I want to add clarity that not all Christians accept this behavior. As a Christian, judging by the sentences in the photo, I believe this act is excessive and unnecessary. I also find it sinful. According to the bible, yes, it's a sin to be gay but it doesn't mean people in the LGBTQ community are going to hell. After all, the most commonly portrayed bible verse states is John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only begotten son that whoever so believes in him, shall not perish but have eternal life." This verse states hope for not only the believers in Christ, but the non-believers too. Because Jesus died on the cross, he saved us so the wages of sin no longer brings death upon us so you can still be gay and be a Christian. The only thing you have to do is believe Jesus died on the cross, and love and accept that Jesus is our savior. This actually made me sad seeing this because it even states in scripture that we are supposed to show love towards our enemies, not judgement and this is the definition of judgement. Only God has the right to judge. It doesn't matter who you are, it's your heart that matters.
Luke 6:37:
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
John 15:12:
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.”
Love is the key to bringing people to christ but if you're judging, you are not fulfilling this purpose. The world is broken and no one is perfect, and it's a matter of accepting the fact that you cannot go a day without sinning, God is sinless, and if the wages of sin is death than I say he's quite the Savior. Before you decide to listen to a preacher, know that they aren't perfect too; therefore, use the bible itself as a true reference.
"Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." John 13:35
Jesus spoke to not just people of moral, he also sat by the tax collectors and by showing love, he preached to them. This is an example of good discipleship. So please, if you are a Christian, remember to love. You're brought on this earth to share this hope, not kill it.
I have never been to a church that taught people to mistreat the LGBT community. I’ve never been to a church that teaches people to hate them either. The church disagrees with the act of homosexuality. The church disagrees with the transgender community. Disagreeing is not the same thing as hate. Being concerned with peoples’ salvation, when you strongly believe in the existence of both Heaven and Hell, is not hateful.
Those who practice violence and hatred, and teach others to do the same, do not belong to Christ. Any place that claims to be a church, and yet teaches violence and hatred, does not know Christ and is not a true church.
I belong to Christ, and will not apologize for bearing the name “Christian”. I will not apologize for neither agreeing nor supporting the LGBT community. I will not apologize for believing in the existence of Hell and wanting people to come to salvation so that they may escape the fire. I will not apologize for believing in a loving God, who through divine inspiration, provided a Holy text with instructions on how to live in this world. I will not apologize for believing in a Savior who shed His blood on a cross, though He had done no wrong, so that I and anyone else who believes in Him may have eternal life and escape the eternal flames.
I think yes, we need to. As christians, we were sinners once. We were all wretches once. We absolutely have no right to judge other people.
John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Note how God loves THE WORLD. He does not selectively love christians only. He does not selectively love straight people only. God loves ALL. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US. And that includes every single member of the LGBTQ community.
Now I'm not saying that God approves of LGBTQ. In fact, it is sin, and God hates it. But God still loves sinners. What I am saying is, the church, and christians in general, need to stop hating the LGBTQ community, and as ambassadors of God, we should love the people around us not with our own conscience and morals, but with the LOVE FROM GOD.
Remember the story of Jonah? He hated the people of the city called Nineveh, because they were wicked and sinful, rotten to the core! But God still sent Jonah to minister to them, even with how much Jonah hated them. Why? Because GOD STILL LOVED THEM.
So we christians have no right to hate on the LGBTQ community, or people in general that we think do not follow the rules and guidelines of the bible. We ourself fall short of being sin-less every single time, and only by the grace and mercy of God who sent His Son Jesus, are our sins washed clean.
Matthew 22:39 commands all believers to "love your neighbour as yourself". Did Jesus specify who your neighbour had to be? No! Did Jesus say, love your neighbour as yourself only if they were straight, or only if they were also christian? No! He told us to love our neighbour like we would love ourselves, and that means everyone around us. LGBTQ included.
https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-gay-rights-ap-interview-1359756ae22f27f87c1d4d6b9c8ce212
The Christian church isn't a church when you're all arguing of who's the real Christian. So first and foremost deal with your own issues secondly the Pope from the Catholic church that has 1.3 billion followers had something to say. Forget about apologies and just be nice to all of God's children. We're all sinners. Pray for each other if you want to just be nice for the love of it all.
Quote from the Pope in the article I linked
Pope Francis criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust,” saying God loves all his children just as they are and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church.
“Being homosexual isn’t a crime,” Francis said during an exclusive interview Tuesday with The Associated Press.
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When have the sicko perverts and butt pirates ever apologized for burning homes, bombing garages, raping kids, vandalizing church basements with biological waste, corrupting courtrooms, doxxing opponents, beheading kids, visiting Epstein, blackmailing districts, mailing obscenity to parents of small children to harass them over alleged Christianity, etc? When have they ever come forward and said: "Maybe if we truly wish to live and let live, we should do the same, and not pretend like tolerance is a one way street?"
There are a few who don't go out of their way to bother anyone. And then you have Marxist lunatics and rabid foam at the mouth narcissists, who merely hide behind a rainbow flag to get in less trouble as they tear society apart, insisting their spear is a shield.
Until they at least repent of letting Obama use them to justify malicious destruction of families and businesses, and demand severe penalties for dirty judges who robbed families and businesses into bankruptcy barrels over nonsense while invoking the name of gay sex as an excuse, then I don't concede anything.
The Klein family should be reimbursed four times what was stolen from them in Oregon. The judge that tried to bankrupt them should dangle from a noose until his tongue does that thing Jaaba the Hutt's did!
Until NHL players can play hockey again in peace, without the Gay Inquisition demanding they bow before the idols of poo dick, then I say let the clowns be offended, and never stop!
I’d like to start off by saying that not all Christian’s are like this. I myself am a Christian and know a lot of Christian’s who see the way that those people in those photos act as really bad and disrespectful and are ashamed. Christian’s should be preaching and showing love to everyone, as that’s what the Bible teaches us. The Bible says to love thy neighbor, meaning to love everyone. Not just this person or that person, but everyone. You can’t be doing that if you’re always telling people they’re going to Hell and not being supportive of them. The way I see it, people in the LGBTQ+ community are created the way they are because God made them that way and who are we to judge? God makes no mistakes. He is almighty and powerful. He makes everyone in His image, and that includes people of the LGBTQ+ community.
Do I think the people who are/have been hateful towards the LGBTQ+ community should apologize? Yes. But do I think that all Christian’s should have to apologize because there’s some bad apples? No.
I see no reason to apologize to the alphabet people. Why should we?
Hell, they love who they are and aren't afraid to go up against anyone. From what I understand, they keep fighting for their rights. So, it's their fight to fight. They know they are sining and they have made their choice to live their own way. I think we shouldn't really care what they do, cause they don't.
This reminds of when Obama and then Vice President Biden went to Japan and apologized for bombing their people during the war. I wonder if they apologized for bombing Pearl Harbor and killing American soldiers?
Really, the church need not apologize for what the alphabet people choose to do with their lives. God us watching all of us. It's about choice. We each choose to be Christlike or not to follow God. That is what God is waiting for in each of us - our choice.
The misconception is that Christians / the church hate gays. They don't hate gays per se, but they do hate the sin, as does God. No one is judged in the end by doing right, you get judged for doing wrong. 1 Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Of course this was talking about practicing homosexuals. It does not say in the Bible that repenting homosexuals can not go to Heaven. But being saved does require repentance - changing your thoughts and actions away from sin.
Nope. In my experience, it is mostly the LGBT community that seems to act very aggressively towards Christians. I know few Christians who are judgmental againts them but if you practise something that is deemed wrong by the society/religions, you are gonna get judged by anyone so why would Christians need to apologize.
I'm a Christian i can say one thing for sure.
Bullying others is not part of the Bible.
Nor is judging others as to where they will end up and if they have sinned.
Only god can judge who goes to heaven, and who goes to hell and who has sinned, and it states anyone who does that will have to answer to God when they die.
So no true Christian do not need to apologize to the lgbt community, but the pretend Christians who harrass them should, and it's best they ask god for forgiveness or they will be chillin with the devil when they die
They don't need to apologize, regardless of which church you are referring to.
I'm not even sure what they've done to need to apologize, or how recent you are referring to. Are you referring to the middle ages when they perhaps were executed by the church? or something more recent?
If far in the past, they definitely don't need to apologize for ancient history, if all they've done is not allowed them to become members or work for them, no apology for that.
Not sure why anyone would want to work for a religious organization or convert to it, if the very life style you are living is against their teachings.
I can't say though without specific examples and even then, they wouldn't need to apologize to all of them, but maybe those specific people in a case by case situation.
Besides, most religions are ran by imperfect people and just because some screw up doesn't mean they are all screw ups.
I think no one owes anyone an apology but every group DOES need to start minding their own business. If they dont like gays, dont be one. If people dont like Christians, become a Mormon. If you dont like the president, get out and vote. And so on... But all the picketing and bitching about a group your not even part of is ridiculous and petty unless somehow they are personally affecting your life negatively, other than that, leave people alone if they dont share your beliefs or opinions. Walk away. Get a life
I would say in the above picture, calling gays fags would be worthy of an apology. No need to be insulting. We are to deliver the gospel in its entirety and in truth, but not with name calling.
As far as calling homosexuality a sin, or for telling people who won’t repent of that they’re on their way to Hell? No apology. Scripture is clear God defines homosexuality as an abomination and sin. We are to speak the truth, and do so in love. I am outraged at the homosexual culture here in America, but there is no need to use venomous speech or name call.
Should the LGBT community apologize for those times they physically assault a preacher, threaten physical violence, etc? I know a ministry that specializes in helping people whom are same sex attracted give it up... they have to keep their headquarters silent because LGBT people threaten their lives everyday and threaten to destroy wherever they are headquartered.
Depending on your answer it'll influence what I say about the church apologizing.
First of all, which Christian church? There are so many of them. Secondly, and as someone else has already pointed out, will we get a similar "apology" from Islam, a religion that has treated the LGBTXYZABC etc. crowd even worse?
Anyway, the short answer is no, it's not going to happen.
So “standing by the bible” in your mind means doing whatever the h*ll you want that offends innocent people who have nothing to do with you?
What makes you think hating on others won’t give you a one-way ticket across the hot rivers with the ferryman?
Does your copy of the bible have a small print excluding that?
“Love thy neighbor.”
It wasn't so long ago that they were burning/drowning wen who MIGHT have been witches, in all corners of the globe.
Slavery is acceptable in the Bible, Torah and Quran.
So is rape...
I mean if all off those people and groups didn't get an apology, do you really think the LGBT group will get one?
Also they're not wrong. The Abrahamic god of mesopotamia made it very clear that he doesn't like it when people don't go forth and multiply.
Nope. No church should apologize for what? Maybe they just don't like them. Maybe they have had to deal with a local militant group of gay people?
It was better when the rainbow people had their place in society. Not all open throughout the community. Had their own side of town to do whatever they want in peace. Now they are downtown in almost every town talking to your kids about the joys of being gay. It's not cool.
If the Christians sin against their neighbors, sure.
If they don’t have proof of it being sinful and unchristlike they don’t have to, and would be protected by free speech.
No one’s emotions are protected by free speech.
(I’m also, completely, a neutral and indifferent party to these two groups.)
Should vegetarians apologize to meat eaters? Like, how fragile are the homos that they need to be validated by everybody in the universe, at all times, no matter what they choose to do?
WOW, your speedo and butterfly wings are SO COOL! You're SO BRAVE!
If A person hurts another person, and the requisite recognition and sympathy exists, there should be an apology and amends. But whole groups of people don’t owe other whole groups of people apologies. That’s not how the world works. It never has and it never will.
The irony is that one side of that equation is generally extremely liberal left, and supposedly hates those kinds of gross generalizations…. supposedly. Ell oh ell! That is until they perceive sociopolitical leverage, it appears.
If the church wants to apologize they can.
i however am not going to apologize for anything as I harbor no hate towards gay people and have done nothing wrong towards them.
I don’t agree with their lifestyle but at the end of the day that’s their choice to make. God gave everyone the free will to make their own choices good or bad.
its not my job or place to judge them or enact judgement upon them I’m not god. I don’t owe them anything and they don’t owe me anything.
I don't agree with what the west Baptist bro does or says. They're not a real church. It's made up of their own family members and they sing things that aren't biblical. I think you should apologize yourself if you have been talking bad or mistreating someone of the LGBTQ community.
I don't agree with the LGBTQ community, that's not the same thing as mistreating them. I don't think you should physically harm anyone or verbally abuse people.
Y’all are more worried about gays than marital abuse, pedophiles, and rapists. You would rather defend a pedophile raping a child than a homosexual being beaten to death. This is why a lot of people have turned their backs on the church and Christianity because they know the dark truth. You have no problem telling everyone else they’re sinners when you WEAPONIZE your religion to control people.
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