What do you think of gay churches?

Question

any big city has a gay church. ive been to one and even saw a sermon debunking the misinterpretations of Romans ch 1. Religion is the number one reason people dont accept homosexuals so what do you think about these churches?

all religions pick and choose what rules to believe. According to the gay churches homosexuality is not a sin because god made you that way. isnt pointing at someone and calling them a sinner a sin?

Answer 1

I think of gay churches pretty much what I think about other churches: waste of time.

Answer 2

I personally would rather attend a mainstream church that accepts all kinds of people including GLBT's. I live in a world with 90+ percent non-gay people, so I'd rather worship with them, and maybe in the process well develop greater understanding of each other.

But gay churches are a great alternative if you can't find an Open and Affirming church in your community, or if you really need to spend an hour a week with other GLBTs and this is your outlet. I've visited a few, and the Love that is there is usually much more apparent than in many mainstream churches.

Just as a point of reference, I've recently been introduced to the Cathedreal of Hope in Texas, a church made up mostly of gay and lesbian members. They used to be MCC, but are currently pursuing affiliation with the United Church of Christ. They have a strong online presence, where you can download Wednesday night services with great Bible lessons, and the current week's Sunday worship. They also have an archive of podcasts of about a dozen of the most recent Sunday sermons. The pastors there really do some powerful preaching, with a pro-gay, hopeful message of Love.

Answer 3

Ok first - what exactly are you talking about here? Do you mean a church mainly aimed at, and full of, gay people? Or a church that accepts gay people into its services? Because there is a difference.

Many christian churches have gay people attending their services. If these churches are saying its ok in God's eyes for people to be gay, then these churches are not actively following God's Will or commands.

However, if a church lets gay people into its services, yet still advises these people that being gay is not God's Will, then this church is doing the right thing in God's eyes. A true God-following pastor/preacher would not turn anybody (including gay people) away from a church, as long as this person is not a danger to others. So if there are a couple gay people attending a church, it doesn't necessarily mean that this church condones homosexuality.

Answer 4

I'm not a Christian, but I have been to two gay churches with friends. They are very welcoming and inviting. It is easy to see Jesus in the people there. They don't seem like "gay" churches. They just seem like churches that just happen to have people who are gay attending. Atleast at the one's I've been to. They are welcoming and inviting. They are involved in the surrounding neighborhoods and in the community and work alongside several charities (some gay, some not). They truly and deeply care about their fellow brothers and sisters in humanity and thus strive to do good for them. It was a very nice enviroment to be in, although I have been to liberal/progressive churches that produce the same feeling and enviroment. If I were going to be a Christian (again) I'd probably go to one of these churches.

But I'm happy being a Hindu. I organize a satsang (Hindu fellowship) that meets at a Unitarian-Universalist church and I also attend the UU church on Sundays. I'll admit that I enjoy that enviroment, too. They are very involved in social justice, human rights, and the enviroment. Protecting children is big there. The President of the Board there works for a government agency that investigates child abuse and she is the one that gets to know the children and families and then has to go and testify in the courts (among other duties of course) and then there are several members that are involved with several other children's organizations and keep all those at the UU church informed of ways we all can help. Then there is the work that many of the members do at several of the homeless shelters as well as the work they do at several of the city's parks. They are a very active group. There is a Tibetan Buddhist group that meets there, plus CUUPS, an ECKankar group, and of course the satsang. Among other groups, too. So it's a nice spiritual community, too. Gay, straight, bisexual, etc...all are welcome there, too. It's not officially a "gay" church, but the UU is very welcoming. As a practicing Hindu it is nice to have a place where I can meet people of such diverse backgrounds and religions and all of us come together for the common cause of working to help improve the lives of others and the enviroment and take care of the community we live in.

Answer 5

I think that gay churches are like having doughnuts and cheesecake at a Weight Watcher's meeting. It wholeheartedly defeats the purpose. It is definitely laudable when believers congregate to learn more about God. I'm all for that, however, the purpose of going to church is to search yourself spiritually and attempt to conform your will go God's will. Here, we have a group of people who, like every other human has sinned. There is no doubt whatsoever that we have all fallen short. The difference is, those in gay churches are in total denial about what constitutes sin. In this case, it's the homosexual lifestyle. It seems that their focus is justifying this activity as not sinful, instead of trying to figure out how to deal with it, repent and ask forgiveness.

Answer 6

I think it's sad. God surely loves homosexuals but it doesn't change the fact that homosexuality is a sin. Romans 1 is one of many spots that clearly defines it as such. God warns those who mess with His word of great punishment so I wouldn't want to be the person who trys to debunk the clear teaching of Scripture. What Christians need to do is stop treating homosexuals like the enemy and start loving them with the love of Jesus just like we would any other person caught up in sin.

Answer 7

Its ridiculous, this cannot be according to the Bible. Of course, there are also many, actually most well-established sects and religions that do not do or expect the members to be held accountable to the standards of the Bible. These are also false religions before the eyes of God.

Answer 8

First I'll repeat an answer that I wrote for the question "Do you believe in gay marriages?"

"A marriage demands emotional balance between the testosterone fuelled aggression of the man with the quiet awareness of the woman. Testosterone makes men aggressive and stupid, and any man that does not subject himself to the emotional influence of a woman dwarfs his potential for emotional maturity. Sex without commitment and responsibility cannot be emotionally productive, Young male sexuality is fun-seeking. Young female sexuality is partner seeking. Without a female in the relationship, there is almost never any suggestion of commitment with first or even subsequent encounters.
People are not born gay, but slip into it with curiosity and seduction, then same as with any sexual relationship. The claims 'we're born this way' is not relevant. Sexual appetite comes from the seductive prowess of the partner more than any physical attributes of the partner.
While policing the bedroom is not the state's responsibility, promoting same sex coupling by public endorsement of unions is counter to the emotional welfare of the population.
I might be very willing to support love, if you could clearly tell me what you mean when you say 'I love you' in a way I could agree with. As is, almost everybody has a different idea as to what love is, and saying 'I support love' means 'I support whatever you want me to.'
BTW, debating gays in forum, I've had trouble explaining that 'commitment and responsibility' is something beyond wearing a rubber."

Now if, as I say, gay activity is detrimental to emotional growth, then those involved in the activity are the most in need for the emotional/spiritual services of the church. Accepting gays as people is one thing, but gays are not interested in just acceptance. They want endorsement. They want promotion. They want to pretend that their lifestyle is emotionally fulfilling. There is no intolerance in society against gays. Gays are intolerant to societal norms. Calling anyone 'phobic' plainly states that such person is incapacitated by fear. 'Homophobic' is blatantly used as insult against anyone who doesn't believe that their life style is normal. The use of the word is as slanderous or more than any used to describe the gay lifestyle.
Gays I've engaged in on any level, Ive found quite rude, and wholly incapable of moving beyond my reservation of endorsement. Hey, you're entitled to your ideas, but I don't think your lifestyle is what is best for your emotional growth. I think that abdication of the gay lifestyle would be much more emotionally embracing than any amount of church attendance. But its your life. You mess it up any which way you want.

Answer 9

I think it's good that the people who attend them are trying to get closer to God, but I think that they are being misled.

Homosexuality (along with adultery, fornication, etc) is a sin according to the Bible.

Answer 10

i think the gay churches should be banned, as they are against the princibalities of creation, God Created men and women, any thing, any person, any church against, and not following the Word of God, are not from God, we don' t have to follow, worry about them. We only have to pray God will deal with them

Answer 11

They don't allow gays to enter in the Church. Because they do not believe in God and churches law.