Where's the love... Don't be offended

Yes to this X infinity!

I'm going to be honest, I didn't read all of it... I kind of get a little ADD like when there is a bunch of text and I honestly can't focus... but I think I get the gist of what you were saying and I believe that I agree with you...

My personal belief is this... that yes, homosexuality is a sin... simply because God stated it as such in the old laws.... HOWEVER, that does not mean that I get to hate, judge, shun, otherwise not show love to a person who says they are gay... Why? Because I too am a sinner... I too have sin in my life... I am a glutton... I wouldn't be here if I weren't... I am slothful more often than not... again, I wouldn't be here if I weren't... The example that Christ showed was to NOT cast stones at those that sin, even if we are without sin... Just like I don't accept my own sins (again, if I did I wouldn't be here) I don't accept the sins of others as well... HOWEVER, I do tolerate them just like others tolerate mine... None of us is perfect, none of us is righteous... so what gives us the right to act in such a way. It is between God and the individual on the repentance of sin and since I am no where in that equation, I have no idea how far away or close to God someone is to make any sort of judgement on their life... and even if I were, I would have to be totally cleansed of my own sin before I could make any judgement on anyone else's.. for any reason.... and to be honest, that's probably not going to happen until after I have died and been judged by God.


BTW: I loathe and dispise Westboro Baptist Church.... and am extremely glad that the SBC has choosen to not recognize them in the Convention.

Being a person who has left "faith", I'm very much in agreement with the statement.
Once I quit worrying about the rules men wrote in a book 2000 years ago, I started living.
I'm kinder, calmer, more charitable in my finances and in my time. For I now look upon life as something wonderful and precious but that is so rare in the Universe that I want to leave the earth as a better place than when I was born. Period.

TL;DR...

but in all seriousness tolerance is thinking someone has the wrong idea but choosing to let them be wrong.

We could all use more tolerance, even for the ideas we hate.

Ironically, hating the haters makes us haters... so instead maybe we could try loving our enemy and leading by example instead of returning kind with kind, you know what I mean?

Anyway, I gather that was the point of your post.

bump. Need to read when am not at work.

Man, this is freaking awesome. Best post of all time, seriously.

I read this about a week ago, I love it.

"Well, some of those folks probably aren’t really Christians. 1 John 4:20 says, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” And 1 John 2:9 says “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.” I am not allowed by Jesus to hate anyone. Our culture has accepted two huge lies: The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear them or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate."
-Rick Warren

So eloquently put. Bravo.

I'm still in AWE!...should read this on a daily basis ~thanks for the post friend! ~

I know not everyone is Christian, but I am going to quote this anyway. " For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. " - John 3:16. " The world " includes everyone, whether your gay, bi, straight, whatever. God loves everyone. We, as Christians, are suppose to mimic that love. The problem is, we don't. You don't have to agree with their lifestyle to love them, you just have to love them despite their lifestyle.

I read this about a week ago, I love it.

"Well, some of those folks probably aren’t really Christians. 1 John 4:20 says, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” And 1 John 2:9 says “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.” I am not allowed by Jesus to hate anyone. Our culture has accepted two huge lies: The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear them or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate."
-Rick Warren

I like this quote.

This is one of the reasons I am a church drop out and have turned my back on traditional Christianity. I read Francis Chans "Crazy Love" and it totally ruined me for traditional Christianity and the institutional church. I love Jesus with all my heart, but I also am a GLBT Ally, Understand some of the reasons people get abortions (even though I may not agree), don't believe in submitting to a pastor (I Submit myself to God and God alone!), And don't submit to or support some of what mainstream Christians condemn or support. I don't see an issue with drinking once in a while, I don't believe you have to be married before you have sex (though for your hearts sake I think a committed relationship is best), I cuss when I'm mad, but over all I LOVE people, drunks, prostitutes, black or white, gay or straight, christian or atheist, everyone deserves the best I've got to give them.

Well, having been on the receiving end of that hatred, I can tell you, I have not yet lost my faith in humanity because people like you exist. Thank you, for helping me keep my faith alive and reaffirming that closing my heart off to people because others close theirs off to me, is not the way to live...for me at least...

I like the part where his VERY FIRST SENTENCE is "I didn't write this" and everyone says, "Wow, you did a good job writing that!"

On a more serious note, I saw the article last week and was glad someone had the heart to write it. Sadly, the ones who need to hear it the most won't listen.

"Well, some of those folks probably aren’t really Christians. 1 John 4:20 says, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” And 1 John 2:9 says “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.” I am not allowed by Jesus to hate anyone. Our culture has accepted two huge lies: The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear them or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate."
-Rick Warren

... which is hilarious, because Rick Warren is very anti-gay-marriage. Yes, Rick.... sometimes you really DO need to compromise your convictions to be compassionate.