Is it a sin to be a gay
While I very much want to praise this wise approach and helpful article, there was a statement made that I ponder deserves to be highlighted due to its significance and its increasing frequency. At one indicate, Dr. Prince stated that a homosexual man is "really no different than a man who struggles with heterosexual sexually immoral desires." In responding to this provocative statement, there are some important ways in which it is true:
- homosexual and heterosexual desires equally violate Scripture (i.e. the 7th Commandment)
- homosexual and heterosexual desires equally need to be opposed, following Scriptural advice (flee, create a covenant with your eyes, etc.)
- homosexual and heterosexual sins equally condemn us as sinners and place us under the call for of Christ's redeeming work; both are sins that are atoned for by the blood of Christ for those who believe.
- homosexual and heterosexual sinners are equally valued and loved in the church as their pursuit of sanctification is embraced and assisted.
There are, however, some ways in which homosexual and heterosexual sin (in
Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: Roman Catholic Church
BACKGROUND
The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination in the world, with approximately billion members across the globe. With its origins in the earliest days of Christianity, the Church traces its leadership––in the person of the Pope––to St. Peter, identified by Jesus as “the rock” on which the Church would be built.
The Catholic Church in the United States numbers over 70 million members, and is organized in 33 Provinces, each led by an archbishop. Each bishop answers directly to the Pope, not to an archbishop. Those Provinces are further divided into dioceses, each led by a bishop. At the base of the organizational structure are local parishes, headed by a pastor, appointed by the local bishop. The Conference of Catholic Bishops in the United States meets semi-annually.
As part of a global organization with its institutional center at the Vatican, the Catholic Church in America is shaped by worldwide societal and cultural trends. It is further shaped by leaders that is entirely male, with w
Homosexuality
Throughout history, Jewish and Christian scholars acquire recognized that one of the main person sins involved in God’s destruction of Sodom was its people’s homosexual habit. But today, certain homosexual activists promote the idea that the sin of Sodom was merely a lack of hospitality. Although inhospitality is a sin, it is clearly the homosexual deed of the Sodomites that is singled out for exceptional criticism in the account of their city’s destruction. We must look to Scripture’s own understanding of the sin of Sodom.
Jude 7 records that Sodom and Gomorrah “acted immorally and indulged in unnatural lust.” Ezekiel says that Sodom committed “abominable things” (Ezek. ), which could consult to homosexual and heterosexual acts of sin. Lot even offered his two virgin daughters in place of his guests, but the men of Sodom rejected the propose, preferring homosexual sex over heterosexual sex (Gen. –9). But the Sodom incident is not the only time the Old Testament deals with homosexuality. An explicit condemnation is found in the book of Leviticus: “You shall not lie with a m
Same-Sex Attraction
Same-sex attraction refers to emotional, physical, or sexual attraction to a person of the same gender. The intended meaning of gender in the family proclamation is biological sex at birth. The trial of same-sex attraction is not the same for everyone. Some people may feel exclusively attracted to the same gender, while others may feel attracted to both genders.
The Church distinguishes between same-sex attraction and homosexual behavior. People who experience same-sex attraction or identify as homosexual, lesbian, or bisexual can make and keep covenants with God and fully and worthily participate in the Church. Identifying as gay, lesbian, or bi or experiencing same-sex attraction is not a sin and does not prohibit one from participating in the Church, holding callings, or attending the temple.
Sexual purity is an inherent part of God’s schedule for our happiness. Sexual relations are reserved for a man and miss who are married and promise complete loyalty to each other. Sexual relations between a man and woman who are not married, or between people o