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HomogenousHomo
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Hi there! I'm an ASU student currently looking for solace in a faith I can call my own. I posted in the advice section, but did not yet introduce myself. Although I am homosexual, unlike a lot of my brothers, I know that God loves me regardless of sin, and I want to find my place in this world. I have come to this site to investigate a little bit of the LDS faith, and see if it's the right path for me. 

 

I guess you can say my username is a little cheeky of sorts, most of you will notice I have a quick tongue. But fear not, it's all in good jest and I have no mal-intent toward anyone. 

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Welcome. I appreciate any person exploring faith. You will find acceptance by many Mormons, but you may also perceive a lot of conflict when trying to reconcile us with other faiths.  For instance, the statement of knowing God loves you regardless of sin. Yes, He does. That is part of our faith. However, "sin" separates you from God/Spirit. To take this further, if YOU perceive your homosexuality as sin, then you will not find acceptance in the Church so long as you willing practice "sin". If you feel you are same-sex-attracted because of genetic disposition and unable to reconcile a hetro lifestyle, you will find acceptance. There is little tolerance for those who simply want to "explore" sexually or have an agenda of seeking acceptance for a free "lifestyle".

 

There is little cultural acceptance in the Church for anyone willing sinning.  It doesn't matter what the sin is. For instance, members perceive adultery, drinking, smoking, and porn as sin. Willing participating in those sins will NOT keep you from participating in meetings and classes, but it will keep you from holding a calling or going to the temple. In our Mormon culture, we hold callings and we strive to be worthy for the temple. People not worthy to participate are still loved and welcomed, but in the perceptions of culture, they are on the fringe. Mormons bind culturally by our participation in callings. We bind by serving each other.

 

I don't want to make this a rant. I hope to set some expectation for you as to what you will encounter if you make your sexual orentation the focus of your exploration of the Church. You setting your username as you did tells us that is what is most important about you. I hope you will expore other aspects of your faith and relationship with God, while hanging out with us.

 

Bless you.

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Hi there! I'm an ASU student currently looking for solace in a faith I can call my own. I posted in the advice section, but did not yet introduce myself. Although I am homosexual, unlike a lot of my brothers, I know that God loves me regardless of sin, and I want to find my place in this world. I have come to this site to investigate a little bit of the LDS faith, and see if it's the right path for me. 

 

I guess you can say my username is a little cheeky of sorts, most of you will notice I have a quick tongue. But fear not, it's all in good jest and I have no mal-intent toward anyone. 

Greetings! i look forward to your questions, and wish you well in your search for answers :)

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(...)

...  most of you will notice I have a quick tongue. But fear not, it's all in good jest and I have no mal-intent toward anyone. 

 

As long as the mind is as quick... who will notice?  smiley-eatdrink062.gif

 

Recommended: Coming Out Straight – April 2007

by Richard Cohen (author)  http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Out-Straight-Richard-Cohen/dp/0963705849

Edited by JimmiGerman
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Thank you guys for the welcome. I also appreciate your input, Paul. Quite frankly, I don't see my homosexuality itself as a sin, nor its actions of me loving someone else. You could argue many different religions' standpoints on the issue, but I go with my personal doctrine on that matter. I simply use the word sin, because many cultures do see it as such, and I use that language to create a bridge between my own beliefs, and someone else's. 

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I don't see my homosexuality itself as a sin, nor its actions of me loving someone else.

 

Many sinners don't see what their sin is. And it's been said in this forum what the counterfeit of real love is: it's lust. And what we can see here is the deception consisting in the fact that one mistakes (same gender) sexual desires for love.

 

You could argue many different religions' standpoints on the issue, but I go with my personal doctrine on that matter. I simply use the word sin, because many cultures do see it as such, and I use that language to create a bridge between my own beliefs, and someone else's. 

 

I wouldn't argue so many different religions' standpoints, because there are not so many really important. And concerning your personal doctrine and own beliefs: I wouldn't be sure the bridge you're talking about is of great architecture. 

Edited by JimmiGerman
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Quite frankly, I don't see my homosexuality itself as a sin, nor its actions of me loving someone else. 

 

If someone told you that loving another is a sin, clearly they were wrong. We are to love all others, as Christ loves us.

 

Engaging in sexual liaison with them, on the other hand, destroys the spirit of God within you. It is solemn mockery of God's greatest gifts to us, and must be avoided at all costs. Sex must be engaged in only with your opposite-sex spouse to whom you are legally and lawfully married.

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Many sinners don't see what their sin is. And it's been said in this forum what the counterfeit of real love is: it's lust. And what we can see here is the deception consisting in the fact that one mistakes (same gender) sexual desires for love.

 

 

I wouldn't argue so many different religions' standpoints, because there are not so many really important. And concerning your personal doctrine and own beliefs: I wouldn't be sure the bridge you're talking about is of great architecture. 

I understand  you are coming from. To Jimmi, I apologize for my grammar. It has never been my strong suit, and it is something I am striving to improve to get my message forward. You are correct, the point I have is not very strong, and I should have elaborated. The pen is a mighty tool, and I am still learning how to wield it properly. Also to Jimmi,  I would choose not to argue this specific realm of homosexuality in sins on this thread. I don't personally believe I can change my orientation. I don't see my actions as sinful, but that is singular to my own belief and free will. I believe what I was trying to stress is that is what I believe in my own, singular mind. Although everyone has a guide of some kind of belief system, or anti-belief system, we all develop personal convictions on certain topics.

 

I don't persecute others who believe the opposite of me. It's the greatest ability that God has given us to think for ourselves and make our own conscious decisions. I have so many layers and multitudes outside the trait of homosexuality that most of the time, I hardly acknowledge it. It is a fact of life for me, and one fact that I live with, and don't dwell on. I come here searching for answers of my path of faith, but I see my homosexuality as something I would not like to discuss. Not everything is set in stone, and I believe in fluidity. People change, things change, everything changes with the leaves for the most part. 

 

Maybe I don't see what my sin is, but I am content with who I am beyond that. I am still working on myself, as we all are. I choose not to discuss my sexuality, in depth, because we are so much more than one act, sin, or trait. 

 

If anyone happens to message me personally, or comment on this thread, I would rather not discuss the validity of my view on my homosexuality. 

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I don't persecute others who believe the opposite of me.

Please be careful to not perceive non-accpeptance as persection on the part of LDS members or the Church.  A double negative there, but the point being, the Church does define the ACT of homosexualtiy as 'sin', and would put you on the fringe socially, as I explained earlier.  This should not be perceived as persecution. I associate with gays and lesbians, but I have no say in your standing in the Church. A friend of mine was (temple) married for 16 years when her husband had a homosexual affair and they divoriced. He decided he didn't want to lose his family AND his church standing and he worked to regain his membership.  He is still gay - with no partner - but is in good standing at church and he still has his friends.

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Hey welcome to the religion.

 

Sorry -ahem- you certainly mean welcome to the site:rolleyes:

 

Remember the golden rule of all mountaineers:

 

Don't take the second step before you take the first one, because down it goes fast and that wouldn't be fun!

Edited by JimmiGerman
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Please be careful to not perceive non-accpeptance as persection on the part of LDS members or the Church.  A double negative there, but the point being, the Church does define the ACT of homosexualtiy as 'sin', and would put you on the fringe socially, as I explained earlier.  This should not be perceived as persecution. I associate with gays and lesbians, but I have no say in your standing in the Church. A friend of mine was (temple) married for 16 years when her husband had a homosexual affair and they divoriced. He decided he didn't want to lose his family AND his church standing and he worked to regain his membership.  He is still gay - with no partner - but is in good standing at church and he still has his friends.

 

Interesting thought. I had to read that double negative a few times to get what you're saying, but I do. 

 

I've accepted the fact (this is not involving a, or the church), that no matter where you go, even if you see someone else's opinion as their own opinion, instead of being offended at what they believe and feel it is persecution, there will always be fear of something that is different. This exists not just in one place, but in all places. Humans are humans, and might go about things differently, and live by a different creed, but it can be scary. I have a feeling that even if I led an absolute celibate life and still identified as a homosexual, there would still be people afraid of that word, even if I was the poster-child for righteousness. This isn't just a singular issue, there are people afraid of different races, cultures, etc. We all have irrational fears that don't really make sense, but we have to move past it. 

 

I wouldn't see it as persecution, quite frankly. As I believe in the separation of church and state, I believe a church or faith can exclude or include anyone they may please. I see churches as private organizations, no matter how widespread, that have the right to work with its members -- within the law of the land-- to shape their own community from within. People choose to join a religion (I hope at least), therefore subject themselves to the beliefs of that certain religion. Although I do believe in gay marriage and unions of the state level, I think it would be breaching rights to force every single church of every single faith whether they are okay with gay marriage or not, to force them to marry homosexuals. That is, if I joined a church that opposed homosexual acts, I can't blame the response I would get if I publicized it constantly. I find my ramblings on this forum a bit different, because I am exploring this religion and asking questions.

 

If I lived in a state where all barefoot people can enter a storefront, you can't say I'm persecuting you if I clearly label MY private business with a sign outside that says "No shirts, no shoes, no service." That is the choice of my private place of business, and as a church would be, is under the private possession of its members in a way. 

 

Please note that I mean, within reason. A church that sacrifices other human beings would be under the jurisdiction of the law, but that is on the extremist level. 

 

We could go deeper into the legalities, but I'm no lawyer, and I believe I am getting my point across. 

Edited by HomogenousHomo
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