I am a 21 year old female born and raised in the most conservative county in all of Texas. That being said, I felt compelled to share my story as it relates to the notion that "being gay is a gift from God" because this have Truly been my experience.
Four years ago it was suggested to me to write a wish list to God. I was to write all of the qualities I wanted in a mate so that I knew what I was looking for and I could see God's will more clearly. The first time I did this the list included things such as, "My ideal mate must be funny, a non-smoker, kind, and A MAN! etc...". I prayed daily for the ability to know God's will for me in all areas of my life and for the courage to carry that out. Along the way I dated an array of guys who I seemed to all fit my "perfect mate list", but none of these relationships seemed to complement my spirit or to hold any real depth and weight.
Since then, I have updated my list many times, and it has grown as I have grown. This last time I revisited my list I took A LEAP OF FAITH! I crossed out a quality that I had once been very attached to. I divorced myself of the thought that my ideal mate had to be a MALE. Instead I decided to leave it up to God! I figured God knew my heart and would bring someone into my life that would compliment me.
I have now been in a same-sex relationship for the past year and a half and the journey has been unbelievable, I have been challenged to grow closer to myself, my partner, and God. My spirit has been complemented by a person whom I could have completely missed out on had I lived in fear and thought I knew better than God. Deciding to be in a relationship with a woman was less of a Choice and more of an act of Faith. Thank God for helping me to grow past my self centered fear so that I could be open to accepting the kind of Love that I didn't expect to find in this lifetime.

Living in the sunlight of the spirit,

Courtney B.
Plano, TX

You come across as being absolutely sure of yourself. Are you a minister? Did you study in a seminary or other religious educational organization?

Are you aware of what pleases God?

It saddens me that you would love to live a life without restraints and choose whatever makes you "feel good" and somehow cannot. I'm sure you know (as most humans do just from the growing up process) that "acting out" or misbehaving has a very brief "feel good" and a very long "feel bad" to it. It makes one feel disappointed in oneself. Being gay is not "acting out" it is as real and normal to the gay person as being straight is to the straight person. Perhaps if we talked about left-handedness and right-handedness we could come to an understanding. Think of it as an allegory similar to something Jesus would say. While you can certainly beat a child enough he or she will no longer pick up a pencil with their left hand, it does not change their left-handedness, odd as it may seem to those of us who are right-handed.

"Misbehavior" is quite different than saying that being who you are, from birth, is all this horrible "abomination against the body and a sin" and anyone who says so "lacks wisdom" that you are saying it is. That's quite a statement.

Do you have any degrees in Theology to back all this up, or are you possibly just scared that these ministers of God have made errors that might bring on the Wrath of the God you claim is Love? I think that this latter statement is what is the motivation behind what you write, since you say it in different words.

Maybe you could consider the possibility that God will not hold you accountable for the sins of others? Allow God to be the judge?

Just some thoughts. What do you think?

In and of my own-self questions are always varying so I do not offer you my own thoughts concerning this serious matter. With all respect I am absolutely sure of Gods position on the acts of sin in the area of homosexuality. This sexual sin includes fornication, adultery, orgies, sex with animals, children, relatives and other things. I have included what God says and not what I say concerning homosexuality. The fact still remains that I can not judge you or anyone else, it is only for God to judge. It is for me to uplift and freely give His word to all people with respect. It is your choice to believe Gods word or choose not to. My hope is that you choose to believe Gods word today in the matter of homosexuality.

No, I do not have Theology degrees to offer you. But what I extend to you is far greater than degrees and that is Gods holy word. My previous statement was that many us would like to live a life without restraints and doing our own thing (as long as we are not hurting anyone). However, when you live for Christ you must take on His ways, and His life for you. Oftentimes we want to believe that we know more than God and can make better decisions for ourselves than He can. God in His AWESOMENESS gives us a free will to accept His life for us or not. The problem with the or not is that the consequences lead to destruction and even eternal death. My aim is not to debate your choice rather offer you Gods word and revelation concerning His word. Afterwhich, you make your own choice.

So as only a daughter that loves God I offer you His word, revelation and insight on how He views all sexual sin, not just homosexuality. My only prayer is that all who struggles (including me) in any form of sexual sin find Jesus and His overwhelming love to remove the sin from our lives. If we confess with our mouth our sins, repent (truly turn away), and receive Jesus way for our life journey, He will forgive and restore us. Be well and take care.

Sorry, about the delay in my response.

qz5dqs

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Leviticus 18 (Recommended to read the entire chapter - NIV Bible Version)

Unlawful Sexual Relations

18:²⁴ " 'Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. ²⁵ Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. ²⁶ But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the aliens living among you must not do any of these detestable things, ²⁷ for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. ²⁸ And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.

18:²⁹ " 'Everyone who does any of these detestable things-such persons must be cut off from their people. ³⁰ Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the LORD your God.' "

Leviticus 18:22 " 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.

1 Corinthians 6:9
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the *sex*ually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders

Romans 1:24
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to *sex*ual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another

Being gay is NOT a gift from God, but rather an abomination against the body and a sin. Anyone who makes the statement that any sin is a gift from God truly lacks wisdom and not aware of what pleases God.

Your self proclamation says it all. Here is the thing, each and every one of us, is a gift. The gift is life. The added benefit of life is realizing that there always will be and there always has been differences between people, be they race, creed, or sexual preference. Please note, not prurience, sexual preference. That which works for you or I, might well not work for someone else. I am in no way, privy to the creative force/god almighty/Jah/God/the Creative Energy in the universes personal ideals.

Something stricks me though in your statement - sanctimoniousness.

In each creation of being there is an aspect, a flame, a part of the collective prism which is the universe trying to understand itself, to express itself in a life well lived.Do understand, that not everyone is going to live it, as YOU see fit. Being prejudicial is a selectivity game and in so doing, you are actually hurting yourself. Before the witch hunt begins, I am straight, but that has nothing to do with what my neighbours select to do and or whom they decide to be with.

What do I ask of them? That they be good. That they be kind. That they be an excellent representation of what we all should be. Sexuality is a facet, only a facet of who we are. We wholescale apply brimstone and treacle to everyone because they don't share your views is the height of ignorance - myopia in its worst forms. Do not attempt to quote a sacred document, designed as a means to show you how to conduct your psychological life as a human being as the word specifically of god. Most ,if not all such documentation, some having better PR than others are designed to help we, the people, the beings evolve emotionally and the tenets set out, ever so long ago are like life itself, it must constant evolve or die.

Mankind is multifaceted because the creative force is multifaceted. People, ways of being could not exist, if it were not meant to be so. Nothing in life is that black and white...life is predominantly gray, my dear. Tend your own garden. In it you will find the rectification needed and less of the harping and willful need ot correct others.

I would suggest less time spent being vindictive, dictatorial and vituperative and more time, harvesting that which pleases your aspect of the creative force and let others take care of their own business. There are two forces in the universe, love and apathy...mistakenly called hate. Nurture love. It is all that matters.

Namaste

Shall we try something different? How about thinking for yourself. Very selective are the passages chosen. You skipped all the lovely bits about slavery, beating the crap out of your wife, being cruel and fearful all those lovely bits.

Less of the pedantic and more of the thinking rational and loving acceptance of differences. Note, differences not prurience.

Your way is not the only way and never should it ever be so. Diversity is everything. This stolid need to adhere to words written in a dynamic appropriate to a time period over 2,000 year ago need and must evolve. Oh it is a nice safe space to have reference, but reference without real thought is the single most dangerous form of ignorance known to mankind.

Let us not even go into warfare done in the name of God, because you see, God so cares about the name and so amazing really how much is written about an entity, a wondrous creative entity that is negative, harsh, unkind. Sorry, don't believe in that God. That one is man made.

Less of the doctrine and more of the understanding, if you please. Understand what is truly meant. Associate the time period and edict and the purpose of why it was written, in the time it was written and the society we live in. If you look carefully, all these documents of doctrine, despite country, despite time have core tenets and yet, it is amusing to note, how often we pander to the vindictive aspects of the common them of "US versus THEM".

Sorry, not buying into it, one iota. Having said that...Namaste

Look it up sometime.