im new here

[VociMike]

1) i am not confrontational and appreciate civil discussions

I salute you for that attitude

2) im not exactly sure why im asking some one apologetic… what are you apologizing for?

It’s just the technical term for explaining matters of faith.

3) im gay, i have no problem with my sexuality, ive tried girls, theyre just not for me… that said, why am i supposed to be condemned to hell for something that im not in control of, even having tried the “grass on the other side”?

You are not condemned to hell for something you are not in control of. You may (as may any person) choose hell, that is, choose yourself over God. That is a choice every person is in control of.

4) i also recognize that there is no way to prove or disprove the existence of god, so why bother?

I’ll ignore the concept of “proving or disproving” and just talk about “deciding”. The reason you should bother is that it is clearly the most important question in any person’s life. The answer to the question “Is there a God, what is He like, and what does He say to us?” determines the entire path of a person’s life. The fact that you’re here suggests that you have at least a vague understanding of the importance of that question.

5) my lifes motto is live and let live… whos with me?!?

Live how? Live why? Let live how?

 

[adnauseum]

iamme:

i am not confrontational

iamme:

man i miss the inquisition…

Grow up.

 

[javelin]

Where to begin??

First, please separate the person from the sin. God condemns sin, as we all should. We cannot condemn a person, however. Your sin is your aversion to God. You are not. You were made pleasing in God’s sight. Your sin, He hates, because it keeps you from Him. It is correct that you have avoided the specific sin of disordered sexual activity (which includes homosexual sex, masturbation, and even contraceptive use), but your unbelief in God, manifested in your knowing disobedience to His law, means your soul is dead to Him, and unable to receive any spiritual gifts He wishes to grant.

The Good News is that as soon as you turn to Him, renounce your sinful ways, and are baptised (provided you have yet to be baptised), your spirit is rekindled and renewed by God’s Grace, and you can begin to receive the spiritual benefits He has planned for you.

Hurst spoke well when he said that sin chains us and binds us, alllowing the evil one to control us. It is only by turning from sin that we can see God and accept the Grace He offers us that will free us from the sin that binds. Only when we are free are we able to experience the joy and happiness God designed for us.

But Satan is constantly in our way.

Satan’s primary means of keeping people away from God is by helping us think that we can be happy without God. Statements like:

iamme:

does god want me to live in misery for the next 50 to 60 years?

show that you view the world through the distorted lens that Satan is placing before you. If you really believe that being in a sexual relationship with another man will make you happy, then you are sadly mistaken. It is even mistaken to believe that being in a sexual relationship with a woman will make you happy. People are wrong to think that anything of this world will really make them happy. Money? Power? Food? Sex? Possessions? Fame? Is there any shred of real evidence that those things provide enduring happiness? Even if you do not believe in God, surely you can see that those notions of sure happiness are false? And yet people pursue them as the end-all-be-all of our existence.

Make no mistake, that is how Satan attempts to deceive us.

Only turning your life to a life of service to God can make you happy, for only He can provide true peace and contentment, freeing you from the sin that binds.

It will take time, but if you try to begin consistently making choices to follow God, His love will be manifest to you. God wants you to come home to be with Him, where He can teach you and guide you to a true happiness that will eventually lead to eternal happiness.

Peace,
javelin

 

[NonDenom]

1) i am not confrontational and appreciate civil discussions
2) im not exactly sure why im asking some one apologetic… what are you apologizing for?
3) im gay, i have no problem with my sexuality, ive tried girls, theyre just not for me… that said, why am i supposed to be condemned to hell for something that im not in control of, even having tried the “grass on the other side”?
4) i also recognize that there is no way to prove or disprove the existence of god, so why bother?
5) my lifes motto is live and let live… whos with me?!?

Hi iamme
I will try to address your statement or questions in the order you have made them.
First of all welcome to the forum.
Second, I have asked the same question to Catholics. Why do you need a book other than the Bible to explain why you’re a Christian? I have not gotten a good answer as of yet, but I am hopeful that I will.
Third, God can help you with your problem, just as he can with any problem if we truly and sincerely look to him for help. The problem is that most of us would rather stay in our sin because it’s easier and we are selfish by nature. Homosexuality is not something we are born with, it’s simply our preference. It’s like regular or decaf, boxers or briefs, you said that you’ve tried woman but there not for you, that is not your preference. If a 24 year old were to tell you that they wanted to have sex with a ten
year old, you would say that they have got some problems wouldn’t you? What if they told you that they have tried older people but that’s just not for them?
Forth, We are here on this planet by only one of two ways. Either we are here totally by chance, or we were created.
Our ancestors are either tadpoles or those mentioned in the scriptures. Evolution says that Man came from Apes, if that were true why are there still Apes? If the Big Bang theory were true how could one big giant ball explode into a bunch of smaller balls that we call planets, moons, and stars? Wouldn’t they be sharp, jagged and splintered instead of rotating spheres? I think that if you would sit down and ask God to help you with all the questions you have, you might be supprised how many he will answer for you, but you must do it with an open heart. I will be praying for you my friend.
Thanks.

 

[adnauseum]

NonDenom:

I have not gotten a good answer [to sola scriptura] as of yet

Oh, you’ve gotten many good answers.

The issue is whether you allowed yourself to hear them.

 

[BlindSheep]

iamme:

1. i am not confrontational and appreciate civil discussions

That’s nice. I also appreciate civil discussions, but believe that charitable confrontation has it’s place.

1. im not exactly sure why im asking some one apologetic… what are you apologizing for?

Apologetics and apologizing have the same root, but they are not the same word.
Apologetics

1. 
   *]The branch of theology that is concerned with defending or proving the truth of Christian doctrines.
   
   1. 
      *]
      *]Formal argumentation in defense of something, such as a position or system.
      

      1. im gay, i have no problem with my sexuality, ive tried girls, theyre just not for me… that said, why am i supposed to be condemned to hell for something that im not in control of, even having tried the “grass on the other side”?

      No one is condemned to hell for things they are not in control of. You probably aren’t in control of your feelings of sexual attraction (I’m not in control of mine), but you are in control of your actions. Contrary to what popular culture teaches, it is possible to have a full and happy life without sex, and it is possible to be attracted to someone and not act on it.
      

      1. i also recognize that there is no way to prove or disprove the existence of god, so why bother?

      It is actually impossible to prove anything. People generally make decisions based on evidence, which includes personal experience. If you are interested in learning whether God exists, try asking Him.
      

      1. my lifes motto is live and let live… whos with me?!?

      Sure…but when I see somebody endangering themselves, I have a responsiblity to warn them. You, for instance, would place yourself in great physical, emotional and spiritual danger by acting on your homosexual attractions; I have a responsibility to say something, just as I would have a responsibility to warn a blind person who was about to walk off a cliff. If you choose to disregard warnings, you are responsible if you end up harming yourself.
      God loves you; he doesn’t want you to live as a slave to disordered and addictive sexual impulses. True happiness is only found in God, not in self indulgence…the choice is yours. Perhaps some day you will realize your error before it is too late, for as St. Augustine said, our hearts are restless until they rest in God.

 

[Liberalsaved]

FightingFat:

I think we place waaaaaaaay to much importance on this! Live and let live!

There’s more of us!

 

[catsrus]

Question:
Why would a self decribed “gay” and non believer of any stripe join a Catholic Answers forum if he does not want Catholic answers?

 

[scylla]

Welcome to the forums, as you have seen there are nice people here and some who are kinda rude sometimes.

Not only are there Catholics but there are non-catholics so sometimes it does take some distilling to find out what is Catholic belief and what isn’t.

Here is a link to a Catholic site for homosexuals.
We do not condemn you and invite you to learn more about the Church Jesus Christ founded.
couragerc.net/

If you feel like PM’s some of us Catholics who invite you feel free to many of us are happy to answer questions.

There is a solid answer for every question posted, regardless of what posters like Nondenom has said.
We have responded to his questions with solid answers and he has consistantly ignored our posts and twisted Catholic belief to misrepresent it and disagree with it. I see that you have posted in a more charitable way and I invite you to ask away with your questions.

Nondenom, please be more honest and if we have ignored your questions call us on it. There is a solid answer to every question, please open your heart to stop slandering the Catholic Church, it is unchristian and uncharitable.

God Bless
Scylla

 

[ElizabethAnne]

iamme,

You have said that you feel targeted “more than anyone else.” I really feel for you and can understand why you are upset by the cruelties you endured.

You seem to have very mixed feelings about God. On one hand you have decided that you cannot prove that He exists and do not seek a relationship with Him. On the other you are jealous of those who have faith in God.

I would encourage you to reach out toward God. He is watching over you, loves you and wants the very best for you. He does not say that you are an “abomination.”

As many posters have mentioned, God does not have a problem with anyone being homosexual, and the Church does not teach that homosexuality is a choice. It is any sexual act outside of marriage that is immoral. This can be a very difficult teaching of God and the Church to understand, but it certainly does not mean that all homosexuals are going to be damned. But they are all called to live chastely, as everyone is called to do.

God does “tolerate” your decision to live the way you want. He gave us free will for that reason. But as I said before, God wants what is best for you, so He does have a plan in mind for you. For that reason, God gave us the prophets, the Bible and Jesus to help us understand how to best live here in this world so that we can be with Him in the next.

On another note, God does not change His mind because He is not a fallible human being. We change our minds based on new information and new experiences. God knows and experiences all. He is timeless; therefore, he cannot change His mind.

God bless you and welcome to these forums!

 

[iamme]

catsrus:

Question:
Why would a self decribed “gay” and non believer of any stripe join a Catholic Answers forum if he does not want Catholic answers?

knowning nothing of catholocism, it seems to me i havent received any “catholic” answwers, but answers tinted with prejudice and intolerance… i have yet to hear where god, in the context of this day and age has said that i must repent my “sinful” urgings in order tobe saved and live in the kingdom of heaven…
and for the third time, when your kid says he is gay, what will you do if he refuses to change (like he has a choice)?

 

[hurst]

ElizabethAnne:

As many posters have mentioned, God does not have a problem with anyone being homosexual,

On the contrary, the Church teaches that homosexuality is an objective disorder. In other words, it is not pleasing to God. While we are called to be compassionate for those who struggle with it, they are called to overcome it as much as they are able.

ElizabethAnne:

and the Church does not teach that homosexuality is a choice. It is any sexual act outside of marriage that is immoral.

You must have made a typo here. It sounds like you are saying that such acts are not a choice, which is obviously untrue.

ElizabethAnne:

God does “tolerate” your decision to live the way you want. He gave us free will for that reason. But as I said before, God wants what is best for you, so He does have a plan in mind for you.

God does tolerate us, but we are all called to do penance, for He has appointed a day of judgment.

Acts 17:30 And God indeed having winked at the times of this ignorance, now declareth unto men, that all should every where do penance.31 Because he hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in equity, …

If God is giving us time, it is so we can seek His mercy and be converted back to Him. He does not tolerate it in order that we remain obstinate.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord delayeth not his promise, as some imagine, but dealeth patiently for your sake, not willing that any should perish, but that all should return to penance.

hurst

 

[iamme]

i was looking for insightful discusssion here, and while there have been quite a few of you who have been able to hold their ground without being disrespectful to my opinions, there have also been several others who take the stance of intolerance and condemnation that is not theirs to take… they believe that because theyve read a book, that they can speak for god, and to be honest, the…
its just the hypocrisy makes it hard to breathe… i wish you all well in your endeavors…

 

[scylla]

iamme:

knowning nothing of catholocism, it seems to me i havent received any “catholic” answwers, but answers tinted with prejudice and intolerance… i have yet to hear where god, in the context of this day and age has said that i must repent my “sinful” urgings in order tobe saved and live in the kingdom of heaven…
and for the third time, when your kid says he is gay, what will you do if he refuses to change (like he has a choice)?

If my kid said that they were gay, I as a Catholic would love them anyways.
I would help them live out a chaste and dedicated life in service of God.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
In Christ
Scylla

 

[Myangel]

I am gobsmacked at some of the replies here. Whether we are catholic/christian or not, whether we believe in God or not, there is one thing we ALL believe in, THATS LOVE! How about showing some in these posts!

 

[Mijoy2]

iamme:

to be truthful, my “problem” with god is that ive had 7 of my best friends die by the time i was 22, as well as watching my entire church excommunicate my mother because she had an affair… they did so because god said what she did put her out of his eyes… im agnostic because im too smart for my own good… ive seen too much of this world to blindly follow something that cannot be proven… BUT i cant disprove the possiblilty, so im not going to worry about it either way…

also, mortal sin = hellbound…

on yet another note (damn im long winded) there is no greater showing of love than the physical act, correct, so when i do fall in love, i will consummate it, nor will i regret it, simply because it will be an act of love, not lust, not because im horny, but because im in love, which is more than i can say for most of my christian friends who are having premarital sex with several different people, but hey, where is it my place to say what theyre doing is wrong?

I am very sorry about your friends, as well as your mother. Your mother sinned. God forgives all our repented sins. I hope your mother has found her way back to the church.

Iamme, I know you won’t accept this as stated immediately, however the Church is about love. I doubt there is anything any one individual on this thread can say to fully inofrm you of the teachings of the Catholic Church. However these teachings are teachings of love. Please keep searching. Read and listen to all you can. Read what Pope John Paul II has to say about love and relationships, read/listen to what Christopher West has to say about such things. Learn that all sex outside of marriage is sinful, not just homosexual sex.

Please do not judge the church based on what some of your Christian friends are doing. You appear quite articulate and intelligent I know you can see through that way of thinking.

The church teaches love. The Love that comes from Christ. This love is not always obvious. These teachings can be difficult. More difficult for some then for others. One often has to dig beneath the surface to find the Truth in these teachings.

By the way, God does not necassarily want us to be happy at all costs. God’s plan for us is not that we are happy here in this world. God promises us joy and peace that can only come from following Him. God’s plan for us is our eteranl happiness. Certainly not our worldly happiness. Our hearts are restless untill they rest in Him. He is where your happiness is resting, waiting for you.

God Bless you, hang in there, keep searching, praying and reading. I pray for the day you can see that Christ’s church is all about love.

 

[Liberalsaved]

By the way, God does not necassarily want us to be happy at all costs. God’s plan for us is not that we are happy here in this world. God promises us joy and peace that can only come from following Him. God’s plan for us is our eteranl happiness. Certainly not our worldly happiness. Our hearts are restless untill they rest in Him. He is where your happiness is resting, waiting for you.

This never sat well with me. If God doesn’t want us to be happy here, then what’s the point? If He wants us to always be working toward Heaven, why not just put us there? Because if we were not here before-hand, then God is not granting us any special reward that we existed without for any time. What He is doing, by that logic, is putting us on a hamster wheel and watching us run for his own fulfillment. It’s a game: give us all this great stuff, but if you enjoy any of it in ways I say you can’t, then you get to go to Hell. But if you’re good, I’ll put you in Heaven.

But if God created us, you see my problem. Why would a benevolent God create something he intends to not be fully happy, AKA this world? It makes no sense.

 

[Mijoy2]

iamme:

on yet another note (damn im long winded) there is no greater showing of love than the physical act?

no no no no no no, Iamme, this simply is not true. As wonderful as the marital embrace is it is not the greatest “showing of Love”. I’d venture to say sacrifice for the sake of love is the greatest showing of love. With Jesus’s sacrifice for us being the absolute greatest of all. He carried His cross for you and me. He asks us to take up ours, yours is a very heavy cross Iamme. Therefore you get to rejoice more for carrying it.

Iamme, I agree with you, you were mistreated here. Generally speaking. This thread is not indicitive of these forums overall. I hope you stickaround and get to converse with some of the very charitable people here who are much more theologically knowledgable then I.

 

[Mijoy2]

Liberalsaved:

This never sat well with me. If God doesn’t want us to be happy here, then what’s the point? If He wants us to always be working toward Heaven, why not just put us there? Because if we were not here before-hand, then God is not granting us any special reward that we existed without for any time. What He is doing, by that logic, is putting us on a hamster wheel and watching us run for his own fulfillment. It’s a game: give us all this great stuff, but if you enjoy any of it in ways I say you can’t, then you get to go to Hell. But if you’re good, I’ll put you in Heaven.

But if God created us, you see my problem. Why would a benevolent God create something he intends to not be fully happy, AKA this world? It makes no sense.

LiberalSaved, have your read the Gospels? God wants us to be infinately happy. Yet He knows our happiness rests in Him. It’s our attachments to the world that make us unhappy. He is willing to allow us to find this out for ourselves…thus our unhappiness.

I wish I had more time. God did not create us to be smiling gremlins. This took a long while for me to learn and accept. As I have heard mentioned, one of the most joyful persons to ever walk this earth was Mother Teresa. Certainly not because she was pursuing her own “happiness”.

 

[BlindSheep]

iamme:

i was looking for insightful discusssion here, and while there have been quite a few of you who have been able to hold their ground without being disrespectful to my opinions, there have also been several others who take the stance of intolerance and condemnation that is not theirs to take… they believe that because theyve read a book, that they can speak for god, and to be honest, the…
its just the hypocrisy makes it hard to breathe… i wish you all well in your endeavors…

Hmm - people throw the term “hypocricy” around so easily, about things they have no way of knowing.
People here have encouraged you to remain celibate. How do you know that none of us are celibate?
Sorry you didn’t find what you were looking for here (an excuse to do whatever you like, maybe?).