LGBT Youth Despair in Hostile Church Environment

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#29

I wonder why the Word refers to God as Father and to us as his children, especially if (as you posit) we’re not supposed to reflect exactly that standard in the church.

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children” Eph 5:1

Then in the church we should be reading and hearing about the much more prevalent straight immorality since homosexuals make up only a percentage of the population. The “calling out sin” comments are exclusively about homosexuality or emphasize it completely out of proportion. Leaves one convinced that all sexual sin is not taken equally seriously. And it sure serves a distraction from heterosexual failings.

8 Likes
#31

To be honest, this conversation and this article are so long overdue. It is finally becoming obvious to some in the church that a community is hurting, real people who have been wounded by the church and people’s attitude to them. I personally, don’t care what the attitudes of the church or people are to me. I know that my Lord loves and accepts me. I feel for the young people who are LGBTIQ and I hope and pray they don’t have to go through what I went through. I survived but it was no thanks to the church. In fact, most of the wounds came from the church. I don’t know what the future holds but I put my trust in my Lord. God loves unconditionally,the church unfortunately, doesn’t

5 Likes
#32

People/children all need Godly love and needed to be treated redemptively.

However, I take exception to the fact you say that the bible is unclear about homosexuality. I believe the bible is very clear about not only homosexuality, but sexual immorality in any form.

1 Cor 6: 9-10 Don’t you know that those doing such things have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who live immoral lives, who are idol worshipers, adulterers or homosexuals—will have no share in his Kingdom. Neither will thieves or greedy people, drunkards, slanderers, or robbers.

Lev 18:22-23 “Homosexuality is absolutely forbidden, for it is an enormous sin. 23 A man shall have no sexual intercourse with any female animal, thus defiling himself; and a woman must never give herself to a male animal, to mate with it; this is a terrible perversion.

Rom 1 : 24 So God let them go ahead into every sort of sex sin, and do whatever they wanted to—yes, vile and sinful things with each other’s bodies. 25 Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they prayed to the things God made, but wouldn’t obey the blessed God who made these things.

26 That is why God let go of them and let them do all these evil things, so that even their women turned against God’s natural plan for them and indulged in sex sin with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sex relationships with women, burned with lust for each other, men doing shameful things with other men and, as a result, getting paid within their own souls with the penalty they so richly deserved.

Gal 5:19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Rev 21:8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

I believe that the bible is very clear on any sexual immorality and as SDA’s we need to clear that we should be offering support to any sinner in need. Love the sinner, not the sin.

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#34

Great! We’ve made sure the Hostile Church Environment is in place.

Lord, have mercy.

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#35

Those who have any honest interest on the subject should check Pastor Christ Oberg’s sermon dated 03/11/2017 at LSU Church. Her own husband participated explaining certain crucial aspects of human nature, since he is a professor in the field and involved with several researches.
To watch, visit:
www.lsuchurch.org then select ARCHIVE, and get the sermon by date.

Regarding the LGBT youth being in despair, well…, who would guess, uh? With so much negativity and rejection in the Church, and so much ignorance about the issue, what should be expected? It’s still amazing that they stay around!!!
@elmer_cupino

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#36

EM
I would suggest the writers believe church members must become informed, and this needs to be done in church literature, magazines, even classes and sermons. Too many still believe this is a chosen life. We need experts in the field who can be trusted. More of our conservative doctors and other professionals in the field must stand up and be honest and lead the misinformed into reality… All of the religious verbage won’t help the victims. It will only turn them away. Our church does not accept same-sex marriage. However, it has no right to vote against it or to politically try to deny it to others. It would be a like a Sunday law to them. I would suggest that the tolerance of SS marriage will decrease the incidents of permissiveness in this group as well as depression and suicide. Everyone wants to be loved and accepted. And many want a relationship with God. Thankfully there are churches that will welcome them…

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#41

The mindset of “Love the sinner, not the sin,” while most likely well meaning, has become characteristic of those who find it impossible to do so.

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