I remember being taught these very same things, anon. Let me explain why I disagree with you, and still say that I follow our Father in His teachings.
The common phrase I recall is “love the sinner, hate the sin”. It seemed sensible enough - by teaching people that what they DO is wrong, you show how much you care for their immortal soul. And it’s true, I DID once believe that this was okay, and applied to everything, including lying, cheating, and homosexuality.
However, I have learned a lot about homosexuality and LGBT+ people in general since then. This is not something they choose. This is, as science has proven, how they are built. It is in their biology, their chemistry, and who knows that better than anyone else?
Our Father.
Our Savior, Jesus Christ. Our Creator, who knows everything about who we are and who we will be before we are born into this world.
And when you tell people that the way their mortal bodies are built is a sin against God… well, that doesn’t feel very loving. In fact, it drives many of these people to depression, hiding away, and even suicide. To them, hearing things like this means that there is no redemption for them. How is that love?
The verses you’ve provided are indeed in the Bible. They have been studied and interpreted hundreds of ways for hundreds of years. There is one thing about these verses, however, that makes them, in my personal views and beliefs, less important.
They are not the words of Christ. And the words of Christ are pretty easy to understand, without years of study and debate.
When asked how we can follow Christ to the home He has prepared for us, He answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.“ (John 14:6)
When asked what the greatest commandment is by the religious leaders of the time, Christ said, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:36-40)
When Jesus is about to be taken away to be crucified, He tells His disciples one more message, the last-minute, most important cornerstone of all of His teaching: “My
children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for
me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going,
you cannot come. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:33-35)
No mention of old laws. No mention of homosexuality, transgender, ace, any of that. No mention of who should lead the congregation. This is all taught by the Savior Himself. That’s what makes it worth listening to.
I’m not discounting the rest of the Bible - there are plenty of good teachings there too. However, so much of it gets argued and misinterpreted, for better and for worse. That’s why the words of Jesus Christ are so important - EVERYTHING should be based on His words. If we are to save the immortal souls of others, as well as our own, we should be listening to what our Savior is trying to teach us Himself.
The world’s facing a lot of upheaval and pain right now, We need to support each other, to love one another, so that our Father’s love and peace can be shared to everyone, as He calls us to do.
In closing, I encourage you all to read through this passage, 1 Corinthians 13. While not the words of Christ, these words echo His intentions for us, and I pray they offer you the same peace and comfort I have drawn from them.
ryukodragon
