I am wondering what religion says today about being gay?

Question

Am I really condemned to hell?

Just wondering if it is still thought of as a "choice of sexual desire"?

do you think it is possible for me to be born this way? am i really going to Hell? doesn't God forgive if this is some sort of sin the eyes of the Bible?
What if I dont think of it as a sin? should I?

but the conformity of the different religions is interpreted differently.

is there a religion out there that accepts gays?

exactly!
you say I am going to hell, but isn't God a forgiving God?
someone please SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT.

so you are saying just because one is gay there is no room in heaven for them? this just does not make any sense.

you condemn me to hell but forgive a killer? he repents and all is ok?
I want someone to explain this please

I do refer this to Christianity as the referred religion.

I suppose what you are implying is that it is NOT a sin to be an alcoholic, but a sin to be drunk according to the bible? isn't that contradicting? i mean, is there really a difference.

just as ones lifestyle is of same sex orient then you can word it around all you want, but at the end it is gay. just as a drunk is to alcoholic

some of this makes no sense.
Christians are suppose to be "recruiting" people and try and save them but first i have to claim that my lifestyle is a sin first?

i certaintly can see an empty illusion of heaven. Because according to this, I will never see it and can only be set free through repenting and begging for forgiveness on something that you really dont feel is a sin?

Christians are the only people going to a good place when they die? what about other religions? they are going to hell?

it really makes you think twice about being a christian? is it an illusion after all? have we been deceived our whole lives? I think so.

thank you for all your responses.

They were all respectfully considered and thought provoking

Answer 1

No, you should be fine. Jesus was awfully close to those desciples

Answer 2

whether you were "Born this way" or this way through experiences it really doesnt matter. The natural man is an enemy to God and has been so since the fall of Adam and will be forever and ever unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit and puts off the natural man.

Everyone was born with tendencies to do certain things that are wrong. Some people were born with tendency for violence. Some to hate. Some to intolerance. Some to be lazy. Some lying. etc. That is why Jesus Christ came. So we can know that we can repent of our sins and be born again. That our very nature can change.

Naturally, this is not something that happens overnight. In fact, many might struggle with their particular weaknesses their entire life. But that doesnt mean we cant keep the commandments despite our instincts to do otherwise.

The Lord has always ruled immorality no matter whether gay or straight as a sin. There are a number of reason for this. The chief being that life is sacred and thus the power each person has to create life is sacred. And children have a right to be conceived and raised in an environment where they have both their mother and their father teaching them. The standard is the same for everyone because the consequences of sexual sin can affect not only the people who engage in the acts, but the lives of everyone around them for generations to come.

God is willing to forgive all sins. That is why Christ came so we can know there is always hope. He will help us overcome any weakness or sin we might have. We are taught that Christ can change even human nature. All men must be born again and have the desire to do sin taken from us.

All of this takes honest reflecting. Its impossible to be saved by God in ignorance. We have to honestly see ourselves for who we are and what we can become. We are children of God. We have the potential to be like God and live in His presence. And we should forsake everything else in our lives that defines us in ways that separate us rather than unite us. We are different. But that doesnt mean we need to be divided.

Answer 3

The Bible teaches that all people who don't want to give their lives to Jesus don't get to heaven.It is our choice.
We all make choices every day in our lives, some good some not. Is a thief born that way or a pedophile? Some decisions in life may seem to need a sacrifice but that doesn't mean they are the wrong choice.
God always forgives those who truly want to be forgiven.
We all have to have a moral framework to live by. History shows that countries based on christian values are more stable and prosperous. When those same countries try to turn away from the bible their divorce , suicide and crime rates go up. Just ask most people which country they would rather live in , a Western nation or a Middle Eastern nation.
Jesus only preached a gospel of love but even as a parent corrects a child and guides them, God does the same for us through the Bible.

Answer 4

The Christian religion -specifically the Bible's most clear statement on the matter is found in Romans 1. I think if you want some insight try checking that whole chapter out. If you compare different versions it will be especially helpful in grasping the whole concept that Paul was writing about. I've been doing a lot of soul-searching on how I, as a Christian should react to homosexuality bc/ I do feel that Christians are seen as condemning everyone to hell for it. My limited conclusion is that it is a sin. It is your choice. Sometimes, once you make that choice you enter into a stronghold where you are unable to see that how you are living is directly against God (your heart is hardened). BUT, that you can be forgiven if you fight the temptation to act on your homosexual feelings. I'll tell you as honest as I can since I don't want you to think I'm being judgemental - my sexual sin was that I had sex before marriage. The first time, I vowed to never do it again until marriage, but then fell again with my second boyfriend. Finally, I felt FULLY convinced after leaving that relationship that I would never fall to that sin again, but when I met my third boyfriend - I allowed it to happen again. Even as I was committing the sin I would pray after each time, and struggled so much to little avail. The only thing that brought me out of that cycle of sin was when I got married (obviously it's ok to engage in sex inside marriage according to the Bible). If you base your beliefs on something other than the Bible than I know this will not make sense to you, but it is the instruction manual for my life. I'm not afraid or intimidated by gays, nor do I condemn them to hell. It is a sin in my eyes, but not an unforgivable one. My thoughts are that if the path is narrow shouldn't we be doing everything possible to avoid falling off of it? I hope this offered insight if nothing more than one person's perspective.

Answer 5

Greetings Friend,

It sounds like you are wanting others, in particular fundamental Christians, to accept you and you are upset because they do not or will not. As I am sure that you already know, not everyone will accept everyone. Can you accept them rejecting you? It doing that you would be showing them the way of Christ, thus being the true Christian. Was not Jesus himself rejected by his very own people? So, follow his example. We must all face the fact that not everyone will like us. Others may not like our hair, or the lack thereof in my case. They may not like our color, our personality, or our sexual orientation and we will never be able to change them no matter how much logic we use, or how persuasive our arguments. But, we can still love. We can still choose our actions.

My friend, what I am able to say may not make you feel better because I am not a fundamental Christian, but I accept you and I want you to know that I do not believe you will go to hell. If you are seeking approval, go to the Churches that accept gays. There are many Unity Churches, many Universalist, and I am pretty sure the United Church of Christ accepts homosexuals (see the link below).

I know not being accepted hurts and for that I am so sorry. But, no matter who rejects us, God will always love us. They are slowly coming around, so be of good cheer and know you are loved.

sending love,

Answer 6

Condemned? Not if you repent & abstain from giving in to homosexual desires. Some are gay from birth, & some become so as a result of rape, or other sexual abuse. God does forgive, but you need to acknowlege it as a sin, & make the conscious decision not to do it anymore. You won't be forgiven if you fully intend to repeat the action later. Yes, you SHOULD think of it as sin because according to scriptures, "Thou shall not lie w/ a man as w/ a woman (the same applies to lesbianism) -- It is an abomination!" The cities of Sodom & Gomorra were both destroyed by God because of such sexual perversion. The alcoholic may be a sinner, but the real sin is being drunk. God loves everyone, but He hates sin. His purity can't allow sinfulness around Him, so you must repent & seek forgiveness to be accepted into Heaven.

Answer 7

Most of us here aren't the authority of the matter.

For me, it's quite simple. If you have a choice to become straight and go back to the acceptable way of living your life, why not try to? I believe most homosexual people were influenced by other people at some point in their lives to become one, whether on TV, in school or at home. So, these people have bigger chances of changing their ways. It's what they call environmental influence.

However, I do believe that some were born that way, i mean, as homos, mainly, because of their genetic make-up (more female hormones than male ones). Hence, they would find it impossible or almost impossible to straighten (pun) their lives. And for me, this should be understandable.

As for your last question, yes, unfortunately, it is still considered as a sin by the Catholic Church and many religions that I know but am too tired to write.

But again, "to each his/her own."

Answer 8

Even some conservative Christians are now ackmowledging that evidence shows sexual orientation is NOT a choice. Not all Christians, despite what some Y!A haters say, say that homosexuals or homosexuality behavior is sin. See links below. Most large religious traditions also have variety of opinion on this, despite what their fundamentalists might loudly and erroneously insist.

Hate is a sin. Judging others is a sin. Lying about others is a sin. Christian and other scriptures have more to say about those behaviors, which are NOT subject to skewed translations or cherry-picking of which "laws" still apply. (Did you know the most quoted "statement" in the OT which is said to condemn homosexuality is in the same chapter as laws declaring a death penalty for wearing 2 sorts of fabrics together?)

Reparative "christian" therapy programs to "cure gay people do NOT work, and harm individuals, families and communities. See link.

To quote the MCC, one very traditional Christian, gay welcoming church:
"At MCC, we are tearing down walls and building up hope in some places where no other religious or charitable organizations are willing to go. In fact, in some places, we are tearing down the walls that religious organizations have created.

"Reverend Elder Troy Perry, our Founding Moderator, created the ministry and movement we call MCC when he invited twelve gay men to worship in his home in 1968 and reassured them that God loved them. Thirty-eight years later, those twelve have become more than 86,000 people per month who visit our web site and almost 20,000 who give tithes to our ministry and attend a worship gathering each week. Like the first twelve disciples, MCCers are hitting the streets in 24 countries, stopping outside the gate to minister to the oppressed, doing justice and telling the Good News of Jesus to those who feel that there is no Good News."

Answer 9

God does offer forgiveness to anyone who puts themselves under His authority. None of us deserve heaven, but because Jesus loved us, He took the punishment for us.
If we believe that, we are grateful and appreciate and love Him for what He did for us. We try not to 'sin' because we don't want to hurt Him. We all have to fight our natural inclinations, because down deep, we are all sinners in one way or another. Maybe greedy or spiteful, selfish or rude,
lustful etc. Your situation is difficult, but you are not alone,
everyone, if they are honest, struggles with something. God does know you and cares about you. It's worth the struggle to find Him and know Him and His love. Nothing else comes close. Being homosexual is not a sin, acting upon the desire is a sin. It's not a sin to be an alcoholic, it's a sin to 'be drunk'.
If you really want to understand, the answers are in the book of Romans. I'd suggest you get someone really experienced to give you the background and explain it as you read.

Answer 10

In my opinion, you and God have to work out your relationship. As far as i am concerned, EVERYONE sins, and from what i have been taught, no one sin is bigger than the other. I don't always agree with that-cussing verses killing?-but like i said, that is what i have been told. Anyhow, i do believe that you are born gay in some curcumstances. Not all, but some. Some are surroundings, in my opinion, but i'm not gay, so i don't know from experience. I had a good friend that was gay from the time she learned to walk. I think you need to go on a spiritual walk and find the path that you need to walk with God, no one else can tell you what that is, but BEWARE, they will try!! BE STRONG!!!

Answer 11

It doesn't matter if you don't think it is a sin. It is a sin. The Bible makes it clear in several places that it is wrong. Thus, you aren't born that way. It is a moral choice and we have a moral God. As for as going to hell, I'm not going to say you are but you need to stop. There is only one sin in the Bible that is unforgiveable-Matthew 12:31-blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. But this doesn't give anyone a license a sin. A person is supposed to feel bad about their sin and repent, that is stop and change. Ask forgiveness and receive Christ in your life. Then you can receive the Holy Spirit through asking and receiving by faith and you will have a new spiritual understanding of everything that goes on in the world.