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From: noye@midway.uchicago.edu (vera shanti noyes)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Homosexuality issues in Christianity
Message-ID: <May.13.02.30.39.1993.1545@geneva.rutgers.edu>
Date: 13 May 93 06:30:40 GMT
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Reply-To: noye@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago
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Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu

In article <May.11.02.39.05.1993.28328@athos.rutgers.edu> carlson@ab24.larc.nasa.gov (Ann Carlson) writes:

[bible verses ag./ used ag. homosexuality deleted]

>Anyone who thinks being gay and Christianity are not compatible should 
>check out Dignity, Integrity, More Light Presbyterian churches, Affirmation,
>MCC churches, etc.  Meet some gay Christians, find out who they are, pray
>with them, discuss scripture with them, and only *then* form your opinion.

also check out the episcopal church -- although by no means all
episcopalians are sympathetic to homosexual men and women, there
certainly is a fairly large percentage (in my experience) who are.  i
am good friends with an episcopalian minister who is ordained and
living in a monogamous homosexual relationship.  this in no way
diminishes his ability to minister -- in fact he has a very
significant ministry with the gay and lesbian association of his
community, as well as a very significant aids ministry.

my uncle is gay and when i found this out i had a good long think
about what the bible has to say about this and what i feel God thinks
about this.  obviously my conclusions may be wrong; nonetheless they
are my own and they feel right to me.  i believe that the one
important thing that those who wrote the old and new testament
passages cited above did NOT know was that there is scientific
evidence to support that homosexuality is at least partly _inherent_
rather than completely learned.  this means that to a certain extent
-- or to a great extent -- homosexuals cannot choose how to feel about
other people -- which is why reports of "curing" homosexuals always
chill me and make me feel ill.  please not that, although i can't cite
sources where you can find this information, there is homosexual
behavior recorded among monkeys and other animals, which is in itself
suggestive that it is inherent rather than learned, or at least that
the word "unnatural" shouldn't really apply....

please remember that whatever you believe, gays and lesbians shoul not
be excluded from your love and acceptance.  christ loved us all, and
we ALL sin.  and he himself never said anything against homosexuals --
rather it is paul (who also came out with such wonderful wisdom as
"women shouldn't speak in church" and "women should keep their heads
covered in church" -- not exact quotations as i don't have my bible
handy) who says these things.  i have a tendency to take some of the
things paul says with a grain of salt....

well, that's all i'll say for now.

>*************************************************      
>*Dr. Ann B. Carlson (a.b.carlson@larc.nasa.gov) *       O .
>*MS 366                                         *         o  _///_ //
>*NASA Langley Research Center                   *          <`)=  _<<
>*Hampton, VA 23681-0001                         *             \\\  \\
>*************************************************

vera noyes
-------
the lord is risen indeed.  let's party!
noye@midway,uchicago.edu				(vera noyes)
