Just thought I should let you know, Christians have no right to shame you for being gay, and I can give you several reasons for that. First and foremost, our faith calls us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, so any kind of hate is against the belief system itself. Then, there's the affair of “Man shall not lie with man.” The thing with this verse is that, first off, it's from the Old Testament, which was rendered obsolete when Jesus came, and also, historical context means that that quote has entirely different connotations. In that era, it was common for older men to rape young ones, hence, “Man shall not lie with man.” All said and done, I am deeply and sincerely sorry for all the terrible things some radical Christians have done and continue to do. We have no right or reason to do so. I am sorry that you have ever gone through depression, and implore that you open your heart to people of all faiths, no matter what a few people have done. They speak not for the Church.
If I may be a little pedantic, they technically do speak for the Church because every Christian is an ambassador and representative of the Church. Granted, there are those with a much better understanding of scripture and tradition and consequently, have greater authority but every Christian represents the Church.
Because of this, it shows that there's some great misunderstandings and falsehoods being perpetuated through the Church. Knowing this, it would be very wise of a visitor to probe the culture and beliefs of an individual group because (as mentioned in another of my comments) ideas tend to get concentrated within groups for the simple reason that they work together so frequently.
Dear guest,
You seem like the kind of Christian I actually like. If you have Faith and your religion brings you comfort and happiness, I say good on you and I'll respect that. But when I went to church and came out to my family and my bishop, they told me they loved me. They told me that they would accept me no matter what. And then they told me that it was fine to feel that way, as long as I didn't act on those feelings and married a nice boy. They told me that me falling in love with my girlfriend was a result of abandonment issues after my mom died and the devil was tempting me, and they hoped I'd be better soon. They told me I was making mistakes, and even if they said they loved me I felt guilty and depressed and resentful. So while I respect everyone's right to worship as they choose, Christianity and its denominations just aren't for me. But I hope you have a good day and a good life.
lurkyfox, I realize this is very personal and I'm a total stranger. May I ask you something more about that? (Also, I'm not the same as the first guest - felt I should clarify.) A bit of context - I am a Christian and could accurately be described as bisexual, although I don't identify with that. I personally have chosen to ignore my feelings of same sex attraction, because my faith is more important to me and I believe that the Bible makes it clear that I should not be in a same-sex relationship. However, I see that as my personal choice, and I am not in any way trying to say that you should choose what I chose. When my Christian friends say that they accept me but believe I shouldn't act on those feelings, I understand that they say that out of love for me - but if I saw bisexuality as part of my identity, I'm not sure if I could see it that way. My question is, do you think people who share my beliefs can still make you feel loved rather than depressed and guilty? -Erin
Sorry that turned into such a ramble. I hope what I said makes sense and I apologize if I have said anything that offended or, more importantly, hurt you. That was not my intention. And like I said, I realize that I am a complete stranger, and so I don't expect you to answer me. All the same, I would appreciate if you reply saying something to the effect of not wanting to answer - otherwise, I know I'll be anxiously checking back here every hour! Thanks. And thank you for your candid reply to the other guest - I appreciate any opportunity to expand my perspective. -Erin
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· 7 years ago
Dear Erin,
I think you said that in a very polite and respectful way, and I'm not at all offended or angry by your comment and I don't mind answering. I respect your choice to choose to ignore your same-sex attraction due to your faith. Unlike you, however, my sexuality is a huge part of how I identify and so to have it be rejected and disapproved hurt a lot, but I know that it comes from a place of well-meaning, which is probably the only reason I have an okay relationship with my family. In response to your question, the answer is a resounding yes, I do think that people of faith can make me feel loved. In fact my aunt works for an author, and she and her husband are religious, and they've both always been very kind and accepting of me and my choices, because they believe in agency as a very important part of their belief system. They made me feel very loved and happy, and we all had a lot of respect for each other. I'm always happy to talk as long as we're being respectful.
Dear lurkyfox,
I'm very glad to hear that. Too often people I know treat this like a polarizing issue. And of course I'm glad that you've got such supportive people in your life. Thank you for your thoughtful response. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have a mature and respectful conversation about this. Have a good day/week/month, and I hope 2017 treats you well. :)
-Erin
But guest, this conversation is so enjoyable!
1
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· 7 years ago
Dear guest,
While this is a rather deep subject, the conversation itself is fairly light since we're just having a pleasant discussion. The subject matter just makes it a bit deeper and more meaningful, and this is exactly the type of conversation I love.
Erin,
I'm happy to talk, you've been a pleasant discussion partner. I hope everything works out well for you, and I wish you only the best.
-lurky
Guys, I gotta be real, this ain't cool. Shutting down someone's beliefs is a real dick move, especially when they're offering you help. Even if you don't believe in the capabilities of their faith, it doesn't make you any better as a person to simply brush it off as idiocy. I'm a strong atheist, never believed in a thing, but it's just so much easier to be nice to people who want to help, even if it won't do much.
It's fine if they'd want to do it, but I feel like I'd be judged if I was actually there at service. No, rather, I already feel judged the moment they offer. Like a free trial where you have to offer your credit card number.
The way I see it, most Christians won't really try to force anything on you. A close friend of mine, when I was depressed, offered me a spot at her church. It didn't end up doing much, but accepting the well wishes of people around you is great when you're in a tough spot. It's a Christian's duty to try to get as many followers for the church as possible, you shouldn't put them down for that
I'm a Christian, but I think it's stupid to simply pray for someone with a depression. God doesn't work like that and sitting in a building singing songs won't help them get over their problems.
I say let them pray, what's the harm, right? There are people who want to help lift you up, to support you through your struggle. If they're dragging you down , then you don't need them in your life. Living with depression is hard, don't listen to people that make it worse just to fulfil their agenda.
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· 7 years ago
Church is like school, Morty. Not a place for smart people.
Morgan Freeman is a church goer. Toy said it's not a place for smart people. You lost.
1
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· 7 years ago
you do realise i was imitating Rick Sanchez
the views and opinions expressed by KingHitler do not necessarily represent those of the account manager
also... since when is Morgan Freeman smart
did the man win a Nobel prize and nobody told me or what
he's a damn good actor but that doesn't automatically make him smart
1
·
Edited 7 years ago
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· 7 years ago
You've never seen the various intelectual tv series he's done? Interviews? News appearences?
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· 7 years ago
can't say that i have
anyway, you do realise this is a textbook case of taking a joke seriously right
1
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· 7 years ago
I returned with a joke m9. Not even the guy that disliked you. I watch rick and morty too so I knew the reference.
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· 7 years ago
well uh
ok
bye
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· 7 years ago
just like modern media, the election, nearly all of humanity, and the very concept of life and existence itself
Because of this, it shows that there's some great misunderstandings and falsehoods being perpetuated through the Church. Knowing this, it would be very wise of a visitor to probe the culture and beliefs of an individual group because (as mentioned in another of my comments) ideas tend to get concentrated within groups for the simple reason that they work together so frequently.
You seem like the kind of Christian I actually like. If you have Faith and your religion brings you comfort and happiness, I say good on you and I'll respect that. But when I went to church and came out to my family and my bishop, they told me they loved me. They told me that they would accept me no matter what. And then they told me that it was fine to feel that way, as long as I didn't act on those feelings and married a nice boy. They told me that me falling in love with my girlfriend was a result of abandonment issues after my mom died and the devil was tempting me, and they hoped I'd be better soon. They told me I was making mistakes, and even if they said they loved me I felt guilty and depressed and resentful. So while I respect everyone's right to worship as they choose, Christianity and its denominations just aren't for me. But I hope you have a good day and a good life.
I think you said that in a very polite and respectful way, and I'm not at all offended or angry by your comment and I don't mind answering. I respect your choice to choose to ignore your same-sex attraction due to your faith. Unlike you, however, my sexuality is a huge part of how I identify and so to have it be rejected and disapproved hurt a lot, but I know that it comes from a place of well-meaning, which is probably the only reason I have an okay relationship with my family. In response to your question, the answer is a resounding yes, I do think that people of faith can make me feel loved. In fact my aunt works for an author, and she and her husband are religious, and they've both always been very kind and accepting of me and my choices, because they believe in agency as a very important part of their belief system. They made me feel very loved and happy, and we all had a lot of respect for each other. I'm always happy to talk as long as we're being respectful.
I'm very glad to hear that. Too often people I know treat this like a polarizing issue. And of course I'm glad that you've got such supportive people in your life. Thank you for your thoughtful response. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have a mature and respectful conversation about this. Have a good day/week/month, and I hope 2017 treats you well. :)
-Erin
But guest, this conversation is so enjoyable!
While this is a rather deep subject, the conversation itself is fairly light since we're just having a pleasant discussion. The subject matter just makes it a bit deeper and more meaningful, and this is exactly the type of conversation I love.
Erin,
I'm happy to talk, you've been a pleasant discussion partner. I hope everything works out well for you, and I wish you only the best.
-lurky
the views and opinions expressed by KingHitler do not necessarily represent those of the account manager
also... since when is Morgan Freeman smart
did the man win a Nobel prize and nobody told me or what
he's a damn good actor but that doesn't automatically make him smart
anyway, you do realise this is a textbook case of taking a joke seriously right
ok
bye