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Wrote a paper for my local church about LGBTQ+ Christians.

Discussion in 'General Support and Advice' started by 8pointhunter3, Dec 2, 2017.

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  1. 8pointhunter3

    8pointhunter3
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    Hi, I just finished writing a paper for my local church regarding LGBTQ+ individuals within the Church. I was wondering if anyone here can proofread, criticize, and help me make this a better argument? I'm terribly sorry if this is the wrong place for this.

    December 12, 2017









    The Case for LGBTQ+ people in the Church.



    Can an individual be gay, lesbian, trans, or anywhere within the LGBTQ+ community and still be Christian? Traditionalists will answer that they cannot, while new-age Christians will say that they can. Many quote scripture for support on either side. This is a paper by one of those new-age Christians, in support of LGBTQ+ people within the Church.

    Many traditional Christians look to the scriptures to say that LGBTQ+ people are not supposed to be in the church, that they are abominations, or that they need to be “cured” of their sexuality or gender identity. The common scriptures from the Old Testament are Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13. These passages are part of the Old Testament law, which was renounced when Christ accepted humanities sins on the cross (Romans 10:4) and are surrounded by the rest of the law, which is mostly ignored. The Old Testament law also bans the consumption of rabbit, pork, and shellfish, as well as charging interest and calls for the death of any who commit adultery. Traditional Christians often say that these laws are outdated and cultural while still using Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 to justify their hate of the LGBTQ+ community.

    Traditional Christians also often say that God hates trans, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming individuals. They quote many of the same passages as they do for homosexuality, as well as Deuteronomy 22:5, which is about a man wearing a woman's garment and a woman wearing a man's garment. This, as well, is under the Old Testament law code, which was fulfilled by Christ. The traditional gender binary is also said to be a construct of the all-mighty, but this is often seen as disproved by Galatians 3:28, where Paul writes “There is no Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

    Some feel as though it is their place to judge others, to let them know how God sees them, to try and convert or “cure” them. God specifically detests this behavior, and proves it in several places throughout the Holy Scripts. Matthew 7:5, Matthew 7:15, Luke 6:37, John 8:7, and Romans 2:1-3 all state that man is not to judge. Judgment is the Lord's work, and should be left to the all-mighty Yahweh rather than the easily deceived humans within his church. Those who feel that their place is to judge, shall be judged in Heaven, for not following these sacred scriptures.

    The final argument for LGBTQ+ individuals within the Church is that Christ loves all, and wishes his disciples to do the same. There are many verses within the bible that speak of loving thy neighbor, unconditionally, as God has loved you. These verses include: John 13:34, 1 John 4:20, 1 Peter 4:8, Romans 13:8, Galatians 5:13, and 1 John 3:17. God's love is meant for all individuals, regardless of your personal feelings toward them. God wishes for all to see his love through his disciples, but many do not. Many are abandoned, beaten, killed, and judged by his “disciples” and leave the Church for fear that they are not loved by God.



    Sincerely yours, a sister in Christ,

    Anonymous and the LGBTQ+ Christians of the world.
     
    #1 8pointhunter3, Dec 2, 2017
    Leela80 likes this.
  2. mituaski

    mituaski
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    Hello,

    I think you have something good here.

    I have a Christian upbringing so this does resonate with me a little.

    A good read on this topic is Matthew Vine's "God and the Gay Christian". I would suggest checking it out if you haven't heard of it?

    Best of luck to you!
     
    #2 mituaski, Dec 4, 2017
  3. PatrickUK

    PatrickUK
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    There are many resources to turn to, including Matthew Vines book and I would urge you to check them all out before submitting your paper, because there are people who will attempt to argue and contradict every point on a line by line basis. When prejudice runs deep people cling to any argument (no matter how obscure) to undergird their position.

    You're right that Leviticus is often quoted to argue against same sex relationships, but you mustn't stop there, because Romans 1:26-28 is often dredged up too, as is 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 & 17-20 and 1 Timothy 1:8-11. It's easy to dismiss the Holiness Code of Leviticus, but how do you argue against the Epistles and letters, most commonly attributed to Paul? If you want to be controversial, you could argue that Paul wasn't the unique author of all of the Epistles and letters that bear his name. If he was in fact the author he must have been a very confused and conflicted person, often contradicting himself and writing in many different styles. If you want to be super controversial, you could make the same argument about the entire Bible, which has been selected, translated, edited and adapted by authors unknown over a number of millennia. If you want to be less controversial, you'll examine the historical context in which Paul (?) was writing and make the point that modern same sex relationships are based on consent, respect, love and fidelity, rather than sinful acts of sexual domination, subjugation and male rape, which was the predominant concern of the author/s of the Epistles.

    Really important to do some reading and research before submitting a paper to the church. Don't leave room for people to tear it apart. You've made a good start, but you probably need to go further and understand that some peoples start and finish position is that scripture is inspired by God and completely infallible and without error. When people hold an intractable viewpoint like this, you're not going to be able to reason with them.

    Take a look at this link for some useful resources: https://www.gaychurch.org/homosexuality-and-the-bible/
     
    #3 PatrickUK, Dec 4, 2017
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