Clearly this is a problem area. For so many of us we have been clobbered our entire lives with passages from the Bible. For some, whether God is real or not does not matter because if He is real, He hates LGBT people.
Animosity has become full grown in many peoples hearts which makes it next to impossible to proselytize our community. I am extremely religious (though make no mistakes, I am still very much human and sin daily, I still screw up!) and even I still cannot talk with most of my Christian brothers.
So let's not talk to straight Christians. Let's talk amongst ourselves about God. Why should we be starved of fellowship because others misunderstand the Bible? I don't know about you but I have never been one to allow someone else to control my thoughts, religion is no different!
Is God real? For me, yes. Every person has their own standard that they have for themselves. Their "burden of proof". Every says to themselves "I will believe there is a God if I see...this", whatever "this" is. For me that proof has been provided. For others, its another kind of proof. The good news is this, if you seek, you shall find. If you don't seek, He may just find you anyway. God is real. He exists in my world.
Does God love you? Yup. He made you! You are not the result of a curse, a mistake, or past sin. God knows that we are always seeking concrete truth. Knowledge. When most of mankind thinks they have most things figured out, God uses the smallest subject to show just how little we really know about Him or the world He created. We as LGBT people are created by God, people are always looking to establish hierarchical social structures. But, you cannot be above your neighbor unless you first believe that they are lower then you. People need to believe that God loves them because of what they do, did or have potential to do. When in fact God loves us because He made us. No other reason exists.
As a parent who must watch as their beloved children make mistake after mistake so is God with us. He knows that true love is not commanded but given. He cannot require us to love Him in return. Like children who rebel for a time from their parents, so are we with God. Thankfully, He understands.
No matter how "bad" you have been, no matter what kind of seedy, awful things you are involved in right now, He is with you, lovingly waiting to be apart of your life, even when your doing the wrong thing.
God stopped "turning His back" on us when Jesus was crucified because at that moment our sin was taken care of. Its done. Do your best, know you will still be loved, even when you fall short.
I know religion is a sore spot for many LGBT people. I get it. But, we have an equal right to God just as we are and I hate the fact that people has perverted the Word of God to make His love and Salvation conditional. We have a right to fellowship, use it.
With Love
Jeff Utnage
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