God and Homosexuality [Frequently Asked Questions/Much Needed Answers]

"The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals and 362
admonishments to heterosexuals. That doesn't mean God doesn't love
heterosexuals. It's just that they need more supervision."

You understand you're going to hell don't you?

I was taught that God loves me just the way I am, no matter what. So
why on Earth would a good and loving God create ten percent of people
with a sex drive oriented towards the same sex and at the same time
condem them to hell for it? The logic of condeming people for how they
were born Is just backward. It's like when they used to blame lepers
or mentally ill people, claiming God was punishing them. Why should I
believe I'm sick or sinful or going to he'll for something I didn't
choose or change?

It's not proven people are born gay.

It's not proven people are born straight, either, but no one
challenges them about it.

But homosexuality is unnatural.

Do you know that homosexual courtship, mating, AND parenting are
scientifically documented in more than four hundred and fifty animal
species, that God created SINLESS?
What is unnatural is homophobia. Homo spaidens are the only species in
all of nature that responds with hate to homosexuality.

But what about AIDS? Isn't that God's punishment for gay people?

First of all, I don't believe in a sadistic God who thinks up ways to
punish us. Is that what you believe in?

No. But I think he tries to tell us when were doing something wrong.

Through cruelty? I think that's the wrong image of God, the one Jesus
came to correct. I believe suffering is just a bad part of life-
EVERYBODY'S life. As Jesus said in Matthew: God "makes his sun rise on
the evil and on the good, and sends rain upon the just and the unjust."
And as for the AIDS, it's hurt a lot more straight than gay people,
including millions of innocent children: not sinners! And did you
realize lesbians have the lowest HIV/AIDs rate of any group? If AIDs
is a punishment from God, then he must LOVE lesbians! To link gay
people and AIDs is simply ignorant.

Okay, then, but what about "love the sinner, hate the sin"?

What about it? I mean, think about it. Isn't it like saying, "I love
left-handed people but hate that they are left handed."
Is that really love? Or is that saying, "I'm willing to love you as
I'd want you to be, not as you are"? Either Gods love is unconditional
or it's not. Besides, did Jesus ever say, "hate the sin?" or was his
message, "love the sinner and forgive sins, for who of you is without
sin?"

Yes, but he also said, "Go and sin no more." You think we should just
let people do whatever they want and stand by doing nothing?

No. If somebody is obviously hurting someone, including yourself, of
course you should stop them. But if I am loving another guy, who am I
hurting?

When you sin, you hurt God, others, and yourself.

How is love between two people a sin? Love isn't about gender; it's
about two souls uniting. But okay, let's suppose it is a sin. Then
isn't that between God and the people involved? Who are you to judge?
Isn't that the whole point in John's story of the woman taken into
adultery? Time and time again, Jesus' message was "How can you say,
'Let me take the speck out of your eye' when there is the log in your
own?"
You know the most amazing thing about Jesus? It's not that he
performed miracles. It's that he was who he was, no matter what. He
raged at religious leaders, questioned prophets, and challenged
teachers to stop being dishonest hypocrites, knowing he'd get slammed
for it. Jesus hung out with outcasts and sinners because they weren't
pretending to be anything other than who they were. He had the courage
to be himself, everytime he encountered someone- whether it was a
leper or a temple leader, a fisherman or a rich young ruler. He was
true to who he was-always and everywhere. And thats what he calls US
to do! To follow Jesus means that WE'VE got to be real! Jesus didn't
only COMMAND us to love God, one another, and ourselves. He SHOWED us
how: by being himself, by being real, whether he was accepting the
cheers of the palm-waving crowd or later hanging on the cross,
questioning God and forgiving those who jeered him.
His message stayed the same: Be true to who you are, knowing the cost.
How else can you worship the Creator of all being, the great "I Am,"
except by being the person that God created you to be? I think WE'VE
created God in OUR image, instead of the other way around. It's like
we've built this little box and tried to cram the infinity of God into
it, too afraid that if we let him out, he might challenge us too much.
Then we'd have to crucify and kill him. That sounds familiar... I
think I read about this actually happening once, about two thousand
years ago.

[Comments, Questions, Viewpoints ETC. all apreciated! And sorry for posting two different topics near the same time!]