Does this article (see in the details) from a Christian website give you hope in America about acceptance of gay marriage and other topics of controversy regarding the religious right, religion and politics?

That naysayer speaks for a lot of people but the leaders finding their way is very encouraging.

Christians have been divided about this issue for a long time, so this doesn’t give me any new hope. I was raised in a church that was officially for marriage equality and had a pastor who was willing to perform same-sex marriage rites regardless of whether the state would recognize them. This issue is just like everything else, though. Once it becomes the new normal, the churches will adjust.

I think it’s cool, and it’s particularly encouraging that religion itself is using its own tenets in order to accept gay marriage and relationships. I mean wasn’t Leviticus kicked out of The Bible for being an asshole, anyways? A lot of people are often trying to get this accepted, but it should be a significant step forward if religious establishments themselves are actually doing it. Or at least more of them.
Of course, if the government and law makers just accepted it, it might be easier…:/

I always knew that there were some denominations that held gay marriages and ceremonies like that. The other day I was googling in detail what actually happened since I had no clue and came across this article. It is written by Reverend Emily C. Heath from the United Church of Christ. Heath is lesbian herself. She talks about all of the gay marriages she has “officiated as a pastor”. She remembers how one couple was welcoming twins in a few weeks, and how “their sons will never know a country that does not recognize their moms’ marriage as equal.”

Here is a working link for the story @dxs mentioned.

Want to have some fun?

Take this copy from the Conservapedia on the “Homosexual Agenda”, download it to your word processor then go in and substitute the work Christian for Homosexual and Christianity for Homosexuality.

By doing so, and making some minor adjustments to specifics, you get something like this:

The Christian Agenda is a self-centered set of beliefs and objectives designed to promote and even mandate approval of christianity and christian ideology, along with the strategies used to implement such. The goals and means of this movement include indoctrinating students in public school, restricting the free speech of opposition, obtaining special treatment for christians, distorting Biblical teaching and science, and interfering with freedom of association. Advocates of the christian agenda seek special rights for christians that other people don’t have, such as immunity from criticism (see hate speech, hate crimes). Such special rights will necessarily come at the expense of the rights of broader society. The christian agenda is the biggest threat to the right of free speech today.
Russia is a leader in rejecting the christian agenda. For example, Russia …..
Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney and nearly all Republican politicians now advocate the christian agenda, reflecting the growing financial power of the christian network. Their self-centered obsession with his own election, and fundraising for their campaign, has caused them to create a national political issue out of this, rather than deal with other issues like the economy.
Among all the conservative belief systems, the christian ideology is the most self-centered or selfish ….

And the scary thing is, it makes sense this way.

@JLeslie It’s going to take time, but yes, the referenced article and other things like it that I’ve read do give me hope. You don’t find very many geocentric solar system type Christians these days, even though it was once such an important article of the faith that questioning it could get you thrown into jail or even burned at the stake.

@rojo It sure does.

We need to show grace and friendship to those who struggle, while holding fast to what the Scriptures teach. Without hiding our beliefs, we need to look for opportunities to have conversations, build relationships, and demonstrate grace. Showing compassion, and mercy of gays I do, and have done. I have had very good friends who were gay. They have since moved away and gone other places, but if I ran into them today and they said they were married I would not recognize that. Have a conversation, sure, am I going to hate on them, no. I have never hated gays, but I can’t and won’t condone their iniquity. To my error, I have been more tolerant of fornicators because I was one for so long. Thank God, He straightened me out. However, this is what He spoke through the apostles in Romans

Romans 1:24–32
New King James Version (NKJV)

24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving,[b] unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

I am not standing in judgment of them apart what the Bible tells me. I will respect them same as any other person, so long as they keep their iniquity away from anything that is mine. Any Christian who would approve of such is as guilty as those doing it. Homosexuality was singled out as far as sexual immorality goes, which includes those who sleep around, shack up without the need to get married, and even that older person who want to fornicate with a much younger person (which maybe illegal from a point of law depending on where in the world they are living). I can stand and say I am no bigot, because that love that pastor was talking about I extend to gays in their sexual immorality as much as the person who sexual appetite is for young flesh, as well as those who have many sexual encounters sans marriage. I would find it hard to discover any gays who would extend to certain others (some would call sex offenders) love and understanding they themselves want because of the relations they want to have. To cover it while we are here, if gays want to be gay but refrain from any same sex fornication (because that is all they can ever really have) then I would not see need to distance myself , for I would not be a partaker, even in the 3rd position to that iniquity.

@Hypocrisy_Central For someone who would not stand in judgment, you’ve just done a powerful job of judging. For your faith, a Muslim could equally justify murdering you by the words of his ancient text, and equally claim that he was not judging you, he was just applying the words of the Koran.

It’s interesting you turned to a book supposedly authored by Saul of Tarsus, a man who spent his whole life in a religious fervor condemning others for holding any belief he found heretical at the time. He was an Ultra Orthodox Jew pursuing and persecuting anyone who he felt strayed from the essence of the Law. Of course, that Law called for death by stoning for homosexual love. Funny, Jesus did not cancel the Law or the Prophets, he came to fulfill them. Matthew 5:17–18 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” Why not just cut to the chase? Your holy book justifies and indeed commands stoning homosexuals to death. Of course, you wouldn’t be judging them when you did so. You’d leave that ugly task up to your imaginary friend.

@ETpro Why not just cut to the chase? Your holy book justifies and indeed commands stoning homosexuals to death. Of course, you wouldn’t be judging them when you did so. You’d leave that ugly task up to your imaginary friend.

First off, I have no imaginary friends. Second, I do not know whose Bible you have been reading but the God I know never told me to stone anyone, or to judge them. I can point out their transgression as said in the bible not myself. To be honest, in my own self, I would be very in favor of two attractive lesbians going to town on each other. Christ came to fulfill the law that man could never keep no matter how good he was. We are all under grace. Those who will benefit it is those who follow Christ, those who believe him to be a myth in a bottle or an imaginary friend will be judge under the law, the one you say tells people to stone people perverted Gods intent for humans for one that serves their own flesh and passions, that goes for heterosexuals who practice sexual immorality as well. I don’t know how much of the Bible you actually read, or if you read it in context, but I can explain it to you if need be.

@Hypocrisy_Central I did cut to the chase. You apparently can’t handle the chase.

As to what Bible, you can try the King James, the NIV, any decent translation. God most certainly did tell you to stone homosexuals. Are you so unaware of what this book you thump on others heads says that you need me to quote chapter and verse to you. There are MANY.

Also, you can’t use the convenient dodge you’re trying to use to explain away Jesus’ sermon on the word fulfil. Read the full text and you have to explain how your claim jibes with his then saying not, “one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law…” I assume you do know what the Law and the Prophets refers to biblically.

@ETpro As to what Bible, you can try the King James, the NIV, any decent translation. God most certainly did tell you to stone homosexuals. It is the same in any Bible that didn’t make up its own interpretation. So I will know how much work I have to clear up your misunderstanding of the Word, let me ask this: do you know, or have any clue of the basic differences between the Old Testament and the New Testament?

@Hypocrisy_Central No need to demean each other’s intelligence to discuss biblical epistemology. I am familiar with it from its archaeological, literary criticism, historical, philological, and social sciences points of view. Jesus told you in your beloved New Testament that not one jot or tittle of the Law and the Prophets would pass away until all was fulfilled. Fulfilled as in the final judgment. Preacher men know that preaching what the book actually says would be terribly unpopular (and therefore unprofitable) in these libertine times, and so they tell you that you are under a new dispensation. Some even tell you which of the rules in the Law and the Prophets are null and void. Since you consider yourself such a screaming genius, and since you think me a complete dolt, enlighten me, oh exalted one. Tell me where in the New Testament, contrary to Jesus’ teachings, there is a list of the Laws God decided he had dictated but thought better of. Which things that used to be abominations in His eyes did he reconsider and list as cool? What chapter and verse are these “new dispensations” recounted in?

@ETpro Since you consider yourself such a screaming genius, and since you think me a complete dolt, enlighten me, oh exalted one. Tell me where in the New Testament, contrary to Jesus’ teachings, there is a list of the Laws God decided he had dictated but thought better of. I have never, ever called myself a genius, because I know I am not. God has never made a low and thought He made a mistake. Some things He allowed man do to because He knew the heart of man and that we were too weak to do it, or too selfish serving our own flesh. I neither called you a dote, even though under the breat I am sure some meant to refer to me as such. Before Christ everyone was under the, even those who did not know it. Once Christ came all those who accept Christ was under grace, unmerited favor God extended to man.

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

Seeing that homosexuals would be my neighbor also, I don’t see where I have room to hate and stone them if the second greatest commandment is to love them like myself. Lets not get it twisted, just because I am to love them as myself doesn’t mean I have to accept anything they do, or anyone else for that matter, that is contrary to God. If you can find something in those verses that says “stone homosexuals”, I will recant everything I said.

@Hypocrisy_Central I’m sorry, but your answer is not only not responsive to my question, it completely lost me with “God has never made a low and thought He made a mistake.”

And as to trotting out the “Great Commandment” how would Loving God equate to ignoring his sensibilities and doing things he’s indicated are an abomination in his sight? How is the first great commandment like the second, given that in the first he commands you to stone your brother and in the second, he insists you love him?

^^ I tried..it is straight from the Bible, it is not my words but His. When you meet Him, you can ask Him to explain it to you better than His word can. If you cannot understand what it says I cannot explain it any better or in ANY way you would understand so I will leave you to believe what you will, God bless you