I'm terrified of going to hell

Zane7 this is why my signiture is what it is The boundrys of time and space are nothing to Gods love

 

Amen, my friend! Little concepts compared to time and space compared to God's unfathomable love? Simply no comparison. Oh, and your Celebis rock too!

 

OP, I'll first tell you are not going to hell. God knows your heart and and knows you did not chose to be gay. Organized religion can be very misleading and that is why I stay away from it. God ls all about love, respect, and forgiveness and Jesus suffered and died on the cross to save people from their sins. The verse John 3:16 is the strongest verse in the bible and it's message is very clear that those who believe will be saved.

Homosexuality in it's original scripture was never condemned in the bible. Jesus cared about the sinners and loved them and that why he died for them. Sadly most churches don't focus on that. When i hear a pastor or priest spew hate I don't see Jesus in them. I see the exact opposite of what a believer is supposed to be. God Bless you and you are loved by God and Jesus.

 

Thank you, Chiroptera, I know you must mean well by posting that link. I have examined claims such as the ones made by the author of that article, and they just don't hold up to honest scrutiny in my opinion. I feel like getting the Bible to say homosexuality isn't a sin takes way too much maneuvering for my comfort.

 

Zane7 look at your wall i posted something there

 

Don't assume you know my reasons for coming here, Chiroptera. I have not been spreading any message of condemnation. If you think I have, you have not been accurately reading my posts. I am a gay Christian man who chooses to express that reality by being celibate. I have as much right here as you.

I'll check it out, pokemonfan

 

hey integrity guy are you still listening

 

This can be a very sensitive topic. So while discussions of these things is important. I would never want any member to feel as though their personal beliefs are being challenged or invalidated by the topics I am beginning to address. Considering conflicting views can be interesting and beneficial regardless of whether we accept them. I also apologize for typos, but I don't have time to proofread this behemoth of a post.

First and foremost, religion is the practice of interpreting the will of God(s) and living one's life in according to that interpretation. This can be a controversial reality to face because, regardless of whether are theists or atheists, we all wish to be very confident that our view of life and a higher power is the correct view. As a result immediately, we hear the word interpretation we become defensive and feel as though it is insinuating that our view is untrue. It is merely a guess or opinion. This is absolutely untrue. In recognizing that religion and spirituality is an individual interpretation, we are recognizing that the connection between one individual and their spirituality is a personal connection. It means that differing views on what the will of God(s) might truly be blatantly right or wrong. Good or bad. We are either following the noble path or the path to damnation.

Acknowledging religion as an interpretation is to acknowledge that spiritual connection and experience are things that can and should be unique to every individual. We live in a world of diversity. We live in a world where we as a species were gifted with such unique and exclusive minds and ways of thinking. There is no reason to believe that a creator of this vast universe would wish for all of its inhabitants to conform to the same way of thinking; to adopt the same views. This does not mean that you cannot feel that there are some things that are right about certain religious, such as Christianity. This doesn't mean that you cannot feel that there are some things that are wrong about other views. This simply means that you take the type to question and evaluate all of the pieces that come together to form your own please. Make sure that you understand them. Make sure that you have a reason to believe. Rather than saying that, "Because I believe in the concept of the Bible/Quran/etc, I must believe everything in the Bible/Quran/etc". "Because I closely align myself with the views of this religion, I must believe everything that is claimed by the members of this religion". We have the freedom to think freely. We have the freedom to form our own personal direct connections with a higher power. We should make the best of that freedom.

Moving on to the concept of sin: What is sin? What is the impact of sin? Etc. Almost anyone who holds religious beliefs is going to believe in the concept of sin. There are some things that we should do and somethings that we shouldn't do. Even atheists have similar opinions under the category of morality. This is where we come back to the subject of religious text and what exactly we want to take from it. Accepting some views from religious text and rejecting others is often criticized because it is often done by people who wish to ignore their own violations and judge those of others. However, the concept of thinking critically and only adopting the views and values that we can make sense of and put faith in is not a bad concept in itself. It is a necessary concept.

The fact of the matter is that religious of what religion you follow we cannot even begin to claim that we know the true, unaltered word of God(s). It might very be that the original Bible/Quran/etc was the pure documentation of the will of God(s); however, it does not change the thousands of years that it was translated by human hands. Not just human hands, but very specific types of human hands. There are many female Christians in modern times who put little faith in the Bible and its views on their gender because of the ways in which women have been forbidden to even have a hand in the translation of the Bible throughout history.

Although there might very well be a degree of purity and accuracy in the modern Bible, there is no question that some manipulation has occurred throughout history. We have We have Bibles from leading Christian churches in the U.S. during the times of slavery that we manipulated in order to claim that people of darker skin were less pure and were placed on this planet by God to work towards the betterment of the fairer race. Of course, they were not blatant. It was a handful of words and phrases that were altered and written in. Now, we are fortunate enough to have moved passed that era and were able to spot the difference, but if we hadn't and that Bible had taken off and become the new standard translation we would have little way to prove that those views were not expressed originally.

All of this does not mean that we should assume that everything spoken by the church is speculation. This doesn't mean that we should look at our religious texts as books of lies. Above all, the sentiment here is to value the freedom that we have to form our own interpretation of the existence and will of higher powers. Recognizing that our views are no less valid than even those who are considered the most devote theists or educated atheist. This means acknowledging that text that might have once been pure might not necessary be pure forever and being able to determine what should be consider truth and what shouldn't is one of the main reasons why we have these minds to begin with. If someone tells you that there is something about you or your way of life that God(s) would disprove of them question it. Evaluate it. See if it truly seems like something that should be frowned upon. Only than should you accept it.

 

OK. The decision is ultimately up to you but also know God loves you no matter what. A loving God never turns his back to those who believe in him. Do you ever watch the passion of the Christ? The suffering he went through is because of how much he loved us and that message lives on today. Honestly if God did not love us regardless of sin i think heaven would be a pretty empty place. We are all prone to sin and those who tell you you need to stay away from and act all perfect are not true christians. A christian who claims to be perfect is not the kind of christian that would be loved by God.

 

I wish you the best as well, Integrity Guy. As I said before, you will be in my prayers. I am happy for you that you had fun on your date tonight. I know you are trying your best to honor God, and such an attitude always leads to good things. Just rest in His arms when you hurt or feel lonely. He loves you just as you are, imperfections and all. Keep fighting the good fight and keep holding on to Him. And during those times when it seems like you lack the strength to keep holding on, it's okay. That is when He will take hold of you, and He never lets go. Integrity is a fitting name for you, my friend.

 

i wish you the best and will pray for you you are a good person i can tell so dont beat yourself up ok :] i know how you feel and wasnt lucky enough to be stoped before i lost my verginity but you are so think wisely before you make that big of a desision

 

Integrity guy it concerns me greatly about you attending a ex-gay meeting. It is very dangerous thing and can be very self destructive. A lot of gay people have committed suicide by trying to change who they are and going to those meetings. I don't say that to be rude I just care about how self destructing that could to your mental health. Also remember that God loves you and there is nothing wrong with you. God created you in his image and God makes no mistakes. God Bless you on whatever you decide to do.

 

i feel the same way i tried to change my self and only succeded 20% and with that small amount now im on deppresion meds because of that and yes i put my self down i know but thats because i didd not accept my self after i lost my verginity so be careful the mind is a delicate part of us take care of it ok

 

You should definitely be cautious, Integrity Guy, but the important thing is that you are choosing these courses of action of your own volition. I don't think there's anything wrong with attending a legit ex-gay meeting if your priorities and expectations are in the right place. It's often difficult for a Christian struggling with homosexuality to find a support group of like minded individuals. But I believe God can use such interactions to carry one another's burdens and help uplift one another. You are firm in your faith, my friend, and I know Jesus will guide you safely and productively in this process.