Online Fellowship

Churches Hold Some Responsibility in Gay Suicides and Joel Burn’s Video

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I found this video while reading an article on CNN that stated in a recent poll Americans feel as though the church teaches an anti-gay message and is in some part responsible for the suicides of some gay/lesbian people.

More than four out of 10 Americans say the message coming out of churches about gay people is negative, and about the same number say those messages contribute “a lot” to negative perceptions of gay and lesbian people.
The Public Religion Research Institute asked 1,017 Americans their views on religion and homosexuality between October 14 and 17, in the wake of a highly publicized rash of suicides by gay people. One in three people said that messages from places of worship contribute “a lot” to higher rates of suicide among gay and lesbian youth.

Well Body, What do you think? In the wake of allegations against Eddie Long there were lots of Homosexual Christian men who wrote posts posts on blogs stating it is time for them to stop being silent about certain abuses they underwent and that their voice is actually needed in the church right now.

In the shadow of the deaths of so many young men who have taken their lives due to insensitivity. At some point it seems right to look to the church and ask, “What part do you take in this?” I am not at all blaming the church for supporting, condoning, suggesting suicide or any of the like. HOWEVER being honest where do homosexual parishioners fit in your congregation? Are they only allowed to direct the choir and otherwise be silent or are they embraced into the folds of the church family like “traditional” church members?

I think most of us would agree that the reason we have never considered suicide or tried it is partly because of what we have been taught in church. That it is a sin, that it would guarantee you a front row seat in hell. However what stops you when your lifestyle is held under the same scrutiny? God hates the sin not the sinner (that by the way applies to any and all sins, not just the ones we don’t commit). However I am not sure that the message we send in some of our churches reflects this. At the end of the day God gave us each our lives and He loves us all. There is no reason gay/straight or riding the gate that your should be held under such scrutiny or ridicule that your value is so minute that you take your life.

I wonder if any of the people who taunted these children, posted their videos and ridiculed them call themselves Christians?

I’m not saying the Church is responsible for the suicides however what I am saying is this, if even in condemning someone for a sin, love does not precede and surround what you are saying, then you are not acting on behalf of God, call it something else.

Thoughts?

Be Blessed,

RiverAngel42

Comments

One response to “Churches Hold Some Responsibility in Gay Suicides and Joel Burn’s Video”

  1. SJ Avatar
    SJ

    The Church preach against homosexuality, fornication, adultery, lying, stealing, murder etc….. they must speak out against sin because it is God’s will – – – if the one who commits homosexuality kill himself because he is homosexual it is not the Church fault —– if the adulterer, murderer, thief, fornicator commits suicide how is that the church fault when will people understand that the actions of an individual is there because of the decisions that the individual has made and no one is responsible for the sin of another it is their own sin —if I murder someone why should you be charged with the crime I’ve commited – I made the decision to do it —-it is my own fault. Stop trying to blame everyone else for your mistake —–no one took that individuals hand and made him do it- it was their own conscious decision and they are responsible for their own actions —-On the day of judgement you will not be judged for my sin and I will not be judged for yours —— and Jesus will not be angry with anyone who preached what He said in His Word.

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