Reply to Anonymous Comment

Hello readers! I wanted to reply to a comment on here so others could read it. Thank you to all who are voicing their opinions and partaking in dialogue with me on these topics! You and your opinions are appreciated! -Joy

Anonymous wrote this to me: Your entire premise of 'love the sinner hate the sin' is hurtful, and states that an entire part of someone's identity is wrong in the eyes of God. That could be a little upsetting. It shows that you haven't taken the time to sit down with someone who is gay and actually talk about their sexuality without trying to tell them that it's wrong or a sin. If you had done that, you would know that one person loving another person isn't a sin, even if they both happen to be of the same gender. Just listening to the other side can be helpful in so many situations, and I just think that this is one of them for you. You don't have to quote Jesus in people's faces. Put aside if it makes you uncomfortable and just listen to an LGBT person talk about their feelings, regardless of religion. I think you'll find there's very little sin involved.

My response: I actually have done that before. I have a couple friends who are a part of the LGBT community. I love getting to talk with them and I love even more listening to them because it does help me get to know them more. I also don't shove Jesus in their faces. The conversation of religion does come up occasionally, but I would never say straight to their face that they are a sinner, or be disrespectful. I love my gay friends. I love them just as much as my straight friends. Some of them, including both gay and straight, are Christians and some are not. For the ones who are not, it is not up to me for them to give their life to Jesus, that is between them and God.

I think I should have been more clear about one thing in this blog- looking at homosexuality as a sin only matters if a person is a Christian. If a person does not have a relationship with Jesus, then they would not understand this because the world's definition of sin and God's definition of sin are different. But if a person is a Christan and is gay, then you are right, maybe I should sit down with them and share with them where in the Bible it says homosexuality is a sin when acted upon. For this to happen, both sides need to be open to listening and trying to understand each other. I feel like each person could easily think the other was attacking them instead of loving them. If done in a right way I do think it is a good idea.

Also, you said, "my premise of 'love the sinner hate the sin' is hurtful, and states that an entire part of someone's identity is wrong in the eyes of God." As a Christian, someone's true identity is not their sexual orientation. My identity is not in the fact that I am a heterosexual. Yes, it is a part of me, just like the fact that I am a daughter, student, and friend are core to who I am, but they are not my identity. My identiy as a Christian includes 5 things all from 1 Peter 2:9-10:
1) I have been choosen by God
2) I am pitied by God
3) I am God's possession
4) I am a Holy Nation
5) I am a royal priesthood.
I think for Christians the term identity needs to be taken more seriously. Our identity is nothing of what we can do but all about what God did for us. (If you want to learn more about Christian Identity here is the article where I got this from: Article.)

Thank you again for your comments. I hope we will continue in this dialogue and be open and understanding together.