Christains, love thy Neighbors!
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/90-69
The above, it seem at least to me, is a massive example of the intolerance and hypocrisy of certain groups of Christians. I believe in God above all else, His Love, His Tolerance, His Forgiveness, and His Grace. Love is the greatest gift He gave us, the ability to fall in love, to care for another above yourself, but He didn't give us the ability to chose the person we love. If He had, we would all be with our "perfect" mate, someone exactly like us, only of the opposite gender. But no, rather than that, in His Infinite Wisdom, He guides us to love someone else, someone different than ourselves who can test us, and try us, and teach us patience and good will, and how to give up just enough, how to walk beside someone and be their constant companion. Love, it is the ultimate message, the greatest gift, and I believe our Father wants us to be happy, to be loved, and I don't believe the packaging should affect loving the soul. We, as humans, are creatures of spirit born in flesh for a time, but our flesh ends, and we go on. I don't see why what your body is should affect your soul, why should you base love on the body? Why would God want you to? If you love someone with all your heart, would He really want you to leave them because they were the same gender as you? I would hate to believe this is the case, because I believe Our Father loves each and every one of us, and wants us to be happy. He wouldn't let you love someone, and then tell you you can never be with them because you have the wrong gender. I just refuse to believe He is capable of such cruelty.
There is a story, on that website, about a homosexual man who lay dying, and his lover was there with him in the hospital, staying with him as he passed away from this life, but the dying man called on the man who wrote the account told here because he was afraid. He was afraid because people had convinced him that he would burn in hell for loving a man. So instead of having his lover at his side as he died, he died alone. And his lover, his lover was left behind, knowing that he had been cast aside. Can you imagine if your lover were dying, and their last act was to "Repent" for loving you? To know that they regretted loving you? It would hurt. It would hurt like a double-pronged spear. The person you loved is dead, and they're sorry they ever loved you. That would be enough to turn anyone from God, to make anyone doubt His love.
That story made me cold, deep down in my soul. It made me so sad to think about it. It wasn't a warm and comforting "God forgives you." story, it was a story of religion gone horribly wrone.
Here, then, let me leave you with one last thing to think about:
I Samuel 18:1-4 "That same day, when Saul had finished speaking with David, he kept him and would not let him return any more to his father's house, for he saw that Jonathan had given his heart to David and had grown to love him as himself. So Jonathan and David made a solemn compact because they loved the other as dearly as himself."
Ciao...
The above, it seem at least to me, is a massive example of the intolerance and hypocrisy of certain groups of Christians. I believe in God above all else, His Love, His Tolerance, His Forgiveness, and His Grace. Love is the greatest gift He gave us, the ability to fall in love, to care for another above yourself, but He didn't give us the ability to chose the person we love. If He had, we would all be with our "perfect" mate, someone exactly like us, only of the opposite gender. But no, rather than that, in His Infinite Wisdom, He guides us to love someone else, someone different than ourselves who can test us, and try us, and teach us patience and good will, and how to give up just enough, how to walk beside someone and be their constant companion. Love, it is the ultimate message, the greatest gift, and I believe our Father wants us to be happy, to be loved, and I don't believe the packaging should affect loving the soul. We, as humans, are creatures of spirit born in flesh for a time, but our flesh ends, and we go on. I don't see why what your body is should affect your soul, why should you base love on the body? Why would God want you to? If you love someone with all your heart, would He really want you to leave them because they were the same gender as you? I would hate to believe this is the case, because I believe Our Father loves each and every one of us, and wants us to be happy. He wouldn't let you love someone, and then tell you you can never be with them because you have the wrong gender. I just refuse to believe He is capable of such cruelty.
There is a story, on that website, about a homosexual man who lay dying, and his lover was there with him in the hospital, staying with him as he passed away from this life, but the dying man called on the man who wrote the account told here because he was afraid. He was afraid because people had convinced him that he would burn in hell for loving a man. So instead of having his lover at his side as he died, he died alone. And his lover, his lover was left behind, knowing that he had been cast aside. Can you imagine if your lover were dying, and their last act was to "Repent" for loving you? To know that they regretted loving you? It would hurt. It would hurt like a double-pronged spear. The person you loved is dead, and they're sorry they ever loved you. That would be enough to turn anyone from God, to make anyone doubt His love.
That story made me cold, deep down in my soul. It made me so sad to think about it. It wasn't a warm and comforting "God forgives you." story, it was a story of religion gone horribly wrone.
Here, then, let me leave you with one last thing to think about:
I Samuel 18:1-4 "That same day, when Saul had finished speaking with David, he kept him and would not let him return any more to his father's house, for he saw that Jonathan had given his heart to David and had grown to love him as himself. So Jonathan and David made a solemn compact because they loved the other as dearly as himself."
Ciao...