Hello, glad to see so many here it's refreshing to see after reading so many posts that basically say that there are no LGBT christians before going in and disrespecting the christian belief system and the people that believe in it. People shouldn't look down on a whole group just because a few ignorant people in that group are harsh and, spiteful and violent. That kind of behavior hurts. Telling people how wrong their beliefs are is just the same as other people trying to con you into believing what they do, this is what people need to understand. I'm a member of the LGBT community, I'm christian and I'm equally proud of both.
WOO HOO!! That is what I been saying since I first got BASHED by Christian-haters on here who maybe got hurt by a person at some church or a family member and now are bigoted against all of us. Hate is hate. I don't tolerate it! We should be accepted too, not told to convert to a false religion of THEIR choosing or else be mocked and bullied verbally told we are emotional not logical and fools. Queers come in all colors, shapes and sizes around the world...if anybody on here wants to take out on us all their hate because we don't abandon Jesus, then they are doing exactly the same thing that they claim so-called Christians are doing to Queers! No difference. If there are no mods or admins who get this or will stand with us for unity, then we can at least stand in unity as LGBTQ Believers! Merry Christmas! Go fill the churches with your gay apparel!
I genuinely don't see where the staff have erred in ensuring that people behave respectfully, especially with regard to religion. We've been consistent in the way that we handle people bashing religion (and I put that in italics because bashing and criticizing are two very different things), and we certainly don't tolerate personal attacks on the basis of religious beliefs. In that vein, I have to take issue with your reference to "false religions". Expressing frustration over a perceived lack of acceptance while dismissing other religious or spiritual beliefs as being false doesn't seem the least bit hypocritical to you? On the topic of this thread, I was raised Roman Catholic, and identified as such until I was in my early-to-mid teens. At this point in my life, I am an atheist, and without going into the reasons why (since that's not at all what this thread is about), it's a big part of my personal identity.
nope not hypocritical at all...I am expected to do stuff to please others, to tolerate a lot, and in return am told what i do all wrong. I believe that God is the true religion of love...and I know many have experienced unbelievable weirdness and horrid acts by stupid humans who claim to be "good Christians" which I think God will make them accountable for later. But I do not see why some of the things they have said about my PERSONAL yeah I once did write to a guy who asked me my personal beliefs and wrote specifically that is what they were and to PLEASE not comment on it or attacks me on it...and yet that is what transpired. One guy I talked about it to, he said he was sorry didn't see that and did not mean to hurt me...so no problem at all I forgave him. But another EX-churchgoer continuously said how every single thing i say is this or that, emotional and illogical...sentence by sentence...discected each thing. And then later misinterpreted what the OP said about it all as that Athiesm that he subscribes to is superior and I was a fool? But in PM the OP told me the opposite...he aint Christian and agreed I was being verbally attacked...the peeps that were in charge did not see it the way we did. they sided 100% with the guy who felt so good about his being able to attack a Christian. I firmly believe that former church going atheist Queers who are newly out and younger on here do not get how much they are destroying other Queers by their words, and I stand by all my statements. I do find some of the peeps in charge statements however very hypocritical...it is not 100% safe here...not if you love God and love Queers. I do not think you can see how we feel...and i personally know others who have left EC after feeling attacked and unsafe. You maybe can't see it because you don't feel it.
Deaf Not Blind: I have also, a few times, maybe, seen things on here that were hurtful towards me/Christianity. However, when I made a thread about struggling with my sexuality and my religion, the staff were happy to remove a post that said I should abandon it and all Christians were bigots, or something like that. If you actually are sure to report things should you see them, then this really is a safe place.
I did report something, and a staff person once even reposted my PM on the thread to have the guy laugh with him at me. Nuff said. I almost quit then. I just had nobody to help me...I do not think I feel safe here, and I am very happy you did get support!
I'm a Christian , but I don't do the whole going to Church thing anymore ever since I was ask to leave one church. I really don't want to put myself knowing how some of the parishioners feel about LGBT in the Church. I used to go every Sunday maybe when I move I can find a more LGBT friendly church.
I won't discuss the matter any more than I have in this thread because as I stated earlier, that's not the goal of the thread and I've likely stirred the pot enough as it is. However, I'm more than willing to discuss this over PM if you'd like. If something like this did actually occur, it would likely be a breach of the privacy rules the staff have regarding private communications with members.
I guess just the hypocrisy that always seems to come with churches. Ifeel like people have kind of messed up Christianity
Well if that's true it is, as Eric said, a breach of private communication. If you are able to link me to the thread in which this happened I can look into it. Whilst the staff can remove posts, they lack access to any features that would allow them to permanently remove evidence of any such leak (not even I have that level of database access), so it would be easy of me to assess the situation and deal with it accordingly. The issue regarding atheism v theism is a very difficult balance to get in certain discussions, and I think both sides have occasionally been guilty of mistaking persecution with the right to criticise somebody else's belief system within appropriate discussion contexts. The interesting thing about both sides of the argument is that each side thinks the opposing side is better 'protected' as an opinion than they are. Neither is particularly favoured, but we also don't remove posts just for the sake of trying to avoid offense. There are definitely plenty of occasions when the line is blatantly crossed, but each side almost seems interested in drawing that line based on any level of questioning or criticising, which is where the victimisation complex becomes a downright pain to moderate. Saying that, if private correspondences have been leaked then that's a serious cause for concern and is irrelevant to the hot topic issue that it was contextualised into. I'm happy to investigate such security breaches and deal with them accordingly. As I said, no staff member has the ability to cover it up, so it will be easily provable for an admin to establish misconduct just from a few clicks in AdminCP.
That's their fault. Don't put a large part of your identity and who you are on the line because of a few idiots, if a church asks you to leave then to, not because you are doing what they want but because they asked, and that is unbiblical, if God is anything, he is patient, so should we be. On to topic, I am a Christian and I gotta say I love this thread, mainly because I have been doubting, not whether or not there is a God, but about whether or not anyone else thinks so. Seems I was wrong, I have never been happier to be wrong.
See this! I don't like that i have heard some churches, don't know which denominations, have kicked out true Believers! It is awful! It is not acceptable..we should not be segregated into LGBT only churches anymore than blacks should be told they can't worship with whites! May God help them straights to see the light. I think He wants us to learn more and be a light to them, to go to church and show them we are same as them in every way but sexuality...and that Jesus died that ALL may live...no where does it say except for you. All means all!They don't like feeling odd about us, so they make us feel like we should leave even if not say it...but it is not their right. Unless we do something wicked like having sex in the church or writing graffiti on it, worshipping God is what it is about! It is Lord's house not theirs. I wish all Queers who used to attend poured in weekly dressed nicely in whatever they think will make God smile...and sing to Him with all their hearts. It would shake their world up!
I think the point is not to segregate ourselves. The point is to choose places of worship where the community accepts as as a part of it. There are many churches which do, notably the Episcopals.
Must always remmy, whether it is a group of Queers or Christians, or hockey players...we all are a mixed group of fallible humans! They are in a church cuz they are imperfect and need God. Some who claim to be saved may not be...some who dress in suits have hearts of stone. Jesus will judge which person gets into heaven, and we don't, but to have a clue who to trust look for fruits of the spirit. If u find a person who possesses none, and is arrogant, and gets ahead by putting down others...keep far from them! Many my pastor said may get in, but will have tail smoking! Be a good example yourself. They may be watching. In their hypocrisy, realize they need you to show them their errors. Example was a 5 yr Believer who got placed in charge of all children's ministry. She was greeting everybody on Christmas Sunday, baggy eyes. She made a mistake talking to me, why? She bragged abt how shed waited up all night in long line to buy her sons a wii....and drove here zero sleep. I said thats like driving drunk you could hurt or kill somebody driving all that way sleepless, and does your kids truly need a wii as I never had one...my point was abt how simple things like a mom spending time with her sons is a far better gift. In the context it was in, she got very defensive, it was obvious her words were from ignorance, no sleep, and a heart problem...she had talked with me before and i knew she still had a lot of worldly stuck up self righteousness in herself to work on. I only hope she works on it. All of us should not give up faith or church cuz of the stupids we can't stand in the congregation...we should go because it is beneficial to them and us to show God his worth to us we recognize, and thus we can help them stop thinking so bigotedly. ---------- Post added 25th Dec 2012 at 03:13 PM ---------- If a person got a bad pastor, def no mater orientation, flee! I was 12 when i refused to enter the church mom had raised me in, because my knowledge of the Bible + my heart told me the pastor was very bad man. He believed in replacement theology, and hated Jews and Catholics...and maybe children! I was treated horrid, I was not loved, I was bullied and parents told kids not to play with me as I had no father. But I did search for better churches, and found them. How a pastor acts and speaks so also the flock goes...but if the pastor is great and you learn a ton, don't talk to the rude jerks around you, let them feel uncomfy with you sitting near them, in heaven they will be uncomfy then with the former homeless that sit next to the right hand of the Lord every meal. ---------- Post added 25th Dec 2012 at 03:26 PM ---------- That is what my doctor said when I showed him I can bend my leg and run again. I nearly died and he was going to amputate. Didn't think it was savable. I have never been happier to be wrong...his exact words. I had a team of doctors, some arrogant and cruel...after I was better I asked each one in private if I could pray for them. Even atheist arrogant doctor who scared his medical students bowed his head as I asked God to not let his hands slip, to lose no patients, to have time to be with his family too. They all told me in ICU they get depressed, nurses don't know if we live or die when we leave...I was only one to ever come back. Fact: they kept seeing so many inexplicable miracles in their practice that none of them could retain full atheism, they all had a tiny opening of somebody higher up is doing some really good things in bad cases. Don't let the evil in others pull you down to their level...we all suck at times. I sure do! That is why baby Jesus was born in a barn smelling of shit, and slept in a bed of spit, and was raised in abject poverty by good loving parents that "good Jews" gossiped about as being lustful wicked sinners who deserved all the ills they get. Yup, He knows our plight! He knows others will be stuck up and say we are bad and immoral. They whispered Jesus was a bastard, illegitimate, mom was a slut, they both nuts, and he is poor and deserves humiliating death because he is stirring up trouble by his words of rebellion trying to change the religion to love and accept everybody. But He died for them, so how much more ,if he is dying for us, should we forgive those who persecute us unjustly? Forgive.
Thank you. It was before I left in August to DC. I would have to do a lot of searching to find it. I think that it may have been on the thread Night Rain had posted about his dream and had asked us to talk abt religion and what maybe his dream meant. If not, it was around same time period. At the time it occurred I was in shock. I had written the PM to discuss how something said felt to me. It had said next to that person's name that at that time they were a staff person. So it was weird to then on the thread see him criticizing me, joining with the guy who had written it, and said one or two sentences as i recall directly from my private message..to which the guy who i had written abt lol all the more as i recall. i didn't do anything but recoil. Regardless if it was indeed that time on that particular thread, NR wrote me back and said he thought the guy who had said stuff abt my clearly stated personal opinion was indeed being wrong and bully...so me and him are buddies now. He is not Christian but respected me as I was not pushing my beliefs I was answering his question. IF i decided to go back to find that thread and the PM that got put on it this summer I will send only to you. I don't know that I will...it took me until Solar Cat said there were erroneous thing being said of my university here to bring me back. That is how unsafe I feel. Thanks for listening.
I didn't get ask to leave at church because of being gay I was ask to leave for a different reason that had happened a few year back before I was ask to leave. It's long story but I didn't do anything one of my friend's mom did and lost custody of her kids that's why I was ask to leave. But why I really not like the whole church thing anymore they are all two faced little babes anyways. I know who I'm and god knows how I feel about him and no one can change that! I did go to that church for midnight mass and I got so many dirty looks even from the minister.
