Do you think it's a 'stumbling block' to non-Christians when they see...?

Question

the various denominations' views on homosexuality? Don't you think it compromises the message of the Bible in their eyes?

...I mean you have 1 crowd saying 'yes - it's fine...' and then you have another group saying "It's an abomination..."

this is one of the many teachings which have gotten distorted. Do you think the church (as a whole) is suffering because of the 'divisions.' ?

by 'suffer' I mean is the message being compromised. Is it's integrity being lowered. Are people doubting God more?

daljack - you're completely wrong. I am not picking on homosexuals. My question was directed towards the church; and specifically to NON-BELIEVERS. I suggest you try to improve your comprehension skills.

I too am a practicing Christian. (I'm just stating an obvious state of affairs existing within the church today.)

Answer 1

Yes as too many so called Christian denominations accept it and this can be confusing to the non CHristian who doesn't know the differences in the different denominations and that some are not as Christian as they claim to be.

Answer 2

I don't really think so, though I could certainly be wrong. The fact that there is disagreement shows that at least some Christians are thinking for themselves, or at least that there is more than one way to interpret the Bible. It probably is actually somewhat of a blessing to the church that there are people on both sides. This is because if someone feels that homosexual relations are wrong, then he may be attracted to the churches that agree with him or her. But if someone else feels it is right, then they will not be turned off by Church altogether, because they can find an accepting church.

In the Bible formula for salvation (through grace by faith in Jesus Christ's atoning death and resurrection) it does not say that you are barred from heaven if you don't know where to stand on the homosexuality issue. It is salvation by the grace of God through faith. Therefore, if the Church's stance on an issue like homosexuality would turn someone away from salvation, then that would be no great blessing to the Church. So perhaps it is best that there are both sides represented.

Answer 3

Yes i do think it compromises the message of the bible. Because there are so many "right religions" and every "right" religion teaches something different. There are some "Christian" (i say it like that b/c i dont really think some churches are truly Christian churches its more like the anti-christ) churches that teach that homosexuality is fine and its not an abomination. I myself was raised in the Baptist church until i was about 11 then we switched to the Methodist church but the teachings are still the same and homosexuality is still an abomination. However to someone who has not been raised in the church it could comfuse them. Because non-believers dont really have anything to go by.


oh and btw i tried to contact you but i couldnt. i have read some of your comments to other questions and i was just interested in talking.

Answer 4

I had a thought. what if the human DNA could tell when the world is over populated and can make the adjustment. There is only 35 percent of the oxygen in the atmosphere and only 35 percent the nutrition in our food that there was at the turn of the 20th century, so I asked a friend,,. a non church going straight man who believes the world is over populated and does not want children, I asked what if homosexuality was an answer to population control, it's better than wars famine. And all sorts of natural disasters. He opened the bible to Romans 1:2_ and after some discussion and later that day he asked "why would god condemn gays if he created them? it doesn't make sense" I found that an amazing connection so many hypocrites at the podium can't make.I like it when things make sense and I want to clear up some confusion so listen up, this is the kind of stuff that holds up in court.There's only one place you can find any possible mention of this astronomical mistake, the only bigger mistake was the church burning controversial gospels in the second century. There is no backup or support to it anywhere else, it's not in all versions, there is no irrefutable evidence of this proposition and because of this mistake, the story has been largely misunderstood for a very long time. It is very important to keep in mind that Jesus never said a word about it, good or bad, and it's always best to follow his example and what's consistent throughout the Bible and all the versions, and remembered at the podium when speaking of Gods love for ALL his children, and if one says gays are not Gods children, one is taking an awful chance come judgment day and should remember Gods directive re judgment. These days there are acceptance issues and yes you can be gay and stay in complete abeyance of the Ten Commandments, Gods complete set of laws, nothing missing, and the complete moral code in a nutshell that says nothing about homosexuality, including those commandments pertaining to sexual morality. As long as a relationship is loving and committed it is good in God's eyes; moral and Safe, and those are the only two requirements for marriage and the rest can be extrapolated from that and Gods laws. To clarify, if it isn’t in the Ten Commandments you have to think twice if it's a sin and it still ain't.Also keep in mind there are extreme difficulties at times when translating and you can't help but loose something, i.e. an accent, an inflection . . .So in Genesis 19: there are two words in a list of sinners that the authorities could not nail, they are "Arsenekoiti" and "Malakos", so someone thought they were smart by putting in homosexual; not found in Gods laws, and look at the damage done!!! Now there are a bunch of gays believing a lie that they're sinners and the natural course of action is to forsake religion and find God's laws unworthy, and therefore, go ahead and sin perpetuating the gay stereotype of sex out of wedlock that people see when they read of sexual immorality in the bible, so now there is AIDS. I see two commandments pertaining to sexual morality, neither exclusive to gays but both apply to any lifestyle, one commandment redundant and neither mention anything other than sex outside of marriage. And more damage, our society has placed so much shame on it with so much ridicule that there are statistics on how many teens commit suicide after discovering their sexuality because it's such a disgraceful, despicable thing that you're better off dead!!! God sure has a lot of forgiving to do, how can he keep up? And further, you've heard, "I ain't crazy, I ain't seein' no shrink" Sound familiar? Perfectly Designed To Throw Shame In Getting Help Too! so the poor kids have no way out but the permanent way out! How much damage must our society destroy itself with shame? Statistic; 97% of all marriages could have been saved with a little counseling so there is more shame in getting help and less shame in getting a divorce!!! and you know how that affects our children too!So you see how people single this out and run with it and look how it got so blown out of population that people still have the crazy ides that the story is about a town full of homoes that want sex this guy who just blew in, sight unseen even, and this will look like a form of mass insanity, showing a low opinion and expectation of other people when you see the story is really about a traveler that came to a town that just didn't have the hospitality or courtesy to leave the poor sob alone to rest from his travels.Now consider this, the moral code has not changed in the time since the story, how could human behavior change so radically? How could there ever be a town of nothing but homosexuals? And at a time it seems that homosexuality was too rarely an issue?, So with the confusion over the word "yara," there are two reasons those people would be out there, one is to get to know him, the other is the whole town wanted sex with him sight unseen. The later sounds a little preposterous and the former is just human nature carried a little too far. Romans 8:28 PS Those who say homosexuality is unnatural sure don't know the birds and the bees and the rest of the animal kingdom too so don't forget they are God's creations too. And notice other cultures around the world where it is just as normal as the birds and the bees

Answer 5

No, I think the view of the church as a whole is suffering because of the hypocrisy of its followers. Non-Christians do not look down upon various demonations for having differences of opinion. They look down upon Christianity as a whole for their hypocritical enforcement of only those passages of the Bible which condemn sins that do not suit them personally.

Why, for example, do so many heterosexual Christians condemn homosexuality but not divorce or excessive wealth, when the Bible clearly comes down much harder on divorce and remarriage and on excessive wealth than on homosexuality or lesbianism? Could it be that they overlook the passages that condemn the sins they themselves practice but scream their heads off when other people commit sins that they personally, as heterosexuals, find gross? If so, then they are being inconsistent in their observation of biblical mandates, and they rationalize their inconsistency on the basis of personal gain and personal opinions and desires.

THAT's the kind of thing that makes the church look bad, not honest discussion about whether to leave the judging up to God and accept ALL sinners into the fold.

Answer 6

The message is not what one group of people say versus another group of people. It is what God says in His word and that is homosexuality is an abomination in the site of God not how different groups feel at the moment.

And yes it probably has become a stumbling block, but it is not by the scripture. The stumbling block comes when these different groups rationalize and pick and choose what they want to believe.

Hope this has helped you. Remember Jesus loves you.

Answer 7

I think it's extremely confusing to many people when they see different churches claim to have the "truth" of what scripture really says, yes.

The only defense is to be well versed in the bible yourself, so that deception cannot lead you away from what God has said.

Paul pointed out, in several of his letters and epistles, that there would be times when people would not listen to sound doctrine, but would go chasing after false teachers.

He also warned that many who do this would "shipwreck" their faith.

People are being led astray because they have not developed, for themselves, a solid biblical foundation. Once a person has that....all the false teaching in the world will not sway them.

Answer 8

No, I don't think it's a stumbling block. The church isn't perfect, it never has been and it never will be - their will always be divisions. But there are also divisions outside of the church. Non- Christians and Christians alike have to keep their eyes focused on Jesus rather than on an individual's personal opinion on homosexuality.

Answer 9

The majority of atheists I know have read the bible, attended at least one church and know as much, if not more, about the bible than the average bible thumper.

It doesn't matter what Christians do, you aren't going to convince people who have already determined the truth. They may decide to change their beliefs (or non-beliefs) but it won't be because of Christians, it will be despite Christians.


People who quote the bible as their argument are ignorant morons. There are no other words that accurately describe their intellect or knowledge.

Answer 10

The visible institution called the church is always in disarray. That is because not all Israel is Israel. We are told in the scriptures that there are many false teachers and false prophets and even Satan masquerades as an Angel of light so much that calls itself the church is deceived. However the true body of Christ has Christ sitting on the throne with all power and all authority. He is the head of the church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it, so from that perspective we can say with Paul that we are more than conquerors.

Answer 11

Leviticus 18:22-24

Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: KJV

Contrary to what the gay community wants to believe, people are not born gay or lesbian. God did not make you that way and he does not think it is ok. God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve!! Lets look at some scripture and see what God has to say.

No I am not a bigot, nor homophobic. I am a believer in the Holy word of God, and If the bible says its wrong, It is wrong. If you are read this and thinking hate you will feel hate.