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Original poster

Gay friend is offended that I am a christian....

21 replies

PenelopePitstops · 21/05/2008 23:25

I have a gay friend and earlier in the middle of the football we started discussing religion as you do!

cutting a long story short I said I an a christian, was brought up in a chrisitan home, i don't go to church often but still consider mydself a christian. This then stirred a reaction of Im disgusted with you, you are lining the pockets of people who campaign against me personally etc. I explained these were not my views at all and that I believe there is nothing 'wrong' with gay people. He then started again about how the Archbisop of Canterbury is against all gay people, that the Church of England wont let gay priests in, how they ban gay bishops from their synods etc. I couldn't think of a relevant argument against this other than that is not what I believe, and everyone has their own fait regardless of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on this/ arguments either way

OP posts:

SmugColditz · 21/05/2008 23:26

He doesn't get to be right just because he is gay.

AitchTwoCiao · 21/05/2008 23:28

my thought is that your friend is a twit.

cornsilk · 21/05/2008 23:30

What a plonker. Is he the only gay in the village as well?

Tortington · 21/05/2008 23:32

i am a catholic - the religeon is anti gay.

however when i practice my religeon it is becuase that is the way that i am comfortable practicing my faith i have a faith in Jesus and God - devout christians anc catholics would call me 'fairweather' becuase i pick and chose the bits i believe and the bits i dont.

i reckon for me its quite simple - jesus wa a hippy - love everyone and the world will be a better place.

so i try not to judge - becuase i am not God and i don't presume to know his word. i certainldont trustthe bible as the ord ofgod, i think it is a collection of stories - some about the context of the time and some saying - look jesus did xxxxx he was god to people ergo you should be good to people.

i reckon jesus was a raving hippie, and i don't for one second belive that he would have orstrasised gay people who love each other.

i also cannot countenance the view that non christianswon't go to heaven. god loves us all

AitchTwoCiao · 21/05/2008 23:32

is he only recently out? a zealot is a zealot, imo.

Original poster

PenelopePitstops · 21/05/2008 23:33

oh gosh yes cornsilk!

He seems to think that me going to church = hating all gay people

to which i explained very few christians hate gay people despite the bible. The same reason we don't stone people anymore, the scripture is re interpreted with the times

OP posts:

Original poster

PenelopePitstops · 21/05/2008 23:34

custardo it sounds like we are on a similar wavelength except im c of e not catholic.

OP posts:

madamez · 21/05/2008 23:34

Plenty of Christians are not homophobic. Plenty of Christians are gay themselves (there is an existing gay Christian movement, and plenty of gay vicars). Unless you have expressed anti-gay sentiments (which might include things like 'Jesus loves you even if you are a poof') to your friend, he was being a dickhead and a bigot himself.

StarlightMcKenzie · 21/05/2008 23:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster

PenelopePitstops · 21/05/2008 23:37

no he' sbeen out for ages, he just has a bee in his bonnet about christians and conservative voters, but thats a whole other story!

OP posts:

LynetteScavo · 21/05/2008 23:37

Great post custardo.

I thought the Catholic church was anti any sex outside of a (Catholic?) marriage? - Gay people are perfectly acceptable to the church,as long as they don't have sex

Confidentialnamechanger · 21/05/2008 23:37

he's being an arse and very out of date if you live in UK - predominantly liberal christian here

cornsilk · 21/05/2008 23:37

I had a similar experience once, someone had an anti-catholic rant at me. Among one of the many 'arguments' he had with catholics, the one I remember most was that, apparently, catholic priests forgive 'murderers.' I didn't really know what to say to that one really.

Original poster

PenelopePitstops · 21/05/2008 23:38

I have never mentioned religion in front of him before at all really. I have never said anythign anti gay either. He is under the impression that I am two faced saying im a christian whothinks being gay is ok

OP posts:

Tortington · 21/05/2008 23:40

catholi church is against anything remotely good

i think chocolate is a sin

yes it is LMFAO! its GLUTONY!

AitchTwoCiao · 21/05/2008 23:41

well, there are those who think that your faith is your faith, with parameters defined by you, and there are those who loathe the idea of a pic'n'mix religion and would have it that you subscribe to all or nothing. if he's one of the latter then yes, you're trying to have it all ways. but i think he's really just a twit.

jasper · 21/05/2008 23:49

is it not supposed to be the other way round?

should it not be "christian friend is offended I am gay"

Ok you get my point.

he is being a twonk

Weegiemum · 21/05/2008 23:57

Not even just liberal CHristians

there are many in the Evangelical churches now (me!!!! Hellooooo!!!) who dont have much if any bother with people being Gay. I know at least one civilly-partnered Gay male couple who are part of an evangelical church, and personally have no problem with it (even if my dsis thinks I do!)

He is being an idiot!

jcscot · 22/05/2008 00:19

"I thought the Catholic church was anti any sex outside of a (Catholic?) marriage? - Gay people are perfectly acceptable to the church,as long as they don't have sex "

That is the official curch position - that there is nothing wrong with being homosexual/lesbian. However, as anyone who has sex outside of marriage commits a sin and marriages are only performed between a man and a woman then anyone who has homosexual/lesbian sex commits a sin - the same sin as is committed when heterosexual couple have sex outside of marriage.

I know of at least one priest ( a friend who was at Uni with me) who is gay and part of his motivation for joining the priesthood was the fact that following his faith meant being celibate anyway. He thought that it would be hypocritical to attempt to live a "straight" life and, equally, that it would be hypocritcal to try and follow his faith while pursuing gay relationships. He once said to me that he thought that his being gay was just God's way of telling him that he was called to serve - it made his decision to follow his vocation a little easier. AFAIK, his bishop etc know of his homosexuality, he didn't think it would be right to hide it.

Original poster

PenelopePitstops · 22/05/2008 09:15

jscot thank you for that, INteresting about the catholic priest.

OP posts:

KayHarker · 22/05/2008 10:10

roffle. The ABofC isn't anti-gay - all the ultra-conservatives were against his appointment because he's known for being pretty liberal on the whole thing personally.

Aaanyway, prejudiced people come in all shapes and preferences, don't they?

I've been physically gay-bashed by some anti-gay bigots, and I've been spat on by some old gay friends for becoming a Christian. Meh. Raspberry to the lot of 'em.

If you can't judge a person on what you find out about them as a person, rather than what your pre-packaged assumptions tell you, then you don't really have a leg to stand on when it comes to pointing fingers about prejudice.

This is what me say to your friend.

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