Members DevotedToAMC Posted July 14, 2007 Members Share Posted July 14, 2007 Yes it is possible to be gay and a Christian. I am sick of pseudo Christians pushing this false belief that Christianity condemns homosexuality. There is nowhere in the Bible where it does so and obviously they haven't read it or else they would not come to such a silly conclusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kade Posted July 14, 2007 Members Share Posted July 14, 2007 Austin is the most tolerent city ever. Our gay bars aren't ghetto'd out they sit right in the middle of the best part of downtown near straight bars, I go to a gay church and a "straight" church and both accept me and my partner 100 per cent, I've never been called a name or threatened or harmed or scared. This city is amazing. Kade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kade Posted July 14, 2007 Members Share Posted July 14, 2007 PERFECTLY said! Kade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Soapsuds Posted July 15, 2007 Members Share Posted July 15, 2007 I don't do gay bars...lol. It is not my thing. A club maybe. Hmmm...never knew there was a gay church in Austin. I've visited Austin several times. To me it is just another city. I need to pay close attention the next time I am up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kylie Posted July 15, 2007 Members Share Posted July 15, 2007 Well, if you come to Long Beach, California, you can be gay and anything else you want, without anyone so much as batting an eye. LOL But in all seriousness, and I'm straight so I may not really be one to dole out advice, there is no reason why you can't be gay and a Christian. I've had my own struggles with religion, what with coming from a Jewish, Catholic, and Christian background. And after a lot of soul search a lot of wondering which religion is right, or if one is right, I realized that as long as you live your life in a good, upstanding way, any kind of relationship you have with God is more then acceptable. I know it's hard, but it doesn't matter what the nay sayers think, as long as you're happy with who you are, and you know and love God, then that's all you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tishy Posted July 15, 2007 Members Share Posted July 15, 2007 Kylie, that was beautifully said and I completly agree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PhoenixRising05 Posted July 15, 2007 Members Share Posted July 15, 2007 That was a fantastic post Kylie and I agree. Roman's post also rings true. Just be yourself. That's all that matters. As long as you are at peace with yourself, don't worry about what anyone else may think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kade Posted July 15, 2007 Members Share Posted July 15, 2007 Not sure what the difference is between a gay bar and a gay club...I use both terms for any sort of establishment that plays dance music and serves liqour...LOL! Anyways, The MCC at Freedom Oaks is the gay church here in town, it's really pretty and quite friendly. Next time you're in Austin stop by one of the clubs (bars) on 4th Street (oilcan harry's or rain on 4th) and grab the gay yellow pages or one of the give-away weekly newspapers (shout/ambush/this week in texas) and check them out. You'll find TONS of things in Austin outside of the gay bars (clubs), there are bulletin boards at local gay stores Lobo (on the drag by the university) and TapeLenders (on 5th street near downtown) that might have information about other christian or social groups in town. If you're gay and looking for a really cool 24/7 city that never sleeps that's all about gay people being accepted and tolerated this is the city for you. Seriously. The gay Christian scene is really strong and if the gay church is a bit too much for you (as sometimes it can be that's why my partner and I go to a 'straight' church as well) most of the other churches in town welcome gay people, the give away magazines I mentioned earlier has ads from other churches like that. I really hope you realize that you can be gay and Christian. I have worried about stuff like this myself and it took me awhile but I'm really comfortable with my spirituality and my sexuality completely these days. Kade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kade Posted July 15, 2007 Members Share Posted July 15, 2007 Woke up and thought about this post from you this morning! I wanted to make it clear that I wasn't trying to recommend you go to a gay club/bar to find the answers you seek...I was trying to point out that in Austin on 4th Street you have Spaghetti Warehouse (totally family friendly), a hair salon, a construction company, a gay club (oilcan harrys), a straight club, another gay club (Rain On 4th), and then a straight resturaunt (219 West) on one side of the block and a coffee house, a straight resturaunt (Fado...my favorite), a straight club (Cedar Street), and then three more straight resturaunts (Saba, something else, and Trulucks) end out the other side of the street. All of these people roll in and out of the same carparks and places with no problem, my point wasn't telling you to get yourself drunk and to a bar but was to point out that in AUstin you can have all of these places together and have NO trouble and you can interact easily and safely. Most cities I've been in ghetto all the gay stuff together and leave me feeling kind of uneasy going out there as there is a place where you are sort of isolated and can be targeted as a gay guy. In Austin the two main stores that cater to gays (gay mags, gay books of fiction and non-fiction, clothes, cards, gifts etc.) are in the middle of strip malls that include bike shops, deli's, and straight gyms, one downtown and one by campus, the gay church is in the middle of a pretty nice suburb, the gay leather bar is next to a retirement community and an iHop, the gay cowboy bar is next to a super-posh loftspace and a pretty rowdy straight bar, and one gay bar is even right next door to the cities biggest church and the state capital! Our Pride festival is the same weekend as a biker convention, on Friday night the bikers have Congress blocked off for thier parade/rally and on Saturday the same space is blocked off for us for the Pride parade/street rally. No drama. I'm from bigger cities like Nashville and Atlanta and I've spent alot of time in Dallas and Houston and this is the only city like this in the world, we even have a drag queen (Leslie) that is a city-wide icon, her dress-up magnet set is a huge seller in local straight and gay businesseses, Leslie also ran for mayor as did Jennifer, a transgendered woman. The clubs and stores and church all fly proudly and without drama the gay Pride rainbow flag, in the shadow of all these "straight" places right around them. It's kinda cool. Keep Austin Weird indeed! I'm not sure how old you are but we also have OutYouth, a local drop-in center/youth group that is as far from the bar scene as you can get and may be of help to you if you are ever in town. There is a youth organization at The MCC (our gay church) as well. Just maybe talking one on one with people from one of these places might help you out big time. In the end you and I (and everyone else) worship and believe in our own way, there is no one right way to be a good Christian, to be who you are and be proud and contribute and serve god and worship and spread his word is all you can do, gay or straight. Don't give up, the Christian life was never promised as an easy way to live, instead Paul reminds us that we must have a purpose and a plan because times will be difficult and Satan will attack . But we never persevere without the promise of a prize, a promise God will keep. Press on towards the day when you will be all God wants you to be for that is all you can do. If people are trying to make you doubt that you can be gay and Christian remember what I wrote to you above maybe? The fact that you are questioning this is inspiring to me. It means (to me) that you feel under attack and you are defending yourself with these questions or that you are making your mind up about serving God and being yourself at the same time. Can you be gay and be Christian? Again I say yes, because I am! Kade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Southofnowhere Posted July 15, 2007 Author Members Share Posted July 15, 2007 Thanks for all the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kade Posted July 15, 2007 Members Share Posted July 15, 2007 Didn't mean to merge my conversations about Austin's gay tolerence with SoapSuds with the conversations with you about being gay and Christian! Hope that some of what I said helped, seriously! Kade...who is not at church this gorgeous Austin Sunday morning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kwing42 Posted July 15, 2007 Members Share Posted July 15, 2007 All the churches I have gone to (Lutheran, Methodist and non-denom) have all accepted those who are homosexual. A true Christian is someone who loves them for who they are, not who they sleep with. With that said, it does not mean that everyone is going to accept that way of life. Just like there are those who do not accept those who are religous. There is a fine line between accepting people and accepting lifestyles. I do not believe that those who stand on the Pro Choice/Anti Aborition sides are evil people for their beliefs. Their actions may say otherwise, and those are the enemines. Not the ones who have the belief one way or the other but continue to live a productive life without violence. Does that make any sense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Soapsuds Posted July 15, 2007 Members Share Posted July 15, 2007 Thanks for all the info about Austin. It was a good read. And btw I am older than you....LOL. I have a feeling you could show me around town if I ever go up there again. And your first post came off fine to me. There was no need to explain it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members juppiter Posted July 16, 2007 Members Share Posted July 16, 2007 I think so. I personally believe everyone has to interpret Jesus' teachings in their own way and not listen to the people who say, "Well, God said....." Unless those people ARE God, I think they should shut their mouth about what God said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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