GayatfootofCross Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 the Numbers would be higher if they saw JESUS in church! umm you are the church !!! and We LGBTIQQAA are the CHURCH more and more come out come out where Ever you are! Where JESUS is the Foundation ............................................................................................................................................ http://www.advocate.com/religion/2015/9/17/lgbt-people-faith-why-are-they-staying LGBT People of Faith: Why Are They Staying? On the eve of the pope's historic U.S. visit, a new study on LGBT people and religion shows surprising results. By Eliel Cruz September 17 2015 4:45 AM EDT 5K SHARES A recent study appears to disprove a bit of common wisdom among gays, lesbians, and bisexuals — the idea was that we are abandoning religion because religious denominations are abandoning us. Not so, according to Pew Research and its report, America’s Changing Religious Landscape. The study, released in May, spurred national conversation about the role of religion in the United States because it pointed to an overall decline of religious affiliation. The number of “nones” (those who don’t identify with any faith) grew as overall religious affiliation decreased, the study found. But while religious affiliations decreased overall, in a surprising result, the same wasn’t true for queer people. Indeed, more LGB Americans consider themselves Christian than ever before. (The Advocate spoke with Pew Research Center, and it did not account for the transgender population in this particular survey.) The report found that 48 percent of LGB Americans identify as Christian, up from 42 percent in 2013. The statistic contrasts the study’s finding of overall decline of Christianity, from 78.4 percent of Americans identifying as Christian to 70.6 percent. The Pew Research Center cautions against drawing comparisons between the two studies since the method for collecting the data differed. For the 2013 study, participants went online, whereas in the 2015 study individuals were contacted by phone. Still, at the very least, researchers are sure that a significant portion of LGB people are people of faith. While Christianity is the dominant faith tradition found in the LGB population, a large portion adhere to other faith traditions. Eleven percent of LGB respondents identified with Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu faith traditions — which is also a higher percentage than the overall population. In total, 59 percent of the LGB respondents identify as people of faith. The study’s findings conflict with the LGB-versus-religion narrative that dominates media. In 2012, GLAAD released Missing Voices, a three-year study analyzing this media narrative, looking at how mainstream news covered the intersections of faith, sexuality, and gender. Overwhelmingly, the voices represented were from straight, cisgender individuals and they came from an anti-LGBT stance. The few pro-LGBT voices, which also came from straight cisgender individuals, were presented “without any religious affiliation, thus reinforcing the mainstream media framing of ‘religion vs. gay,’” said the report. The religion versus gay framing is reinforced by LGBT people as well. Many queer people have left spiritually abusive households and don’t want anything to do with religion. Some of the loudest LGBT pundits are atheist and are critical of LGBT people who adhere to religions that, at least formally, condemn same-sex relationships. “The change may be due to the fact that the rising tide of LGBT acceptance is allowing more people in conservative communities to come out who wouldn't have a generation ago,” Matthew Vines, author of God and The Gay Christian, tells The Advocate. “Especially for LGBT people who greatly value marriage, family, and community, the legalization of marriage equality makes a major difference in their ability to be able to envision a future for themselves that makes coming out worth the cost," Vines says. "Many of those more traditional-minded LGBT people are Christians. As they continue to come out in higher numbers in the years to come, they will likely cause the number of religiously affiliated LGBT Americans to rise, and they will also help to build a bridge for other LGBT people to re-engage with faith if they wish to do so.” Despite so many faith traditions condemning same-sex relationships in their teaching, LGBs are remaining loyal to their religious beliefs. Not only are they remaining affiliated with denominations that have anti-LGBT stances, but they are also creating communities with other queer religious people. Take, for instance, Believe Out Loud, a vibrant online community focused on empowering Christians to work toward LGBT equality. On average, between its various social media platforms and website, Believe Out Loud reaches 3 million to 5 million individuals a month — making it one of the largest LGBT faith-based sites in the country. “Some LGBT Christians don’t even know they have other options for worship — churches that actually honor their LGBT identity as a gift from God,” says Believe Out Loud’s director, James Rowe. He points out a map on Believe Out Loud’s website that lists 5,000 LGBT welcoming and affirming Christian churches across the U.S., representing 17 different denominations. Still, it’s undeniable that these affirming church congregations are a minority in the their denominations. It’s more likely to find faith communities that are not affirming of same-sex relationships than affirming of them. Rowe, who is gay and a devout Catholic, says he remains hopeful the church will evolve. “I've chosen to stay in the Catholic Church because of faith. Not just faith in God but faith in a religious tradition that I love,” he tells The Advocate. “Faith that even the Catholic Church — as unimaginable as it may be to some — is capable of great change.” Rowe may not be too off base with his comments. Pope Francis has softened his language toward LGBT people, though his beliefs are still staunchly anti-LGBT, as is the Catholic Church. Yet Ireland, one of the most Catholic countries in the world, enacted marriage equality this year with a resounding yes vote in a popular referendum. Additionally, a newly released survey by Pew Researh Center shows that two thirds of American Catholics are pro-LGBT families. “Our churches are so much more than just clergy who may choose to label us an abomination or more specifically, ‘intrinsically disordered,’" says Rowe. "The reality is that at one time, not that long ago, there were practically no Christian churches in this country where LGBT people could walk into without any fear. Now there are more than 5,000 — that couldn't have happened unless some stayed and claimed their rightful place in the church.” The Gay Christian Network has been a place of solace for LGBT Christians for over a decade. Its annual conference last year brought in more than 1,400 LGBT Christians from around the world for worship and community. “Churches have always been full of LGBT people, but historically, many of them have felt alone and powerless to change discriminatory church policies,” Justin Lee, director of the Gay Christian Network, tells The Advocate. Lee says the Gay Christian Network conference has helped straight Christians meet LGBT Christians and change their views. “LGBT Christians are standing up and inspiring their fellow Christians to push for change from within,” he says. “The GCN conference reflects that movement; what used to be a gathering of LGBT Christians now includes a growing number of straight, cisgender Christians whose minds have been changed by the LGBT people in their churches and who are now pushing for full support and equality for all.” Born and raised Southern Baptist, Lee says he stays in the church because of the Jesus story. “There's a huge difference between Jesus and the teachings of some modern American churches,” Lee says. “Jesus taught love and mercy, cared for people's needs, and defied the social prejudices of his day. His closest friends were societal outcasts, while his harshest criticisms were for religious leaders. That's what draws me to Christianity as a gay man, despite the fact that many churches today seem to do the exact opposite of what he taught.” LGBT right groups recognize the importance of religion in the LGBT civil rights conversation. The Human Rights Campaign's Religion and Faith program Program, established in 2004, works in the intersections of faith and sexuality. "For many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, faith and spirituality are critical aspects of our lives. An essential part of our work is working with communities of faith in support of LGBT communities," says Rev. MacArthur H. Flournoy, director of faith partnerships and mobilization at HRC. "Whether it's educating people about the implications of the pope's visit, or working in southern states, we realize the value engaging people of faith to improve the lived experiences of LGBT people and our families," Flournoy. HRC’s Religion and Faith program also keeps an ongoing tally of LGBT faith resources and where every faith tradition stands on issues such as same-sex relationships. The National LGBTQ Task Force works to highlight the welcoming religious voices to contrast the sea of anti-LGBT ones. “We at the National LGBTQ Task Force are working hard to raise voices of welcoming and affirming people of all faiths to defeat efforts to redefine religious exemptions in legislation that would actually weaken the important protections these laws contain,” says Rev. Rodney McKenzie Jr., the group's faith work director. “We desire to reclaim faith as LGBTQ people. The faith narrative should not be owned by politicians — LGBTQ people of faith and our allies must be heard.” “I think because the voices of welcoming people of faith are not being heard, and instead the opponents of equality get all the attention, that it’s easy to see why some LGBTQ people might view faith as the enemy,” McKenzie continues. “But when you actually get the chance to hear these affirming voices, it’s equally easy to see why welcoming people of faith can be important and influential allies in the movement for change.” This October, the Task Force is hosting a Faith & Family LGBTQ Power Summit, a “four-day gathering that, through the lens of racial and gender justice, will provide inspiration, skills, capacity building and concrete strategies as we explore how our faith and the practice of radical welcome can build grassroots power,” says the website. Faith traditions other than Christianity are booming with queer people too. The 11 percent of LGB respondents in the America's Changing Religious Landscape survey identified with Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu faith traditions are not an anomaly. “Leaving the faith is absolutely the best option for some LGBT youth; however it is absolutely not an option for others,” says Mordechai Levovitz, co-executive director of Jewish Queer Youth. “It is essential that support resources respect this and develop the cultural competence to validate both experiences.” Jewish Queer Youth provides support for LGBT young adults and their parents. It offers programming throughout the year, produces educational resources, and has launched various advocacy initiatives. The group is supportive of Jewish youth who leave their faith and those who wish to stay. The goal is cultivating a culture that affirms LGBT youth for who they are even if they are growing up in Orthodox homes. Mordechai says his choice to remain faithful goes beyond just personal beliefs. Yes, he believes in his Jewish faith. But Mordechai stays for not just himself but also for LGBT youth in the faith. “I personally remain Jewish because being Jewish is just as part and parcel to my identity as being gay is,” Mordechai tells The Advocate. “It is just who I am, how I was raised, and through no choice of my own. I identify and engage predominantly with the Orthodox community because I cannot in good faith abandon the thousands of LGBT youth who are growing up in Orthodox and Hasidic families and have no other support, crisis, or educational resources that are built with them in mind.” Muslim for Progressive Values recognizes the importance of the LGBT portion of the Muslim population. The group has released a lecture series on being LGBT and Muslim with the stated goal “to dismantle the religious justification for homophobia in Muslim communities with medical, social and religious history.” The organization holds to Koranic ideals while advocating for the full inclusion of LGBT Muslims. The Advocate contacted Muslim for Progressive Values for an interview but did not receive a response in time for publication. Many LGBT people have found community in their faith traditions. Most have found theologically affirming views of their sexual and gender identities. There are dozens of organzations that work in various denominations advocating for change in doctrines for the full inclusion of LGBT people. But for the most part, LGBT people of faith are sticking with their religions because of their faith, not in spite of it. “The [Pew] report reflects what we see at Believe Out Loud every day,” Rowe says. “In spite of how we may have been treated by our churches and even our families, the LGBT community's faith and belief in God is alive and well. And that is a beautiful thing.” Quote For all Eternity God waited in anticipation for You to show up to give You a Message - YOUR INCLUDED !!! { a merry dance }?️? " If you tarry 'til you're better You will never come at all " .. "I Will Rise" by the late great saved Glen Campbell If your picture of God is starting to feel too good to be true, you're starting to move in the right direction. "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite." Romeo and Juliet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GayatfootofCross Posted September 29, 2015 Author Share Posted September 29, 2015 For a few now,Alan Chambers is finally being Honest with GOD,himself, and others! http://elielcruz.religionnews.com/2015/09/29/alan-chambers-same-sex-relationships-can-be-holy/ Alan Chambers: “Same-sex relationships can be holy” In 2013, Alan Chambers apologized to the LGBT community for the damaged he caused at the helm of Exodus International – formerly the world’s largest ex-gay group. The apology shocked conservative Christians who for two decades used Chambers as a poster boy for so-called reparative therapy. At that time, Chambers said his core beliefs hadn’t changed. He still believed that that marriage was meant to be between a man and woman. Now Chambers and his wife, Leslie, have written a book, My Exodus: From Fear To Grace — their views on marriage have evolved. Show caption My Exodus: From Fear to Grace is out September 29 (This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.) What made you decide to write the book?Coming out of Exodus, we felt like there is a story to be told. We started thinking about how we could tell the story because we knew people were going to have questions about what we did. I started thinking about writing some sort of book before Exodus closed but could not hone in on what exactly I wanted to say. My first thought was, “don’t edit me.” I have been edited for so long I did not want my story to be edited any longer. In My Exdous: From Fear To Grace, you described your role in promoting reparative therapy at Exodus as complicit. Were you? I definitely take ownership. For me, there was a part of it that I just stepped into. When I got involved with Exodus [reparative therapy] was just the norm. I got involved as a 19-year-old kid it was kind of like growing up in the church – you sit there for so long and it was just what you believed. [Reparative therapy] was just something that was the overarching belief. This is what causes homosexuality and this is what you do to get over it. The things [about reparative therapy] I learned when I was young, and the ways they were taught, made sense to me. It seemed like it was the majority story for LGBT people. [Reparative therapy] was the end all be all to being gay. The longer I was there I would question certain things. I changed the narratives as I was examining my own life and the people that I was meeting. We began to make adjustments, like not calling ourselves ex-gay and being critical of different parts of the therapeutic process that we found objectionable. For example, things like “holding therapy.” As we began to chip away at it, I found there was so much more I disagreed with. I absolutely own it. I perpetuated a lot of shame and unhealthy religion that ensnared me and so many other people. READ: Let the churches say amen to ban on LGBT ‘conversion therapy’ Should reparative therapy be outlawed?I support, and I’ve written about this, a ban on reparative therapy for minors. It perpetuates shame and I think it is dangerous. When it comes to the therapeutic niche of reparative therapy where psychotherapists and certified professionals are providing therapy with goals to change sexual orientation – that should absolutely be banned. For adults, I appreciate what the state of California did that requires adults to sign a duty to warn. [They should have] participants sign a disclaimer noting sexual orientation doesn’t change and that it can be harmful. There need to be greater safe guards for adults. For children, I don’t think they should be subjected to that at all. That does not mean we should tell pastors they couldn’t help their parishioners. We could run the risk of infringing on their religious freedoms. I do not think pastors should tell their kids that their orientation can change—that’s dangerous. But I think we should be educating pastors on how to respond to their gay youth. How do you respond to people who say if you truly believed in God’s power your sexual orientation would change? As a man who has same-sex attractions who has an orientation that is gay — but who is happily married to a woman and contentedly and successful in every aspect of that — there is no point for my sexual orientation to be changed. To want to change…that is unimportant to me. I do not think changing your orientation is something anyone experiences. If your biblical understanding of sexuality is such that gay is not something that you can reconcile, I don’t think that straight is better. I think there are all sorts of downfalls to heterosexuality as well. When it comes to the conservative view of salvation – it’s not straight or gay that gets us to heaven. It’s Jesus. Sexuality in that part is irrelevant. We’ve made far too big of an issue of it so much so that we’ve damaged people and I think we have to stop doing that. READ: Ex-gay stories flourish when bisexuality is ignored Your ambiguity and outright refusal to label your sexuality seems as if you’re still playing into religious communities’ change narrative. Why won’t you label your sexuality? I believe sexual orientation is a part of everyone’s life. Whether they have a gay or straight orientation… and there are some people who have no orientation as in they’re not sexually driven at all. My primary orientation is same-gender. If you’re going to nail me down on what has been the predominant orientation in my life — it’s that. As a married man, whether I had a straight or gay orientation, my orientation is fixed to my chosen partner. As a married man, I give the most energy to that as I think every married couple should. When Leslie and I are having sex she’s not screaming “I’m so glad you’re straight” or “I’m so glad you’re gay.” It’s irrelevant. I love and am able to have sex with my wife. As I am telling the story through my book, I am recounting my truth in the moment. I was trying to be straight but really I was gay. Now at this point, I do not choose a label because there is not one that is best for me. Now, if someone were to call me straight I would challenge them. If someone where to call me gay or bisexual, I would not necessarily challenge them. Those labels seem insufficient. Where do you stand on same-sex relationships? Are you affirming of them? I do believe that same-sex relationship can be holy. As a Christian, I think marriage is best. That is why I’m supportive of the Supreme Court decision for the legal recognition of same-sex marriage. I think same-sex marriages can reflect, and often do, God’s image. Many people in the church either do not know of Christ-centered same-sex relationships or refuse to see them. Leslie and I have met so many individuals who have awesome stories and are doing amazing work. Their marriages absolutely reflect the image of God. 1 Comment Larry Sep 29, 2015 at 11:41 am The man is still a dishonest weasel. He admits there is no real therapeutic value to “orientation change therapy” and still advocates that adults should be willing to undergo the religious bigotry inspired torture. He only makes a slight change to state that children should not be subjected to it. The man has left a lot of bodies in his wake and is still rather unrepentant about it. Now he is trying to pander to a different crowd to continue his grift. Reply Report abuse Leave a Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Name * Email * Website Comment characters available Comments with many links may be automatically held for moderation. - See more at: http://elielcruz.religionnews.com/2015/09/29/alan-chambers-same-sex-relationships-can-be-holy/#sthash.6UHDM0of.tZcjTg1D.dpuf Stan 1 Quote For all Eternity God waited in anticipation for You to show up to give You a Message - YOUR INCLUDED !!! { a merry dance }?️? " If you tarry 'til you're better You will never come at all " .. "I Will Rise" by the late great saved Glen Campbell If your picture of God is starting to feel too good to be true, you're starting to move in the right direction. "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite." Romeo and Juliet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Chambers: “Same-sex relationships can be holy” In 2013, Alan Chambers apologized to the LGBT community for the damaged he caused at the helm of Exodus International – formerly the world’s largest ex-gay group. The apology shocked conservative Christians who for two decades used Chambers as a poster boy for so-called reparative therapy. At that time, Chambers said his core beliefs hadn’t changed. He still believed that that marriage was meant to be between a man and woman. Now Chambers and his wife, Leslie, have written a book, My Exodus: From Fear To Grace — their views on marriage have evolved. Show caption My Exodus: From Fear to Grace is out September 29 (This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.) What made you decide to write the book?Coming out of Exodus, we felt like there is a story to be told. We started thinking about how we could tell the story because we knew people were going to have questions about what we did. I started thinking about writing some sort of book before Exodus closed but could not hone in on what exactly I wanted to say. My first thought was, “don’t edit me.” I have been edited for so long I did not want my story to be edited any longer. In My Exdous: From Fear To Grace, you described your role in promoting reparative therapy at Exodus as complicit. Were you? I definitely take ownership. For me, there was a part of it that I just stepped into. When I got involved with Exodus [reparative therapy] was just the norm. I got involved as a 19-year-old kid it was kind of like growing up in the church – you sit there for so long and it was just what you believed. [Reparative therapy] was just something that was the overarching belief. This is what causes homosexuality and this is what you do to get over it. The things [about reparative therapy] I learned when I was young, and the ways they were taught, made sense to me. It seemed like it was the majority story for LGBT people. [Reparative therapy] was the end all be all to being gay. The longer I was there I would question certain things. I changed the narratives as I was examining my own life and the people that I was meeting. We began to make adjustments, like not calling ourselves ex-gay and being critical of different parts of the therapeutic process that we found objectionable. For example, things like “holding therapy.” As we began to chip away at it, I found there was so much more I disagreed with. I absolutely own it. I perpetuated a lot of shame and unhealthy religion that ensnared me and so many other people. READ: Let the churches say amen to ban on LGBT ‘conversion therapy’ Should reparative therapy be outlawed?I support, and I’ve written about this, a ban on reparative therapy for minors. It perpetuates shame and I think it is dangerous. When it comes to the therapeutic niche of reparative therapy where psychotherapists and certified professionals are providing therapy with goals to change sexual orientation – that should absolutely be banned. For adults, I appreciate what the state of California did that requires adults to sign a duty to warn. [They should have] participants sign a disclaimer noting sexual orientation doesn’t change and that it can be harmful. There need to be greater safe guards for adults. For children, I don’t think they should be subjected to that at all. That does not mean we should tell pastors they couldn’t help their parishioners. We could run the risk of infringing on their religious freedoms. I do not think pastors should tell their kids that their orientation can change—that’s dangerous. But I think we should be educating pastors on how to respond to their gay youth. How do you respond to people who say if you truly believed in God’s power your sexual orientation would change? As a man who has same-sex attractions who has an orientation that is gay — but who is happily married to a woman and contentedly and successful in every aspect of that — there is no point for my sexual orientation to be changed. To want to change…that is unimportant to me. I do not think changing your orientation is something anyone experiences. If your biblical understanding of sexuality is such that gay is not something that you can reconcile, I don’t think that straight is better. I think there are all sorts of downfalls to heterosexuality as well. When it comes to the conservative view of salvation – it’s not straight or gay that gets us to heaven. It’s Jesus. Sexuality in that part is irrelevant. We’ve made far too big of an issue of it so much so that we’ve damaged people and I think we have to stop doing that. READ: Ex-gay stories flourish when bisexuality is ignored Your ambiguity and outright refusal to label your sexuality seems as if you’re still playing into religious communities’ change narrative. Why won’t you label your sexuality? I believe sexual orientation is a part of everyone’s life. Whether they have a gay or straight orientation… and there are some people who have no orientation as in they’re not sexually driven at all. My primary orientation is same-gender. If you’re going to nail me down on what has been the predominant orientation in my life — it’s that. As a married man, whether I had a straight or gay orientation, my orientation is fixed to my chosen partner. As a married man, I give the most energy to that as I think every married couple should. When Leslie and I are having sex she’s not screaming “I’m so glad you’re straight” or “I’m so glad you’re gay.” It’s irrelevant. I love and am able to have sex with my wife. As I am telling the story through my book, I am recounting my truth in the moment. I was trying to be straight but really I was gay. Now at this point, I do not choose a label because there is not one that is best for me. Now, if someone were to call me straight I would challenge them. If someone where to call me gay or bisexual, I would not necessarily challenge them. Those labels seem insufficient. Where do you stand on same-sex relationships? Are you affirming of them? I do believe that same-sex relationship can be holy. As a Christian, I think marriage is best. That is why I’m supportive of the Supreme Court decision for the legal recognition of same-sex marriage. I think same-sex marriages can reflect, and often do, God’s image. Many people in the church either do not know of Christ-centered same-sex relationships or refuse to see them. Leslie and I have met so many individuals who have awesome stories and are doing amazing work. Their marriages absolutely reflect the image of God.
Larry Sep 29, 2015 at 11:41 am The man is still a dishonest weasel. He admits there is no real therapeutic value to “orientation change therapy” and still advocates that adults should be willing to undergo the religious bigotry inspired torture. He only makes a slight change to state that children should not be subjected to it. The man has left a lot of bodies in his wake and is still rather unrepentant about it. Now he is trying to pander to a different crowd to continue his grift. Reply Report abuse
GayatfootofCross Posted September 29, 2015 Author Share Posted September 29, 2015 Leading him up to this point! Seeing JESUS in this huge Growth! link Quote For all Eternity God waited in anticipation for You to show up to give You a Message - YOUR INCLUDED !!! { a merry dance }?️? " If you tarry 'til you're better You will never come at all " .. "I Will Rise" by the late great saved Glen Campbell If your picture of God is starting to feel too good to be true, you're starting to move in the right direction. "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite." Romeo and Juliet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Gerr Posted September 29, 2015 Moderators Share Posted September 29, 2015 Vive la difference! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 GATFOC Please edit your original post that seems scattered all over the page... or is it showing ok for you/. Quote If you receive benefit to being here please help out with expenses. https://www.paypal.me/clubadventist Administrator of a few websites like https://adventistdating.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeHiscost Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 Leading him up to this point! Seeing JESUS in this huge Growth! link Just in case it has not been made plain, Jesus loves all sinners. Also no sinners will be entering into the Kingdom of Heaven. I have it on the Word of God. 26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. 27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.....Revelation 21 God is Love! Jesus saves! Quote Lift Jesus up!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GayatfootofCross Posted September 29, 2015 Author Share Posted September 29, 2015 (edited) GATFOC Please edit your original post that seems scattered all over the page... or is it showing ok for you/. Well, When I put it up on Sept. 19..it looked ok but when i came here today and posted again underneath it...it went crazy.. And you know once the allotted 5-9 minutes are over after any posting I cant re edit. I wish I could. Luckily I put up a link on top of the OP ..So we can go right to the source. Hallelujah! #Fascinating Read! Edited September 29, 2015 by GayatfootofCross Quote For all Eternity God waited in anticipation for You to show up to give You a Message - YOUR INCLUDED !!! { a merry dance }?️? " If you tarry 'til you're better You will never come at all " .. "I Will Rise" by the late great saved Glen Campbell If your picture of God is starting to feel too good to be true, you're starting to move in the right direction. "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite." Romeo and Juliet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GayatfootofCross Posted September 29, 2015 Author Share Posted September 29, 2015 Just in case it has not been made plain, Jesus loves all sinners. Also no sinners will be entering into the Kingdom of Heaven. I have it on the Word of God. 26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. 27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.....Revelation 21 God is Love! Jesus saves! Amen! Praise GOD the sinners are Are Able to Stand for they have washed their robes in His Blood. I have it on the Word of GOD. Quote For all Eternity God waited in anticipation for You to show up to give You a Message - YOUR INCLUDED !!! { a merry dance }?️? " If you tarry 'til you're better You will never come at all " .. "I Will Rise" by the late great saved Glen Campbell If your picture of God is starting to feel too good to be true, you're starting to move in the right direction. "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite." Romeo and Juliet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GayatfootofCross Posted October 10, 2015 Author Share Posted October 10, 2015 It is National Coming Out Day Now is your chance! http://www.hrc.org/campaigns/coming-out-center not for people who get offended easily ^ God bless you all. Quote For all Eternity God waited in anticipation for You to show up to give You a Message - YOUR INCLUDED !!! { a merry dance }?️? " If you tarry 'til you're better You will never come at all " .. "I Will Rise" by the late great saved Glen Campbell If your picture of God is starting to feel too good to be true, you're starting to move in the right direction. "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite." Romeo and Juliet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GayatfootofCross Posted October 24, 2015 Author Share Posted October 24, 2015 http://liberaldarkness.com/2015/09/27/confirmed-gay-christians-are-conspiring-to-go-to-heaven-organize-gay-marriage-protests-and-legislation/ Gay Christians are conspiring to create the type of Heaven where Freddie Mercury greets you at the gate and eternal gay marriage is a fact of life. Several moles who infiltrated a largely gay Christian congregation confirm that homosexuals are conspiring to go to heaven and organize massive pro-gay marriage demonstrations that will force the older, conservative angels to bend Heaven’s laws itself and allow gay marriage. This devious plot is powered by a boost in homosexual morale following Barack Obama’s campaign for universal gay marriage rights. Recent polls show that over 63% percent of Americans support gay marriage, the number reaching over 90% in other majority-Christian nations. The crux of the plan involves gays planning to form powerful lobbies in Heaven and organize massive protests. Their goal is to make gay marriage an eternal right for all angels. Why Are The Homosexuals Trying to Push Gay Marriage Into Heaven? The logic behind this most recent development of the gay agenda stems from the concept of ‘eternal family’. When traditional Christians pass away, many take comfort in knowing that their childhood dog, Grandpa, Mee-maw and perhaps even spouse will be there waiting for them. Now that they are allowed to get married and have families, gay Christians want that same level of comfort in knowing that their gay spouses will be there at Heaven’s gates, lustily waiting for them so they can spend eternity jetting away on exotic vacations, mounting skyward with strong wings and glistening abs as they enjoy each other’s company in destinations all across the universe. But the Bible makes it clear that the nation of Heaven does not recognize same sex marriage and has strong DOMA legislation in place. Thus evangelical gays are doing their best to convert modern churches into gay-friendly institutions, so that when the parishioners pass away they will join the burgeoning gay marriage movement in Heaven. Quote For all Eternity God waited in anticipation for You to show up to give You a Message - YOUR INCLUDED !!! { a merry dance }?️? " If you tarry 'til you're better You will never come at all " .. "I Will Rise" by the late great saved Glen Campbell If your picture of God is starting to feel too good to be true, you're starting to move in the right direction. "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite." Romeo and Juliet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
http://liberaldarkness.com/2015/09/27/confirmed-gay-christians-are-conspiring-to-go-to-heaven-organize-gay-marriage-protests-and-legislation/ Gay Christians are conspiring to create the type of Heaven where Freddie Mercury greets you at the gate and eternal gay marriage is a fact of life. Several moles who infiltrated a largely gay Christian congregation confirm that homosexuals are conspiring to go to heaven and organize massive pro-gay marriage demonstrations that will force the older, conservative angels to bend Heaven’s laws itself and allow gay marriage. This devious plot is powered by a boost in homosexual morale following Barack Obama’s campaign for universal gay marriage rights. Recent polls show that over 63% percent of Americans support gay marriage, the number reaching over 90% in other majority-Christian nations. The crux of the plan involves gays planning to form powerful lobbies in Heaven and organize massive protests. Their goal is to make gay marriage an eternal right for all angels. Why Are The Homosexuals Trying to Push Gay Marriage Into Heaven? The logic behind this most recent development of the gay agenda stems from the concept of ‘eternal family’. When traditional Christians pass away, many take comfort in knowing that their childhood dog, Grandpa, Mee-maw and perhaps even spouse will be there waiting for them. Now that they are allowed to get married and have families, gay Christians want that same level of comfort in knowing that their gay spouses will be there at Heaven’s gates, lustily waiting for them so they can spend eternity jetting away on exotic vacations, mounting skyward with strong wings and glistening abs as they enjoy each other’s company in destinations all across the universe. But the Bible makes it clear that the nation of Heaven does not recognize same sex marriage and has strong DOMA legislation in place. Thus evangelical gays are doing their best to convert modern churches into gay-friendly institutions, so that when the parishioners pass away they will join the burgeoning gay marriage movement in Heaven.
LifeHiscost Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 This below will never happen again, one reason God has been so patient with His profligates during the last 6,000 years, that all might see clearly, both those on earth and those in heaven, for God loves all and substituting God's government for another is known by God to be without chance of success, no matter how many years are provided to come to repentance, and He wishes all who will to make their choice. 2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)....2 Corinthians 6 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. 7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.....Revelation 12 After the thousand years in heaven reigning with Jesus following His second coming, the stedfast antagonism among the lost, will not have abated one iota. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.......11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds......21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great....Revelation 16 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. God is Love! Jesus saves! Quote Lift Jesus up!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GayatfootofCross Posted October 25, 2015 Author Share Posted October 25, 2015 (edited) ? Well LifeHiscost, I wish you well. Edited October 25, 2015 by GayatfootofCross Quote For all Eternity God waited in anticipation for You to show up to give You a Message - YOUR INCLUDED !!! { a merry dance }?️? " If you tarry 'til you're better You will never come at all " .. "I Will Rise" by the late great saved Glen Campbell If your picture of God is starting to feel too good to be true, you're starting to move in the right direction. "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite." Romeo and Juliet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonnie Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Fortunately for those that believe the bible to be the inspired word of God and infallible,we have been given a clear picture of what the heaven and the new earth will be. God will not be moved by those that support and condone what He has forbidden. Fantasy and unbiblical lifestyles will not be a part of what God has in store.. phkrause and Naomi 2 Quote Everything you do is based on the choices you make. It's not your parents, your past relationships, your job, the economy, the weather, an argument, or your age that is to blame. You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make, period ... ... Wish more people would realize this. Quotes by Susan Gottesman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Gail Posted October 25, 2015 Administrators Share Posted October 25, 2015 In fact there will be no marriage at all is my understanding GayatfootofCross 1 Quote Isaiah 32:17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GayatfootofCross Posted October 25, 2015 Author Share Posted October 25, 2015 (edited) In fact there will be no marriage at all is my understanding yes there will be no homosexuality or even heterosexuality in heaven is my broad understanding in this (no sex) Now that's Purity! And i will be so happy when the weight of my masculine sexuality will be lifted. But still be a Man! meanwhile I hold onto God's scriptures " Who may ascend to the Hill of the LORD? Who may Stand in HIS Holy Place? He that hath Clean hands and a Pure heart!" Psalms 24 He gave that to me one wretched night of me crying on His Big Broad shoulders. And keeps reminding me. Edited October 25, 2015 by GayatfootofCross Gail 1 Quote For all Eternity God waited in anticipation for You to show up to give You a Message - YOUR INCLUDED !!! { a merry dance }?️? " If you tarry 'til you're better You will never come at all " .. "I Will Rise" by the late great saved Glen Campbell If your picture of God is starting to feel too good to be true, you're starting to move in the right direction. "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite." Romeo and Juliet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Gail Posted October 25, 2015 Administrators Share Posted October 25, 2015 That is a biggie today with the population at large. GayatfootofCross 1 Quote Isaiah 32:17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeHiscost Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 ? Well LifeHiscost, I wish you well. It has little to do with luck but I would never knock someone for using the best he can muster. I just found myself having far less than what Jesus requires without relying on His righteousness. 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.....! Corinthians 1 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?....John 11 24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.....John 5 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life......1 John 5 God is Love! Jesus saves! Quote Lift Jesus up!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GayatfootofCross Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 http://brianzahnd.com/2015/10/god-is-not-a-monster/ God Is Not A MonsterBrian Zahnd There are monsters in this world, but the God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is not one of them. Yes, Virginia, there are monsters. We have an imagination for monsters because we know of their existence. Venomous and vicious beasts were a daily peril for our earliest ancestors. Volcanoes and tsunamis can swallow whole cities. Hurricanes and tornados roar from the heavens, leaving hell in their wake. Epidemics of disease are lethal predators taking their pitiless toll. Worst of all, there are monstrosities of men — conquerors and warlords, tyrants and despots — galloping across history like ringwraiths bringing conquest, war, famine, and death. We can imagine monsters because we have met them. But the living God is not one of them. Not the God who Jesus called Abba.Oh, the gods are monstrous, of course they are. They are mercurial and merciless, petty and vengeful. They have to be mollified by a virgin flung into a volcano or a victim sacrificed on a stone altar. They always demand a violent and bloody appeasement…or else! But we know about these gods now, we know what they really are. They are personifications of those beasts and disasters and epidemics and wars and tyrants that frighten us so. They are deified projections of our own rage and fear. They are the desperate attempt to deal with our own sin and shame. The good news is that the God revealed in Christ does not belong to the category of Mars and Moloch, of Ares and Zeus. These are the false gods of our frightened and shame-laden imaginations. The Creator God, the One True God, is not vengeful and retributive like those gods of the primitive pantheon. In his triumph Jesus put these petty and vindictive gods out of business. It’s only their fading ghosts that haunt us today. In the dread of night we may be tempted to think that the true God shares the fearsome attributes of the vanquished monster gods. In our horror we imagine how Scripture confirms our nightmares. In our terror we may use the Bible as a pallet to paint a macabre and monstrous image of God. But then the day dawns and we hear Jesus say, “It is I. Be not afraid.” (John 6:20) With the dayspring of Christ the terrors of night fade away. Jesus is perfect theology. And Jesus saves us from our primeval nightmares about the divine. The hands of God are not hurling thunderbolts. The hands of God have scars — they were nailed to a tree as he forgave monstrous evil. “I no longer fear God, but I love him. For love casts out fear.”–Saint Anthony the Great (251–356) I agree with Saint Anthony. I am also well aware that some will vehemently protest Saint Anthony’s words and my agreement with them. (Beware the comment section!) Nevertheless, I agree with the great saint because this has been my experience as well. For many of us, a dread fear of God may be the only place we can begin our journey. It’s how we first take God seriously. But it’s only the starting point and we must not stay there. So, yes, I understand the Bible commends the fear of God, and I do too…but only as a preliminary beginning. God desires us to grow beyond the rudimentary beginning of fear. “God is love. And all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. … Such love has no fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.” –The Apostle John (1 John 4:16–18) What I fear is not God, but the suffering my sin can inflict on myself and those around me. The malevolent consequences of sin are very real. But I’m not afraid of God. I used to be, but I am no longer. I am no longer afraid of God because I have come to know God as he is revealed in Christ. I have come to know that God’s single disposition toward me is one of unconditional, unwavering love. The knowledge of God’s love has made it impossible for me to be afraid of God. You may think such language is reckless. It is not. The peace of no longer being afraid of God has been hard won. It has come from relentlessly seeking to know God as he is revealed in Christ. It is not the result of a liberal, sloppy, pick-and-choose theology. Rather, it is the result of pushing through the dark outer courts of the fear of God into the holy of holies where the love of God shines eternally and dispels all darkness. After years of praying, meditating on the Gospels, and sitting with Jesus in contemplation, I am simply no longer afraid of God. Maturing love is driving out fear. God is not a monster. There are monster god theologies, but they are mistaken. Accusation and scapegoating, the ravages of war and the wages of sin, these are monsters. The cruel vagaries of chance — until they are tamed by Christ in the age to come — may fall upon us as monsters. But God is not a monster. God is love. Jesus reveals this to us. If we move against the grain of love we will suffer the shards of self-inflicted suffering — and we can call this the wrath of God if we like — but the deeper truth remains: God is love. So don’t sit in the dark with the tormenting idea that God somehow harbors malice and ill-will toward you. It’s all a cruel fiction. Turn on the light of Christ and realize that the monster you imagined does not exist. Who exists is Jesus. And he is the one who says to you, “It is I, be not afraid.” BZ (The artwork is The Torment of Saint Anthony by Michelangelo, 1488.) Gail 1 Quote For all Eternity God waited in anticipation for You to show up to give You a Message - YOUR INCLUDED !!! { a merry dance }?️? " If you tarry 'til you're better You will never come at all " .. "I Will Rise" by the late great saved Glen Campbell If your picture of God is starting to feel too good to be true, you're starting to move in the right direction. "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite." Romeo and Juliet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GayatfootofCross Posted October 28, 2015 Author Share Posted October 28, 2015 http://clocktower.ucollege.edu/adventisms/2015/10/19/adventisms AdventismsOctober 19, 2015Sarah Ventura SACRED SLANT Last April, I thought about leaving the Adventist church. I was listening to a report from a summit held in South Africa where I learned that I still officially disagreed with my church’s official standing on LGBTQ+ relationships.* “As Seventh-day Adventists, we are opposed to homosexual relationships and practices.” “As a church, we will not officiate same-sex marriages, support gay-straight alliances in our schools or participate in any action that could condone same-sex relations.” I kept hearing this reference to “we:” “We believe … we decided … ” and I felt sick because I didn’t believe this. I didn’t decide this. The report left me with two questions slamming around in my head: Can I still be a part of the Adventist church if I don’t believe everything the church officially believes? Do I even want to be? This past summer, many members of my church were heartbroken over the “no” in regards to women’s ordination. Many of us wondered, can we still be Adventists if we don’t agree with this? Do we even want to be? I can’t answer this question for everyone, but I’ve answered it for myself. After listening to the aforementioned report, I poured my heart out to a teacher who listened and then completely changed my perspective. “Sarah,” he said. “You get to decide what Adventism is.” Before that moment, I viewed Adventism as something someone else decided and controlled. There was one Adventism, one way of doing and believing, and I either fit into that or I didn’t. But in reality, there are as many different ways of being Adventist as there are people in the Adventist church. In a sense, millions of Adventisms exist in our world. If someone asks what books Adventist read, both “The Great Controversy” and “Harry Potter” are viable answers. If someone asks what Adventists do on Sabbath, both “attend church” and “eat at Olive Garden” are accurate. When people ask what Adventists believe, they often receive a standard answer: Adventists believe in the Sabbath and that Jesus is coming soon. In reality, Adventist belief differs widely. There are Adventists who believe in the sanctity of same-sex marriage, and there are those who don’t. There are Adventists who don’t believe women should be ordained pastors, and those who do. There are Adventists who believe Jesus is coming really soon, like next Tuesday; Adventists who believe “soon” means in their grandchild’s lifetime; Adventists who believe “soon” might mean the year 3015. Adventist beliefs are as diverse as the members that make up the church. If Adventism was only one thing, only one way of believing, perceiving and living in the world, I would have to leave because there wouldn’t be room for me. But I’m staying, because there’s room for me and there’s room for you, even if we believe differently in a lot of different areas. I’m staying because Adventism is mine, and I decide what it looks like. I’m staying because if I left, I would forfeit my ability to grow, shape and shift my church. I’m staying because I’m positively influenced by other Adventists, both similar to and different from me. I’m staying. Will you? .......yes Gail 1 Quote For all Eternity God waited in anticipation for You to show up to give You a Message - YOUR INCLUDED !!! { a merry dance }?️? " If you tarry 'til you're better You will never come at all " .. "I Will Rise" by the late great saved Glen Campbell If your picture of God is starting to feel too good to be true, you're starting to move in the right direction. "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite." Romeo and Juliet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hch Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 On 10/25/2015 3:29:30, bonnie said: Fortunately for those that believe the bible to be the inspired word of God and infallible,we have been given a clear picture of what the heaven and the new earth will be. God will not be moved by those that support and condone what He has forbidden. Fantasy and unbiblical lifestyles will not be a part of what God has in store.. Is the church a hospital for the healing of sick saints? Or has it become a convalescent home for the incurably ill? GayatfootofCross 1 Quote His child Henry Bible student/Author https://www.loudcry101.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GayatfootofCross Posted December 11, 2015 Author Share Posted December 11, 2015 Support group helps gay man keep faith in SDA Church Terry Rice is coordinator of the SDA Kinship Walla Walla Chapter, which helps lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Seventh-day Adventists connect in fellowship and socialization. Photo by Sheila Hagar. By Sheila Hagar #Editor’s note: This is the second day of a two-part Union-Bulletin series on rifts in the Seventh-day Adventist Church over acceptance of homosexuals. Today’s package looks at support groups within the Adventist community and views of a way forward for greater church acceptance. On Sunday, the series provided an examination of the issues. #Being gay and hanging onto his church affiliation has taken fortitude from Terry Rice at times. #Rice, 40, is the coordinator for the Walla Walla Valley chapter of SDA Kinship International, a support organization with a focus on helping lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Seventh-day Adventists connect in fellowship and socialization. #SDA Kinship, established nearly 40 years ago, has been an invaluable support to Rice and many others who have found themselves rebuffed or rejected by the Adventist church. #The nonprofit group is not formally affiliated with the church, but has become the only form of church for many LGBT Adventists. Gay-straight alliance seeks WWU recognition #As SDA Kinship leader, Terry Rice also works with Students for Equality, an unofficial campus group supporting LGBT students at Walla Walla University. #The group exists as an unofficial gay-straight alliance on the WWU campus. #Summer Thresher, president of Students for Equality, said the club is fighting for official recognition from WWU administration. #“Chances are pretty slim” for success, she acknowledged. “But it’s necessary.” #Thresher said Students for Equality works to provide space for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students to go, discuss things and be comfortable with who they are. In the past it has brought in educational speakers to talk about various topics, she added. #Thresher, now a senior majoring in physics, created Students for Equality when she arrived as a freshman nearly four years ago. She’s not Adventist, but was exposed to the religion long before that day, she said. #“I love the people, but it feels like the church is taking a long time to get to where the rest of society is.” #For more information about Students for Equality, email sfe.wwu@gmail.com... #“The group’s point is not to make anyone Christian; it’s rather a holding ground,” Rice said. “It’s that acceptance of who they are.” #Kinship’s mission is to help educate church officials about LGBT issues and to supply information to all who ask. #The group is not exclusive of other faiths and doctrines, Rice pointed out. Walla Walla Valley Kinship also provides a safe place for conversation and support to those attending any church that hasn’t begun addressing the issue. #Founding and leading the local arm of Kinship is not where Rice expected to find himself when he came to Walla Walla in 2009 as a health care chaplain for Providence St. Mary Medical Center, a Catholic-run facility. #Just being accepted for being openly gay by an employer was his greatest hope at the time, and Rice was relieved with the language used in the hospital’s policies. #“The training material said there is no discrimination for any lifestyle or sexual orientation. It was such a relief,” he said. #But would there be an affirming place of worship for the lifelong Adventist? #Not so much, at least not right away, Rice discovered. #He began attending Eastgate Seventh-day Adventist Church on the east side of town, ready to serve his new place of worship right away, volunteering to teach a Sabbath school class. #That lasted about a year — “until they found out I’m gay,” he recalled. #When that responsibility was removed, Rice asked church leaders if he could move into a different kind of ministry. There was no response, he said. #The message became clear — Rice was welcome to sit in the pew. Period. #“The church leaders then said to me that I could not even sing on a praise team or it would be perceived as affirming LGBT people,” Rice said last week. “‘Can you give us more time?’ they asked. I said I respect our church’s right to decide and said they had all the time in the world.” #At one point, church leaders seemed afraid Rice might have some kind of “gay agenda,” he said, and they brought in a formerly gay pastor who said he is now heterosexual through conversion therapy. #Signs were clear this church was not going to satisfy his need to be fully part of the congregation. #Being Adventist is more than going to church on Saturdays. More, even, than a set of beliefs. #“It’s a culture and a family of belonging not easily left,” said filmmaker Daneen Akers. #Akers and her husband, Stephan Eyer, from Angwin, Calif., made “Seventh-Gay Adventists,” a film released in 2012 that explores the journeys of six gay and lesbian individuals who grew up in and long to continue the Adventist tradition. #“And the Sabbath experience is very special to Adventists,” she said. #To leave all that behind is gut-wrenching, Akers said. #Sadly, many LGBT people can’t and won’t stay in the Seventh-day Adventist “bubble,” and “that’s an incredible loss,” she added. #Rice said he never considered leaving his religion. #“Adventism tells a story of people like no other Christian tribe,” he said. “I’m part of that story. My father was adopted by East Indian parents who were the first native Adventist education administrators in India. My mother is a third-generation Adventist Australian.” #Once he knew he could not stay at the first church he tried here, Rice found his way to Walla Walla University Church, on the school’s campus. “I went to the pastor and explained my experience at the other church and said ‘I really don’t want to cause any problems. Do you think there’s a place for me here?’ His response was that I would find like-minded people within such a large congregation.” #Rice added the first Walla Walla church has not reached out his since his departure. #“I left my number to call me back. They never have. It’s been a process for me to be able to be gracious,” he said. #At University Church, Rice serves others, including mentoring students involved with various ministries. #Rice hangs onto the teachings of Seventh-day Adventist Church visionary Ellen White, who taught that truth is progressive, “that there’s more to know about God and heaven and theology than what we know now, and that we’ll continue to learn more.” #Including, he said, “maybe, just maybe, Jesus created me gay and amazingly awesome. I believe I am part of God’s marvelous creation.” http://union-bulletin.com/news/2015/mar/30/support-group-helps-gay-man-keep-faith-sda-church/ Quote For all Eternity God waited in anticipation for You to show up to give You a Message - YOUR INCLUDED !!! { a merry dance }?️? " If you tarry 'til you're better You will never come at all " .. "I Will Rise" by the late great saved Glen Campbell If your picture of God is starting to feel too good to be true, you're starting to move in the right direction. "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite." Romeo and Juliet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeHiscost Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Did I miss seeing the word repentance somewhere in that article. I wonder if these behaviors could be assuaged if followed by repentance as opposed to Adam's answer? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat....Genesis 3 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door [force aside unbelief and the attractions of sin]; for many, I tell you, will try to enter [by their own works] and will not be able.....Luke 13 13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:...Matthew 7 21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.....John 14 God is Love! Jesus saves! Quote Lift Jesus up!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeHiscost Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 On 10/25/2015 at 0:29 PM, bonnie said: Fortunately for those that believe the bible to be the inspired word of God and infallible,we have been given a clear picture of what the heaven and the new earth will be. God will not be moved by those that support and condone what He has forbidden. Fantasy and unbiblical lifestyles will not be a part of what God has in store.. Hope a for you all. God is Love Jesus saves! Quote Lift Jesus up!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GayatfootofCross Posted December 15, 2015 Author Share Posted December 15, 2015 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ethan-falleur/coming-out-as-christian_b_8724844.html Coming Out as Christian Posted: 12/07/2015 1:07 pm EST Updated: 12/07/2015 1:59 pm EST You'd be surprised how many conversations I start by wearing a cross and a Pride bracelet. Sometimes, it starts, "How dare you?" Sometimes, "That's awesome! I'm queer and Christian, too!" In the three years since I came out publicly as a gay man, I've gotten rather used to casually working my sexuality into conversations with people in the first few times I meet them. I've also become good at noticing that subtle tightening of the skin at the corners of the eyes which sometimes betrays a homophobic bias, whether conscious or not. In short, I've become used to "coming out" over and over again, and I've mostly stopped worrying about the reactions, letting them come as they will. What's harder, though, is coming out as Christian. I'm not at all ashamed of either piece of my identity, but people's perceptions of Christians at my über-secular, Ivy League college are somewhat more fraught than their perceptions of anyone who falls under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella. Thanks to the proliferation of good information about sexuality and gender identity and the increased visibility of queer issues and people in the U.S. at most every level, fewer and fewer people believe the myth that sexuality and gender identity are things one chooses. Religion, on the other hand, is not an immutable characteristic. I could have chosen at any point, like many of my contemporaries, friends and acquaintances, to abandon the Christianity I was raised in (more, that is, than swimming the Thames from the Roman Catholic Church to Episcopalianism). I could have converted to another religion, or even fled religion altogether. I made a conscious choice not to. I could not, however, abandon my sexuality, even if I had tried. In a country where Christianity is more readily associated, at least in popular opinion, with the Kim Davises and Mike Huckabees than with the Gene Robinsons and Nadia Bolz-Webers, this sort of "coming out" can be confusing for all involved. My Christianity is not a symptom of internalized homophobia. My faith and sexuality can exist in the same mind and body without one rejecting the other. It's something of a cop out to say, "I'm a Christian, but I'm not that kind of Christian." At the same time, it is both inconsiderate and difficult for someone outside of my religious circle to understand what I mean if I call myself a non-theistic Episcopalian Anglo-Catholic. For now, I'll just keep casually mentioning my sexuality and my faith, allowing those interested parties to inquire further about either or both. I'll try to disseminate good information about what it means to be queer and Christian or a progressive Christian, and keep wearing my cross and Pride gear. All the while, I'll be doing my utmost to maintain the promises my parents made at my Baptism, and which I've made all over again at my Confirmation and when I recite the Baptismal Covenant of the Episcopal Church: "to seek and serve Christ in all persons," and "to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being." ................................................................................. It can really open up dialogue on such a Wonderful God we serve! We are worse than realize and God is better than we think! Quote For all Eternity God waited in anticipation for You to show up to give You a Message - YOUR INCLUDED !!! { a merry dance }?️? " If you tarry 'til you're better You will never come at all " .. "I Will Rise" by the late great saved Glen Campbell If your picture of God is starting to feel too good to be true, you're starting to move in the right direction. "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite." Romeo and Juliet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
You'd be surprised how many conversations I start by wearing a cross and a Pride bracelet. Sometimes, it starts, "How dare you?" Sometimes, "That's awesome! I'm queer and Christian, too!" In the three years since I came out publicly as a gay man, I've gotten rather used to casually working my sexuality into conversations with people in the first few times I meet them. I've also become good at noticing that subtle tightening of the skin at the corners of the eyes which sometimes betrays a homophobic bias, whether conscious or not. In short, I've become used to "coming out" over and over again, and I've mostly stopped worrying about the reactions, letting them come as they will. What's harder, though, is coming out as Christian. I'm not at all ashamed of either piece of my identity, but people's perceptions of Christians at my über-secular, Ivy League college are somewhat more fraught than their perceptions of anyone who falls under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella. Thanks to the proliferation of good information about sexuality and gender identity and the increased visibility of queer issues and people in the U.S. at most every level, fewer and fewer people believe the myth that sexuality and gender identity are things one chooses. Religion, on the other hand, is not an immutable characteristic. I could have chosen at any point, like many of my contemporaries, friends and acquaintances, to abandon the Christianity I was raised in (more, that is, than swimming the Thames from the Roman Catholic Church to Episcopalianism). I could have converted to another religion, or even fled religion altogether. I made a conscious choice not to. I could not, however, abandon my sexuality, even if I had tried. In a country where Christianity is more readily associated, at least in popular opinion, with the Kim Davises and Mike Huckabees than with the Gene Robinsons and Nadia Bolz-Webers, this sort of "coming out" can be confusing for all involved. My Christianity is not a symptom of internalized homophobia. My faith and sexuality can exist in the same mind and body without one rejecting the other. It's something of a cop out to say, "I'm a Christian, but I'm not that kind of Christian." At the same time, it is both inconsiderate and difficult for someone outside of my religious circle to understand what I mean if I call myself a non-theistic Episcopalian Anglo-Catholic. For now, I'll just keep casually mentioning my sexuality and my faith, allowing those interested parties to inquire further about either or both. I'll try to disseminate good information about what it means to be queer and Christian or a progressive Christian, and keep wearing my cross and Pride gear. All the while, I'll be doing my utmost to maintain the promises my parents made at my Baptism, and which I've made all over again at my Confirmation and when I recite the Baptismal Covenant of the Episcopal Church: "to seek and serve Christ in all persons," and "to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being." ................................................................................. It can really open up dialogue on such a Wonderful God we serve! We are worse than realize and God is better than we think!
LifeHiscost Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 what it means to be queer and Christian Many years ago, not yet recognizing that it was necessary to give up my perceived need to control myself, even though at the time religious, not yet having learned we could claim the promise of sanctification under Jesus' power of gifting present salvation, only Jesus grace kept me from murdering someone and eventually delivered me into walking religiously abhorring the thought of taking another's life from them. I wonder if it would be appropriate to devise a flag for murderers? 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.....1 Corinthians 6.... 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption......1 Corinthians 1 31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. 32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. 33 This he said, signifying what death he should die. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.....John 12 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.....2 Corinthians 5 To carry the flag of a murderer is to reveal only an unfinished work therefor denying the work of the Holy Spirit. God is Love!~Jesus saves! Quote Lift Jesus up!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.