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I don't see how you can accept a persons lifestyle that is against the teaching of the Bible
and not seem as if you are condoning it. I don't
see where you can do one and not do the other. Just because I don't accept or condone a
persons lifestyle doesn't mean that I can't still love and pray for that person. The Bible says
that we all have sinned and come short of the
Glory of God and that we can be saved if we
confess our sins and ask Jesus to forgive us
of our sins and acknowledge Jesus as Lord.
I pray for us both that the Holy Sprit will lead us to live the lifestyle that the Lord would have us live.

In our no-faith community (the Piedmont Freethought Association, that is), we pretty much stick with the notion that your sexual activity is your own business and not ours. We tend to concentrate on other issues when we get together.

Don't you make it other peoples' business when you advertise your lifestyle on a billboard?

This is an issue that will cause division long after those of us who are posting are gone.

Allen Andrews helped put this issue in perspective when it was noted, "...against the teaching of the Bible..." This is the main difference between the differing groups. Those who believe as Andrews and those who do not.

Any person with any knowledge of scripture (not self taught or preacher learned) knows that the modern idea of homosexuality is NEVER mentioned in scripture.

In my religious affiliation Religious Society of Friends (NCYM-C, www.ncymc.org) there is no problem whatsoever with GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender) persons. My local Monthly Meeting is very open and accepting (see http://www.ncymc.org/friendship/).

I feel that this matter should be left to the individual religious group as to how those groups individually handle this issue. I may not like the way any one of those groups handles the matter. However, that is not the greatest concern for me.

The larger concern is how society as a whole treats the GLBT community. The main thing that this community seeks is equality under the law. This does NOT exist now and needs so desperately to be changed! There have been long and protracted demonstrations seeking equal rights for many other groups (with a basic support group of "others"). This has not fully emerged for the GLBT community. Until that time, ask yourself (if in a committed relationship) how you would feel if your dying/dead spouse's wishes could not be followed because State law allows a parent/other family member to contest your right as a same-gender partner to make the choice/decision. How would you feel not being allowed to visit/remain with that same partner in the hospital? Any of these could happen if you are in a same-gender relationship. How would you feel? Or, to use an overused/misunderstood phrase; "WWJD?"

Shalom

"Don't you make it other peoples' business when you advertise your lifestyle on a billboard?"

That's a good point. I'll be sure not to mention my sexual life the next time I purchase billboard space.

:-P

darryl,
"Any person with any knowledge of scripture (not self taught or preacher learned)"......................

would you please explain what you mean by that statement. i know you went to seminary ( well i think you did, you mentioned you were a baptist minister once ) is it your belief that the only knowledge of spiritual matters is to be gotten from seminaries. i've never attended any 'formal' religious train institution, so in one sense i guess i'm self taught ( although a believer is never really self taught as much as Spirit led ) and i have also on many occassions benefitted spiritually from preachers (just this morning in church in fact). if you narrow the field down to only those who have had formal religious training to participate in making spiritual comments, you suddenly will find that you may be speaking to a VERY small audience.
also you must be careful to not become what you recently accused me of... a know it all.