OKay, I just watched the Meet the Faith: black homophobia.........And what I have to say about this is the fact how one can try to bring the down about speakin out about homosexuality. I'm 19 years old and I've been in the church my entire life. Now I may not know every single scriputre inside the bible but I do know one that is relevant to this topice. Genesis chapter 19 CLEARLY states what God thinks about homosexuality. And even then we can go back to Genesis chapter 5 verse 1 simply states that God created man after his own image.....I never ever read anywhere where God was after a man. Okay I know that some people may say "Well the Old Testament was different" Okay fine lets go to the New Testament....1Chorinthians 6:9-10: Romans 1:26-27. And thats just a few!!! Now as far as homosexuality being natural...NO WAY, NEVA HEARD OF IT! It is not inate to be gay. Homosexuality is a choice. Now God still loves the people because He made them, but He does NOT love the act. People have a free will. Bottom line. But in the end you WILL be judged by EVERYTHING YOU do.

And as far as clegery being on the "down low" or speaking out on certain things and then being caught......They are not real men/women of God......and they will be judge.

I also watched the show and I was APPALLED that the bishop said that it was okay to be a married homosexual. that is utterly rididculous. And to the other man and Sheryl Lee Ralph who claim to be christians and say that no where in the bible does it say anything about homsexuality being bad, well here is a lilttle something for all to read that I came across..... There are those who like to say that the Bible does not condemn homosexuality. Various verses are cited (out of context) and the verses that people use to show that homosexuality is wrong are explained away. The world wants to change God's words and meanings into something more suitable to its sinful desires. Nevertheless, the truth stands: The Bible condemns homosexuality as a sin. Let's look at what it says. Lev. 18:22, "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination." Lev. 20:13, "If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltness is upon them" 1 Cor. 6:9-10, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God." Rom. 1:26-28, "For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 28And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper." Homosexuality is clearly condemned by the Bible. It goes against the created order of God. He created Adam and then made a woman. This is what God has ordained and it is what is right. Unlike other sins, homosexuality has a severe judgment administered by God Himself. This judgment is simple: They are given over to their passions. That means that their hearts are allowed to be hardened by their sins (Romans 1:18ff). As a result, they can no longer see the error of what they are doing. Without an awareness of their sinfulness, there will be no repentance and trusting in Jesus. Without Jesus, they will have no forgiveness. Without forgiveness, there is no salvation. What should be the Christian's Response to the Homosexual? Just because someone is a homosexual does not mean that we cannot love him (or her) or pray for him (her). Homosexuality is a sin and like any other sin, it needs to be dealt with in the only way possible. It needs to be laid at the cross, repented of, and never done again. As a Christian, you should pray for the salvation of the homosexual the same you would any other person in sin. The homosexual is still made in the image of God -- even though he is in grave sin. Therefore, you should show him same dignity as anyone else you come in contact with. However, this does not mean that you are to approve of their sin. Don't compromise your witness for a socially acceptable opinion that is void of godliness.

OMG! Your comment cameron was SO good! Someone else also commented that if we refrain from telling our kids not to steal or lie or whatever b/c we think we'd offend then, we'd be wrong. SO TRUE! The Bible says the Word of God IS an offense. That's okay. We all have to hear it, whether we struggle with lying, stealing, bad attititudes, fornication, OR homosexuality. Homosexuality is not the only sin, BUT it IS a sin as declared by God. After watching "Meet The Faith" today I was upset that there were not any representation of those TRULY acknowledging homosexuality as a sin. If you're gonna have commentary, it should be equal. Not fair Meet the Faith. All sides should be equally represented. The church is only saying what it's ALWAYS SAID and that is that homosexuality is wrong according to God, just like other sin. The issue is gay folks don't want to hear it, just like most people doing wrong don't want to hear it. If you're serious about living for God you will be lead by the Holy Sprirt and the Word regardless of how much it hurts to let what YOU want to do go. I've had to relinquish behaviors too. If we say we love God and commit to living for Christ, we should be more than willing to stop whatever He says stop. Anyway, I agree with this comment, if gay people feel ostricized, you cannot blame the church. On one hand people want a church that preaches and lives the Word of God, but on the other hand, people want to do their own thing. Since when do we have to like the truth? The truth is not always easy to swallow. Please stop blaming the church for the "down-low" syndrome. People should step up to the plate and let people you deal with know about your lifestyle AND if you call yourself Christian, then without preconception GET IN THE WORD and stop worrying about those who are hypocrites. They have to answer to God for their mess, He'll take care of them, unless they repent, believe me. We each have to stand before Him for ourselves. God Bless! ps God does not hate the person but he hates the sin!

The problem with most of us is we will pick up a book like On the down low. and let that determine that all men are leading some secret life outside of his relationship with his spouse. Not true the devil insteals fear in us,  fear is not from God,  and because the Anti Christ (Satan) is building a kingdom as well.  I sit and I look a us allowing  the emney get us to argue about this subject. There is no argument  Homosexuality is directly linked to the Anti - Christ  Two men or two women can not pro create anything .No one is born gay if they  would admit something happen to them in their developmental years, Maybe a  absentee father or mother. molestation, someone had to introduce the person to this sin.... The word of God says study to show yourself approved. We do not need to argue about a Spirital beliefs. Nor do we need to cast stones on those who do not belive. Heaven and Earth shall pass away but the word of God will stand. This battle is fought through Gods love and prayer.

I was delivered from this spirit and I believe that God Can deliver many more brothers and sisters is we just believe....We do not have to accept sin, however we are required as Christians to love your brother and your sister. And if they are desired deliverance then we should intervene.....

We are the church...The People.....

May Gods word remain true in your heart.

www.MarioNocentelli.com

 

I look at it like this...for those who view homosexuality as a sin...this is what I feel. The Bible says that no sin is greater than the other..and Jesus himself said let him who is sinless cast the first stone. As a young African American male whose father is a minister and whose parents are divorced, I have witnessed alot of breaking of God's Commandments. Homosexuality may be a sin...okay..and so? The fact is that everyone sins..we are all in the same boat and dealing with the same problem, SIN! While someone may be homosexual and you as an individual judge them and worry about their sin...maybe you should be worring aout yourself and your sin..you may be a liar..every word that comes out of your mouth is a lie..you may be a cheater..a stealer..so the fact is that we all sin..Worry about yourself before you try to check others. Because I bet that you ain't completely in line with the Word of God...no one is. so how can you try to enforce yourself as on whatr is wrong and what is right..when truthfully you ain't right yourself. We as individuals should evaluate ourselves instead of hating and judging others based on our own perception.

I had to edit my previous comment, I assumed the bishop thought that gay marriage was wrong--I missed that part...I DO NOT agree that homosexuals should be married. That IS NOT God's idea for marriage. WHOA Bishop! Please stop misleading the public about what God says.

Black people are not the target of HIV or homosexuality, the sin is the target, and God hates sin.God's Anger at Sin    But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves. For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put his knowledge in their hearts. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people, or birds and animals and snakes. So God let them go ahead and do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies. Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they worshiped the things God made but not the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever. Amen. That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relationships with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men and, as a result, suffered within themselves the penalty they so richly deserved. When they refused to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their evil minds and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are forever inventing new ways of sinnng are disobedient to their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, and are heartless and unforgiving. They are fully aware of God's death penalty for those who do these things, yet they go right ahead and do them anyway. And, worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. Romans 1:18-32God loves the sinner, but he hates the sin!

I agree with Emerald Falcon.  I heard an analogy once that said that the media publishes many accounts of corrupt bankers, but there has not yet been a run on the banks with people removing their funds from the banks.  Why would you judge and entire institution based on a few who have strayed form the faith?

In response to the church's response to homosexuality, I believe that if we imitate the pattern of heaven as demonstrated through Jesus, we would respond to all sinners with love. Homosexuality is sin and in spite of the commentator's thought that the old testament has been used to justify many erroneous judgements against human nature, homosexuality is also deemed a sin several times in the new testament. I believe that the way our religious leaders have addressed and attacked the people who submit to this sin has been completely off the mark.  The way that they are condemning our homosexual brothers and sisters over the pulpit is absolutely horrendous!! The role of the church is to love sinners and lead them to Christ.  The church has been in the business of stripping people of their sin natures with guilt and condemnation, however I have found that when people are lead to a growing relationship with the Lord, that relationship will yield fruit in the form of a holy life that is submitted to the will of God in every area.  When people respond to guilt and condemnation recidivism to sin is almost always guaranteed. Lead our brothers and sisters to a real and growinging relationship with the Lord (not religious traditions) and watch them grow in the things of the Lord with LOVE!!!  You will never even have to mention the words homosexuality and sin in the same sentence, let God do the talking, because He will say everything they need to hear in a way that they will hear and willingly respond to. That's a guarantee!  (It is not guaranteed that they will follow God because we all have free choice, but they will have definitely heard the voice of a loving God before making a choice.)

This doesn't meant that the church should not address sin, but they should address it with the love of Christ and without judgement.

GOOD STUFF Ms. TINKERBELLE! PREACH! :)

Your argument is not with me, your argument is with God. You are right when you say that we all have sinned, and come short of his glory. But this is not based on our own perceptions, The Word of God clearly says that homosexuality is wrong, an adbomination unto God, and he hates it.

Here's a question when we say church are we speaking of the building or the body of Christ? There's a difference, as the body of Christ we are to love everyone has Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour has loved us. He gave his life so that we who believe in Him, Who is the word, Was the Word, Who is God Almighty might live. As a christian I know that homosexuality is wrong. It's a sin in the eyes of God, old Testament and New Testament. God stated that it is wrong for man to lay with another man as with a woman, for it is also wrong for a woman to lay with a woman as with a man. (Old Testament) Genesis 2:24-25 King James . Therefore a MAn shall leave his father and his mother and shall become UNITED and cleave to his WIFE and THEY shall become one flesh; (25) And the man and his wife were both naked and were not embrassed or ashamed in each other's presence. The Lord's plan even in the beginning is designed with marriage between a man and a woman.. (New Testament)1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (9)Do you not know that the unrighteous and the wrongdoers will not inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be decieved (Misled): neither the impure and immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, NOR THOSE WHO PARTICIPATE IN HOMOSEXUALITY, (10)Nor cheats(swindlers and thieves), nor greedy graspers, nor drunkards, nor foulmouthed revilers and slanders, nor extortioners and robbers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God. (11)And such some of you were(Once). But you were washed clean(purifiedby a complete atonement for sin and made free from the guilt of sin), and you were consecrated(set apart) and you were justified(Pronounced righteous, by trusting )in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the (Holy)Spirit of our God. I have a cousin who is a homosexual, I love him with all my heart, but my concern is his salvation, his soul. He knows I live by the word of God, I love him, I pray for him, he knows how my family feels about the practice in his life. He comes around he knows that there are certain conversations that are appropriate, he knows that he needs to comform to us, because we(myself included) have choosen to conform to Jesus Christ! Bible believing christians will not conform to the world, the world must conform to God. The chruch cannot drive homosexuals into secrecy, because if your in secrecy than you already know it's wrong, but now looking for someone to validate and justify what you're doing.

this is so true, it's like througing a brick  it comes right back at u. it's like the temptations put it u shouldn't throw stones if u live in a glass house. this is so true. the churches need to learn from this.

amen to that and why on meet the faith this morning did sheryl lee ralph sugget that disagreeing with a choice that some one makes means you dont love them as christians we love everyone but that doesn't mean we agree with or accept the choices they make christ loved us through our sin but the holy spirit wont enter an unclean temple. it is not the responsibility of the church to change the bible based on men having relationships with women that they dont want for appearance sake. it is holiness or hell and that is it times change not God.

Okay i want to respond to what you've said.....Correct no sin is greater than the other. And one will be judge on what they've done here on earth.....no one is casting any stones....well at least I'm not and I'm sure many will agree that it is written in the Bible that homosexuality is a sin. Just like theft, adultry, lieing....etc....but it is not a so factor. It it UNATURAL and UNCLEAN choice bottom line.