This site is a really cool place. Its nice to see good people here and everything seems so welcoming. My boyfriend @Niagara posts here if anyone knows him and now I get why after seeing how supportive this place is. I don't know what else to say but yea, hi internet people!
Destin.....Hi and Welcome to empty closets! I am so happy to see you posting here on EC. I have shared posts with Niagara so I know that you have had it rough for a while. There is no doubt that finding who you are and accepting yourself are not easy things to do. Many people avoid it all their lives and are far less than they could be because of it. I wish you and Niagara the very best as you go forward....and most important....be yourself!! ....David
Thanks man! I saw those posts on his profile from you. You're so nice to help strangers like you do. I hope I can learn enough about all this to help people one day too. Its hard accepting something like this when so many people I know think it goes against god and that its some horrible crime against Christianity just to love someone. I'm trying, but I can't help but feel bad about it sometimes anyway like I did something wrong. I hope that feeling goes away one day.
Welcome! Your boyfriend seems like a pretty cool guy so that probably says quite a bit about your character as well. I'm glad you have each other for support.
Thanks! He's pretty cool for sure, I've never met anyone else like him. I'm glad this website exists so everyone can have support too, people here are so nice, like you
Hi Destin welcome here It's nice to meet Niagara's boyfriend :3 I can see you are a perfect match, you look cool btw .
It's so awesome to see you received such a warm welcome! Everyone here is great, they are all such kind and genuine people. *huggles you*
Hi, Destin. Welcome to EC. I think you'll find that the feelings of guilt and shame associated with going against Christianity will decrease over time. Remember that those feelings are coming from learned behavior coming from an interpretation of beliefs. I recommend checking out the work of Matthew Vines, who has both an excellent book and a number of videos challenging the idea that Christianity is fundamentally incompatible with homosexuality. His scholarly work has changed the minds of a lot of fairly high-up folks in many churches. I hope you'll stick around and both share your experiences and continue to offer input to others.
Thanks Chip. I hope it does decrease - the sooner the better. I'll check out those videos for sure. I'll do my best to offer what I can, even though that might not be much since I'm still new to everything. I'd love to stick around, this is such a friendly environment and a really nice place.
Destin....What I see happening to you is a lot like what happened to me. When I finally accepted that I am gay and always have been, my faith was still very difficult to reconcile. There were so many things that I had been taught/learned over the years that conflicted with things in my life, things that I knew without a doubt to be true and good. That's when I launched into a very serious in-depth study of what the Bible says about any LGBTQ topic. I read books - Matthew Vines "God and the Gay Christian" was the first of many - and studied what the Bible passages said in the language and society of the time they were written. I had heard people say that the Bible doesn't condemn being gay, but at first I had trouble believing that. As it turns out, they were right. Even though I had become convinced that God does not condemn me for being the way he made me, it took a while for the belief to move from my "head" to my "heart". That's likely where you are now. I was excited, relieved, happy and still anxious for several months as I "adjusted" to no longer feeling guilty and ashamed for the first time since I was 15 years old. I wish you and Niagara the very best and please know that the rough times you have gone through will build a stronger relationship! ....David
Destin, welcome! I haven't had the chance to read the book that Chip and Quebec spoke about however I know in my heart that Jesus died for all of us not just the straight people that cheat on their partners! Its kind of a laugh that King James of England, the version of the bible a lot of people carry around had his own male "friends." I spent too much of my life trying to please others and forgot about myself. Don't do the same, if someone doesn't accept you, ask yourself, do they really need to be in your life? Take care Dean
This site is a really cool place. Its nice to see good people here and everything seems so welcoming. REPLY: Welcome Dustin! You are more than "just" another new person. [LOL: I guess the word "just" is my trigger to remind myself, you, and others that we no longer have to diminish ourselves.] You are unique and you seriously matter to this community. You can be you-- without fear. You can receive from (and give to) others as you share aspects of your life that you want to improve.