwelling place of God's Spirit (the Holy Spirit) and by violating our body we are violating that temple. Uncontrolled lust is the only reason not to be in a monogamous relationship. Think about that for a minute, is that not true - if it is not to satisfy a physical, lustful desire to have multiple partners then why?

b. Lust does not come from God - it comes from Satan. Thus, the love for (and from) one's spouse is the reason for staying in a monogamous relationship^{5(see below)}. Romans 8:5-8 "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

Prejudice A major reason many people (Christians and non-Christian) cannot accept homosexuals is that they are unable to get past the "sex' in that word.

a. A relationship (gay or non-gay) extends far beyond the confines of the bedroom. The love, compassion, friendship, support, loyalty, comfort, understanding (I know you can list many others as well) that one finds in a loving, Christian relationship is completely unrelated to sex.

b. For any person to focus only on that one aspect of a relationship, demonstrates his/her limited ability to comprehend what God wants for His children. These people have learned to hate, fear, dislike, gay people and have used their understanding of their faith to justify these feelings.

WE SHOULD BEAR IN MIND THESE WORDS FROM 1 JOHN 4:20 IF A MAN SAYS 'I LOVE GOD, AND YET HATES HIS BROTHER' THEN HE IS A LIAR: FOR HE THAT CANNOT LOVE HIS BROTHER WHOM HE CAN SEE, CANNOT LOVE GOD WHOM HE HAS NOT SEEN."

ForgivenessI believe that forgiveness is one of the most important tasks facing our GLBT brothers and sisters. GLBT people have been persecuted, hated, shunned, and attacked for who they are, not only by the government, radicals, but also by members of the church.

a. Many of our GLBT brothers and sisters have consequently built a wall around themselves to protect against further attacks and have become vengeful in their interactions with Christians and do not forgive those who does not understand or accept their sexual orientation.

We should remember a commandment in Romans 12:19 "Beloved never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written 'Vengence is mine, I will repay says the Lord'" and then a warning from Christ in Matthew 6:14-15 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you, but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

b. Many times when we are hurt by someone we feel both fear and anger.  As time progresses if we do not let go of the hurt, the fear mutates into anger (for we become angry that we allowed the other person the power to cause us fear), the combined anger transforms into hatred and the only outcome of hatred is pain.  This pain is pain we feel. Many times in an effort to minimize our own pain we spread the pain around and we end up hurting others, which starts the vicious cycle all over again for someone else. In order to break out of this cycle of death, a cycle that satan loves to see us in, we must learn to let go of the hurt.

1 John 4:18 "There is no fear in love: but perfect love casts out fear".

c. This tendency for us not to forgive, reminds me of a story. One day a visitor leaned on the old fence around a farm, while he watched an old farmer plowing with a mule. After a while, the visitor said, "I don't like to tell you how to run your business, but you would not have to work so hard if you would just say, "gee" and "haw" to that mule instead of just tugging on those lines. The old farmer stopped and pulled a big handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face. Then he said, "Reckon you're right, but this animal kicked me five years ago and I ain't spoke to him since.

d. Some of us hold a grudge for a long, long time. We can remember distinctly the words that were spoken to us or the way we were mistreated and "we'll never forgive". Unfortunately, grudges don't hurt others nearly as much as they hurt us. But no matter how hard it may be, we'll tug on those reins until the day we die, rather than seek reconciliation.[Alan Smith]

THE ONLY WAY WE CAN DO THIS IS TO FORGIVE THE OTHER PERSON FOR THEIR ACTIONS(S). AS CHRIST STATED WHILE HANGING ON THE CROSS "FORGIVE THEM FATHER, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO" I ENCOURAGE EACH OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN HURT BY CARELESS AND EVEN MALICIOUS ACTS TO FORGIVE.

1. It is written that no man is an island. All of us need to connect with others, our fellow man and God, it is a pleasure to do so. However, many GLBT people find themselves pushed away from church by the hateful bigotry of others. In order to fill that resulting void they are forced to find alternatives. The more common and readily available sources of pleasure in our society are drugs, alcohol, or sex (also some people will immerse themselves into their work and others become obsessed with exercise, etc..). The feelings that are achieved and the chemicals that are released in the brain with these other activities help medicate the feeling of emptiness that exists and for a while they seem to work. Unfortunately, their ability to provide lasting relief is limited so those people engage in more and more in order to grasp that feeling of comfort again. These vices become the "gods" of these people who are struggling and searching for peace and happiness - they are just lost in their search. If you find yourself relating to this, do not despair for there is always a new day and God is always there for you.

2. It is written that upon accepting Christ into our lives we change, 2 Co2. 5:17 "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, the new has come." So we have shed our old skin and are new in Him. Christ reminded us that to be of Him meant to be like Him, John 14:15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."

3. An important truth to keep is that none of us is perfect or infallible. One of the main reasons people leave the church is intolerance. The allure of other more open religions is understandable considering the hellfire and brimstone spewing from some Christian churches. Throughout this website, one trend that will emerge is the discussion of false gods, pagan religions, and the Bible's condemnation of these things. I want to let my pagan friends know that I am not striving to attack them and their beliefs. I can respect their decision to practice other faiths as many of these faiths do in fact teach wonderful universal truths. The fact that the religions of the world have overlapping messages should not be surprising, we each comprehend God in our own way and therefore will have a different perception of Him. Also since all wisdom comes from God, the message is the same as is the messenger. Thus, looking to these others systems for additional wisdom is not sinful, as knowledge is not evil. But we need to be aware that despite the excellent teachings of some of these faiths which can indeed help us in living our lives as better people, these religions do not offer eternal salvation. Only Christ Himself offers that. Christ asked "What does it gain a man if he wins the whole world but loses his soul?" These other beliefs systems may offer us the world, but relying on them for our salvation may certainly cause us to lose our souls.

4. The religious and political right strives to prevent GLBT from having legitimized unions. In a heterosexual relationship, the partners can take pictures of their loved ones to work, can share their ups and downs with their co-workers, friends, and families. When a heterosexual marriage begins to falter there are numerous mechanisms to help the parties stay together from church support, advice from friends and family, to the legal system deterring divorce. All of these aspects serve to strengthen and preserve the relationship. In a homosexual relationship, many times the opposite it true. Work becomes a place void of reminders of their partner, they have to lie to their colleagues about their emotional stresses and their causes, sometimes they have to lie to their family, and there is no legal pressure to stay and work on the relationship. The easy way out is to give up and find someone else. The religious and political right enjoys stressing the "inability" of homosexual couples to behave as if they are married and yet those same parties do everything in their power to prevent homosexuals from having the right to be married.

5. I have been asked where the Bible states that same-sex unions are permitted. Admittedly, there is no passage in the Bible that specifically addresses a same-sex marriage. However; there are a few passages that may address this topic. Either way, one must remember there are a number of issues that the Bible does not address: calculus, nuclear physics, astronomy, genetics, medicine, etc... ad nauseum. The Bible was not given to man as an encyclopedia, it is not an all encompassing reference book for all issues. Rather, it is The Book which depicts God's Word - His plan and design for eternal salvation. It does so by focusing on a very special portion of the world and in discrete time frames. That does not mean that histories, people, events, etc. that occurred elsewhere are not important or are of no meaning to God. It simply means that their record was not needed to directly advance the goals and plans of God for all time.

A very important point to remembers is that the Bible follows the ancestry of Christ. It is possible to trace the roots of Jesus to Adam through David and Abraham. These all came to pass to fulfill the prophecies that Christ would be the Son of Man, Son of God, and King. Thus, the Bible focuses on a very special group and very specific lineage of people. I have received many comments that none of these great people that God chose were gay and therefore it is asserted that God rejects homosexuality. These great people needed to be heterosexual so that the lineage could continue. We all have a purpose - no matter how great or small. The other people and things who are not addressed in the Bible are not ignored by God. We each have to read the Bible looking for what is there, what God is saying, and what we should hear. We cannot look for and dismiss all the things that are not in the Bible. I have faith that if God or Christ felt that a marriage or union between people of the same-sex were contrary to His Word, it would have been very specifically addressed.

Any relationship which is Christ-centered, loving, mutually nurturing cannot be wrong. Love is not wrong. Paul states that in Christ there is no race, gender, etc. -we are all children of God, Gal. 3:26-28 "for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you were baptized into Christ, the Spirit's baptism has clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." Thus, the Bible states God does not see our race, gender, social status (all distinctions created by man, as is sexual orientation) He simply sees His children. To God a loving relationship between two of His children is a loving relationship that glorifies Him. 1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

6.In Chapter 4 of his book
"The Case for Faith", Lee Strobel talks about how mistranslations occur. Quoted "I [Lee Strobel] raised my hand in protest. 'David was called a man after God's own heart, and yet the Bible says he tortured his enemies. It says he put them under saws and under axes or iron and made them pass through the brick kiln. That sounds cruel and torturous to me!' 'Not so fast ' Norman L. Geisler, PhD cautioned 'You're quoting from the King James Version, and it's open to misinterpretation there. The New International Version clarifies the original Hebrew language and says David brought out the people who were there, consigning them to labor with saws adnd with iron picks and axes and he made them work at brick making. That's work - not torture" So misintrepretations occur in verses not related to homosexuality as well, thus the position that some misunderstandings of the original languages exists is not a new concept and is accepted by many 'conservative' Christians.