Unconditional love and the church's approach to homosexuality

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Jun 9, 2021
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The sad part when we look at vices, addictions, things we struggle with, it gets even more blurred in the cases where mental illness is involved. No one is born to become an alcoholic, drug abuser, womanizer, thief, adulterer, smoker, etc. Those are things that begin very small and innocent and turn into real vices.

But if we take John Hopkins University and apply their Scientific Discoveries, we understand that same sex attraction is more of a mental illness. Meaning they're most like not born that way, but possibly a childhood trauma, abuse, environmental disaster, too much estrogen, etc can result into a perfectly normal fetus becoming attracted to the same sex when they are old enough to seek companionship.

And there are many other forms of mental illness that are just equally damning to a human like narcissism, psychological disorders, things that become a literal maze within the mind.

And then unfortunately, there is the real thing as Demon Possession that would cause a normal person to do things that would be an Abomination unto God.

But the one thing these all have in common from vices, mental illness, to Demon Possession, Yeshua can heal it all completely and restore that person back to how Yeshua created them.

So we truly need to show great compassion and love to anyone who is suffering. But it still is absolutely ungodly to make some of these as Leaders of churches like some Denominations have. The line is clear what we are to do and not do, what we are to allow and not allow. If we just follow God's Holy Word, whether it causes us adversity or not, we will be in the perfect Will of our Heavenly Father.
 

ResidentAlien

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2021
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I'm not sure I'd call it mental illness necessarily but a disorder, like OCD.

OCD is really at the root of most, if not all "addictions." It's an abnormal obsession with thoughts and actions that have to be repeated to maintain emotional stability. OCDs can, and often do, lead to dependencies and addictions however.

Unfortunately, any thoughts or behaviors we can't control are destructive even if the act itself is healthy. Hand washing for example. It's good to wash your hands but I knew a guy who became so obsessed with washing his hands that's all he did all day, wash hands, walk around the house and back to the sink to wash his hands. It was such a problem he eventually had to be institutionalized. Not sure what ever became of him.

If OCD develops it takes over and even when we want to stop it's impossible on our own.
 
K

kaylagrl

Guest
A thread may go off on tangents or move on to something that wasn't mentioned in the original post. This is sometimes the natural course of discussion.
On the other hand, an attempt to derail the thread because a subset of users simply don't want the topic to be discussed would warrant intervention, in my opinion.

If the moderation team do not want trolls on this forum, they should neither accept trolling from long-term members.
You can't have it both ways.
As I said, all that is up to the mods. I haven't seen anyone troll this thread. There are hundreds of threads here that discuss homosexuality, not there is no "subset of users". No one has stopped you from posting whatever you want here.
 
Jun 9, 2021
1,871
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I'm not sure I'd call it mental illness necessarily but a disorder, like OCD.

OCD is really at the root of most, if not all "addictions." It's an abnormal obsession with thoughts and actions that have to be repeated to maintain emotional stability. OCDs can, and often do, lead to dependencies and addictions however.

Unfortunately, any thoughts or behaviors we can't control are destructive even if the act itself is healthy. Hand washing for example. It's good to wash your hands but I knew a guy who became so obsessed with washing his hands that's all he did all day, wash hands, walk around the house and back to the sink to wash his hands. It was such a problem he eventually had to be institutionalized. Not sure what ever became of him.

If OCD develops it takes over and even when we want to stop it's impossible on our own.

I would definitely agree to that. Not sure why John Hopkins deemed as they did, but I am sure they believe in their hypothesis even as harsh as it is. But I do agree with your explanation.
 

Tararose

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Sep 30, 2020
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You say that "Prostitution is also forbidden in the Bible, and we all know how Jesus asked people not to throw stones and cast judgement."

Jesus did not turn a blind eye to the woman caught in the act of adultery, he said very definitively - go and sin no more. Which is the entire point of the story, grace to have a second chance, not grace to continue in sin.

However homosexuality is no worse than any other sin, and you really cannot equate a God-given skin colour to a God-forbidden lifestyle of sin.
 
P

pottersclay

Guest
This might give some insight into what some are dealing with.
We all are very frail and we all have a breaking point. We all can get caught up in sin.

 

TheLearner

Well-known member
Jan 14, 2019
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You cannot be a Christian and be gay. To say you are a Christian and are gay is to act self serving.....and not in compliance with scriptures.
We must be without ongoing sinfulness in order to be in compliance with God's word and thus able to refer to ourselves as...Christian.

One can choose any self serving rationale one wishes ...that does not make a sinful act in compliance with God. You, as with all sinners, must repent and then turn away from a sinful lifestyle.

Wy are you alone?....God cuts us all off if we do not comply with His commandments.
One can be a christian and still be tempted by any sin including same sex attraction.
The problem, sin comes into play when they lust after someone of either sex.
 

TheLearner

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Micah 6:8
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
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I'm not sure I'd call it mental illness necessarily but a disorder, like OCD.
One can apply several terms to mental aberrations, including these as well as perversions, sickness, disability. etc. It makes no different. They all arise from the sin nature and that is why Jesus said "Ye MUST be born again!" That is an imperative. Without the New Birth, there is no new creature, and without a new creature, there is no righteousness.

According to Romans 1, people went into the sin of homosexuality because (1) they failed to acknowledge God as the Creator, and (2) they began to worship creatures such as animals, birds, and reptiles. Thus their minds were corrupted and darkened, and that led to sexual perversions. And only God can deliver anyone from this darkness.
 

Unearthed

Active member
May 18, 2021
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One can apply several terms to mental aberrations, including these as well as perversions, sickness, disability. etc.
I'm sorry, are you suggesting that people with disabilities are sinful because they're disabled?!
 

Evmur

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Feb 28, 2021
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I never expected any response other than what most of you have shown.
I'm old enough to not really care what you all think, because only God gets to judge me.

I said everything I did because it's exactly how we feel. And all most of you did was throw judgemental scripture around and pass judgement. You forgot that I'm a human being with a moral compass too. And most of you assumed that I don't want to change. How many of you actually know me? How many of you know my heart?

You all need to take a good hard look at yourselves. Yes the Bible condemns gays. I never ever said it didn't.

However, if someone young was to come to you and ask for help and you start using terms like 'Addict' 'Pervert' 'Satanic temptation' you might just push them over the edge and force them into suicide.

And their death will be on YOUR heads for failing to show them the love of Christ and giving them hope.

Showing love and understanding toward a gay person is not weakness, it's Christ like. They need you to support them, not call them names and bully them into submission.

Unconditional love is not approval of sin. It's help. It's taking someone as they come before you, telling them you believe in them and helping them pick up the pieces and put themselves back together again.
You are right only God gets to judge you. But you judge us for obeying God and putting you out of the assembly, that is what we must do.

We do look hard at ourselves, we all have exactly the same choice you are faced with. Do we want to carry on in our favourite sin or do we want Christ and be saved from our sin ... you are asking for a special dispensation, you are asking to be discriminated for.
 

oyster67

Senior Member
May 24, 2014
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I'm sorry, are you suggesting that people with disabilities are sinful because they're disabled?!
John
9:1 And as [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man which was blind from [his] birth.
9:2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
9:3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
 

Evmur

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Feb 28, 2021
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I'm 47 years old. I'm not new on the block and I have literally tried everything to find peace in my life.

That night I walked into the confessional and repented of being gay ....

Had I been told that God forgives me and he wants to help me move toward a more holy life I wouldn't have turned away. But instead I was told there is no absolution for a person like me. That I must not partake of the of our holiest of sacraments anymore.

So, yes I did make the choice to walk away. What else was in suposed to do when the door of salvation was slammed shut in my face by a human passing judgement on me?
We are not Catholics, we do not believe in confessing our sins to a man who is as sinful as we are. Nor do we believe in dabbling our toes in the waters of salvation, having a little of God and a little of sin. We believe in being born again, having a new heart, a new life.
 

Unearthed

Active member
May 18, 2021
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homosexuality is not a disability
I never said it was.

The user said:

"One can apply several terms to mental aberrations, including these as well as perversions, sickness, disability. etc. It makes no different. They all arise from the sin nature and that is why Jesus said "Ye MUST be born again!" "
 

Evmur

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Feb 28, 2021
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I never said it was.

The user said:

"One can apply several terms to mental aberrations, including these as well as perversions, sickness, disability. etc. It makes no different. They all arise from the sin nature and that is why Jesus said "Ye MUST be born again!" "
so seek the new birth