You're Gay--and Christian Too???
For those who have e-mailed me with questions regarding my faith in God while living a homosexual lifestyle, I am giving you an excerpt from my book that I wrote. Maybe this will explain more in detail of why I believe that "God loves all of us" regardless of our preference in gender in a relationship.
PLEASE BE FOREWARNED THAT THIS MATERIAL MAY BE CONTROVERSIAL AND OFFENSIVE TO THOSE WHO DO NOT HOLD THE SAME BELIEFS AND/OR OPINIONS!
I do want to make it a point that a church nearby to where I live, has accepted gays and lesbians to get married in their house of worship. Rev. Cowing stated, "We treat them like people of worth and welcome them to be a part of our community." The United Church of Christ has welcomed us. Rev. Cowing explains the opposing view of the bible's teachings. The church has backed its resolution on same-sex marriage with theological and Biblical evidence. He says that the passages condemning homosexuality are from Books 3 and 5, Leviticus and Deuteronomy. These books apply to Judiasm and are part of the Torah.
Here is an excerpt of my book that I want to share with you regarding this topic...Please keep in mind that these are "MY BELIEFS", I do not want to impose or influence you with my faith in Christianity.
"Out With the Old and In With the New"
Did you ever wonder why they call the Old Testament “old”? The reason is because it is just ‘that’. That was before Jesus came to this earth to save us. He saved us from what we would have died from; due to our sins. You have people in the church throwing scriptures at you for being gay. Most of the scriptures that they throw at you are from the Old Testament.
Leviticus 20:30 The penalty for homosexual acts is death to both parties. They have committed a detestable act and are guilty of a capital offense.
Immorality is one thing… But to love someone else is another. Anyone who is immoral and has sex with anyone due to its pleasure can be viewed at in another light. To be intimate with someone you love and care about takes on a whole new meaning. I felt years of guilt for being intimate with the person I was in love with. It’s a horrible way to live. Hopefully by you seeing my views, you can release some of that guilt that has been stored up by judgmental people, and let it go—to God. I want to list some scriptures of the book of Leviticus to you. Some of it is very shocking. There are sins in here that I didn’t even know of. The Jewish people rely on the Old Testament because they do not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. They believe Jesus was just a man who claimed to be the Messiah, or just a prophet. The New Testament is what we should rely on, because it’s our freedom.
Take a look at this:
Leviticus 11:9-12 As for marine animals, you may eat whatever has both fins and scales, whether taken from fresh water or salt water. You may not, however, eat marine animals that do not have both fins and scales. (shellfish) You are to detest them, and they will always be forbidden to you. You must never eat their meat or even touch their dead bodies. I repeat, any marine animal that does not have both fins and scales is strictly forbidden to you.
So basically what this scripture is saying to us is that we can never eat shrimp or lobster. We cannot enjoy clams, mussels or scallops. Interesting, isn’t it? This is considered to be just as “bad” as being a homosexual. My grandfather and father owned a fish market in NYC for years. I was so used to eating this way because my father would bring home seafood twice a week. We grew up on shellfish, and many people in this world eat shellfish regularly. I know many people enjoy eating ostrich, but in Leviticus 13:16- it clearly states that eating ostrich is considered detestable to all of us.
Leviticus 15:19-29 Whenever a woman has her menstrual period, she will be ceremonially unclean for seven days. If you touch her during that time, you will be defiled until evening. Anything on which she lies or sits during that time will be defiled If you touch her bed, you must wash your clothes and bathe in water, and you will remain defiled until evening. The same applies if you touch an object on which she sits, whether it is her bedding or any piece of furniture. If a man has sexual intercourse with her during this time, her menstrual impurity will be transmitted to him. He will remain defiled for seven days, and any bed on which he lies will be defiled.If the menstrual flow of blood continues for many days beyond the normal period, or if she discharges blood unrelated to her menstruation, the woman will be ceremonially unclean as long as the discharge continues. Anything on which she lies or sits during that time will be defiled, just as it would be during her normal menstrual period. If you touch her bed or anything on which she sits, you will be defiled. You will be required to wash your clothes and bathe in water, and you will remain defiled until evening.
When the woman’s menstrual discharge stops, she must count off a period of seven days. After that she will be ceremonially clean. On the eighth day, she must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons and present them to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle.
(In my beliefs)
If I lived by the Old Testament alone, I would not leave my house nor have guests come over anytime during my menstrual period. A lot of people including myself get confused when the bible seems to contradict itself. If you have discernment, you should realize that the Old Testament is strictly for the time before Jesus. The Old Testament is a good tool for learning the past history of what went on in the beginning of time. The rules applied then were stricter and some things people did as a result of not obeying such rules were fatal. They would put you to death over a sin. Later on when God gave us His only son, we were all saved from the sins of this earth. There are scriptures in the Old Testament stating that if men shave their beards, it is a sin. Most of our priests and pastors are very clean-shaven. We have to take into consideration that God knows we are human. Stop with the guilt, and live a happy life that will please God.
Think about this… In the Old Testament, slavery was approved. The only difference was that they referred to them as “servants”. Regardless of how it was described throughout the Old Testament, this was undoubtedly slavery, which is an insult to mankind. They degraded people by keeping them as slaves. This is called loving others as you would love yourself? Not in my book. There are many writings in the Old Testament that don’t correlate with how we live today. There are many, many debates on this issue, and I am only trying to express my view. Love should not be a sin; sexual immorality, yes. I can agree with that. Sexual immorality promotes sexual transmitted diseases, loss of self-respect and prostitution.
Ephesians 2:19-22 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. We are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We who believe are carefully joined together, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also joined together as part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.
We need to know and believe that God accepts us. There are many things within the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament, which make reference to having sexual relations with someone within your family. Yes, incest. Here is a scripture that makes strong reference to this topic:
Leviticus 18:6-21 You can never have intercourse with a close relative, for I am the Lord. Do not violate your father by having sexual intercourse with your mother. She is your mother; you must never have intercourse with her. Do not have sexual intercourse with any of your father’s wives, for this would violate your father. Do not have sexual intercourse with your sister or half sister, whether she is your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was brought up in the same family or somewhere else.
Do not have sexual intercourse with your granddaughter, whether your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; that would violate you. Do not have sexual intercourse with the daughter of any of your father’s wives; she is your half sister. Do not have intercourse with your aunt, your father’s sister, because she is your father’s close relative. Do not have sexual intercourse with your aunt, your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s close relative. And do not violate your uncle, your father’s brother, by having sexual intercourse with his wife; she also is your aunt. Do not have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife. Do not have intercourse with your brother’s wife; this would violate your brother. Do not have sexual intercourse with both a woman and her daughter or marry both a woman and her granddaughter, whether or son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter. They are close relatives, and to do this would be a horrible wickedness. Do not marry a woman and her sister because they will be rivals. But if your wife dies, then it is all right to marry her sister.
Do not violate a woman by having sexual intercourse with her during her period of menstrual impurity. Do not defile yourself by having sexual intercourse with your neighbor’s wife. Do not give any of your children as a sacrifice to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.
Some Hasidim engage in inter-marriages. This is not uncommon. Hasidim interbreeding and intermarrying were to elaborate on the ‘clan’ or the ‘tribe’ of this community. The purpose of intermarrying was to preserve one’s inheritance of the family and for unity. There are communities today that still practice this. There’s more at risk here than just having your wealth shared with someone outside the family. Birth defects of babies are very common among intermarried couples. They share the same genetic material, which causes health problems and birth defects for the baby.
In my hometown, the Hasidim are the most religious people who practice their faith daily. They never work on Saturdays, they keep the Sabbath and watching televisions is unheard of and forbidden. Their clothing alone reveals to me how great their faith is in God. To wear a long black jacket in the midst of summer tells me that it’s more than just a fashion statement. This is called faith. Even though I do not agree with intermarrying due to birth defects and other health problems caused by this, I can understand their way of living. I can see that keeping their inheritance and unity within their family is sacred. So with that, I have respect for them and I do not judge them in any way. This is their way of living. So what’s my point you ask? My point is that the Old Testament is just that. All this being considered, even the Hebrews do not practice the Old Testament—even though that is their bible. Most of the entire book of Leviticus is based on the sin of intermarriages and incest.
Leviticus 18:22 Do not practice homosexuality; it is a detestable sin.
Okay, so now that we know that whoever eats shrimp, lobster, crabmeat, whoever loves someone of the same sex, whoever enjoys an elegant ostrich dinner, or sits on the couch of a woman that is menstruating, are all going straight to hell? Hmm… This is a lot to absorb, right? I can’t imagine our God saying that all mankind is going to hell. There are millions of people who eat shellfish. What about going to a female friend’s house? How can you know for sure if she is menstruating? Is she going to say to you-- “Oh no! Don’t sit on my couch! You’ll be defiled!” I’m only trying to make a point here, which is that some people do not understand the gay lifestyle, nor would they ever practice it, because it is not their way of living. The same goes with the Hasidim lifestyle, I don’t understand their way of living entirely, nor would I practice it, however I do not judge them. It is just not my way of living. Whatever lifestyle someone leads, let God be the only judge.
PLEASE BE FOREWARNED THAT THIS MATERIAL MAY BE CONTROVERSIAL AND OFFENSIVE TO THOSE WHO DO NOT HOLD THE SAME BELIEFS AND/OR OPINIONS!
I do want to make it a point that a church nearby to where I live, has accepted gays and lesbians to get married in their house of worship. Rev. Cowing stated, "We treat them like people of worth and welcome them to be a part of our community." The United Church of Christ has welcomed us. Rev. Cowing explains the opposing view of the bible's teachings. The church has backed its resolution on same-sex marriage with theological and Biblical evidence. He says that the passages condemning homosexuality are from Books 3 and 5, Leviticus and Deuteronomy. These books apply to Judiasm and are part of the Torah.
Here is an excerpt of my book that I want to share with you regarding this topic...Please keep in mind that these are "MY BELIEFS", I do not want to impose or influence you with my faith in Christianity.
"Out With the Old and In With the New"
Did you ever wonder why they call the Old Testament “old”? The reason is because it is just ‘that’. That was before Jesus came to this earth to save us. He saved us from what we would have died from; due to our sins. You have people in the church throwing scriptures at you for being gay. Most of the scriptures that they throw at you are from the Old Testament.
Leviticus 20:30 The penalty for homosexual acts is death to both parties. They have committed a detestable act and are guilty of a capital offense.
Immorality is one thing… But to love someone else is another. Anyone who is immoral and has sex with anyone due to its pleasure can be viewed at in another light. To be intimate with someone you love and care about takes on a whole new meaning. I felt years of guilt for being intimate with the person I was in love with. It’s a horrible way to live. Hopefully by you seeing my views, you can release some of that guilt that has been stored up by judgmental people, and let it go—to God. I want to list some scriptures of the book of Leviticus to you. Some of it is very shocking. There are sins in here that I didn’t even know of. The Jewish people rely on the Old Testament because they do not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. They believe Jesus was just a man who claimed to be the Messiah, or just a prophet. The New Testament is what we should rely on, because it’s our freedom.
Take a look at this:
Leviticus 11:9-12 As for marine animals, you may eat whatever has both fins and scales, whether taken from fresh water or salt water. You may not, however, eat marine animals that do not have both fins and scales. (shellfish) You are to detest them, and they will always be forbidden to you. You must never eat their meat or even touch their dead bodies. I repeat, any marine animal that does not have both fins and scales is strictly forbidden to you.
So basically what this scripture is saying to us is that we can never eat shrimp or lobster. We cannot enjoy clams, mussels or scallops. Interesting, isn’t it? This is considered to be just as “bad” as being a homosexual. My grandfather and father owned a fish market in NYC for years. I was so used to eating this way because my father would bring home seafood twice a week. We grew up on shellfish, and many people in this world eat shellfish regularly. I know many people enjoy eating ostrich, but in Leviticus 13:16- it clearly states that eating ostrich is considered detestable to all of us.
Leviticus 15:19-29 Whenever a woman has her menstrual period, she will be ceremonially unclean for seven days. If you touch her during that time, you will be defiled until evening. Anything on which she lies or sits during that time will be defiled If you touch her bed, you must wash your clothes and bathe in water, and you will remain defiled until evening. The same applies if you touch an object on which she sits, whether it is her bedding or any piece of furniture. If a man has sexual intercourse with her during this time, her menstrual impurity will be transmitted to him. He will remain defiled for seven days, and any bed on which he lies will be defiled.If the menstrual flow of blood continues for many days beyond the normal period, or if she discharges blood unrelated to her menstruation, the woman will be ceremonially unclean as long as the discharge continues. Anything on which she lies or sits during that time will be defiled, just as it would be during her normal menstrual period. If you touch her bed or anything on which she sits, you will be defiled. You will be required to wash your clothes and bathe in water, and you will remain defiled until evening.
When the woman’s menstrual discharge stops, she must count off a period of seven days. After that she will be ceremonially clean. On the eighth day, she must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons and present them to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle.
(In my beliefs)
If I lived by the Old Testament alone, I would not leave my house nor have guests come over anytime during my menstrual period. A lot of people including myself get confused when the bible seems to contradict itself. If you have discernment, you should realize that the Old Testament is strictly for the time before Jesus. The Old Testament is a good tool for learning the past history of what went on in the beginning of time. The rules applied then were stricter and some things people did as a result of not obeying such rules were fatal. They would put you to death over a sin. Later on when God gave us His only son, we were all saved from the sins of this earth. There are scriptures in the Old Testament stating that if men shave their beards, it is a sin. Most of our priests and pastors are very clean-shaven. We have to take into consideration that God knows we are human. Stop with the guilt, and live a happy life that will please God.
Think about this… In the Old Testament, slavery was approved. The only difference was that they referred to them as “servants”. Regardless of how it was described throughout the Old Testament, this was undoubtedly slavery, which is an insult to mankind. They degraded people by keeping them as slaves. This is called loving others as you would love yourself? Not in my book. There are many writings in the Old Testament that don’t correlate with how we live today. There are many, many debates on this issue, and I am only trying to express my view. Love should not be a sin; sexual immorality, yes. I can agree with that. Sexual immorality promotes sexual transmitted diseases, loss of self-respect and prostitution.
Ephesians 2:19-22 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. We are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We who believe are carefully joined together, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also joined together as part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.
We need to know and believe that God accepts us. There are many things within the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament, which make reference to having sexual relations with someone within your family. Yes, incest. Here is a scripture that makes strong reference to this topic:
Leviticus 18:6-21 You can never have intercourse with a close relative, for I am the Lord. Do not violate your father by having sexual intercourse with your mother. She is your mother; you must never have intercourse with her. Do not have sexual intercourse with any of your father’s wives, for this would violate your father. Do not have sexual intercourse with your sister or half sister, whether she is your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was brought up in the same family or somewhere else.
Do not have sexual intercourse with your granddaughter, whether your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; that would violate you. Do not have sexual intercourse with the daughter of any of your father’s wives; she is your half sister. Do not have intercourse with your aunt, your father’s sister, because she is your father’s close relative. Do not have sexual intercourse with your aunt, your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s close relative. And do not violate your uncle, your father’s brother, by having sexual intercourse with his wife; she also is your aunt. Do not have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife. Do not have intercourse with your brother’s wife; this would violate your brother. Do not have sexual intercourse with both a woman and her daughter or marry both a woman and her granddaughter, whether or son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter. They are close relatives, and to do this would be a horrible wickedness. Do not marry a woman and her sister because they will be rivals. But if your wife dies, then it is all right to marry her sister.
Do not violate a woman by having sexual intercourse with her during her period of menstrual impurity. Do not defile yourself by having sexual intercourse with your neighbor’s wife. Do not give any of your children as a sacrifice to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.
Some Hasidim engage in inter-marriages. This is not uncommon. Hasidim interbreeding and intermarrying were to elaborate on the ‘clan’ or the ‘tribe’ of this community. The purpose of intermarrying was to preserve one’s inheritance of the family and for unity. There are communities today that still practice this. There’s more at risk here than just having your wealth shared with someone outside the family. Birth defects of babies are very common among intermarried couples. They share the same genetic material, which causes health problems and birth defects for the baby.
In my hometown, the Hasidim are the most religious people who practice their faith daily. They never work on Saturdays, they keep the Sabbath and watching televisions is unheard of and forbidden. Their clothing alone reveals to me how great their faith is in God. To wear a long black jacket in the midst of summer tells me that it’s more than just a fashion statement. This is called faith. Even though I do not agree with intermarrying due to birth defects and other health problems caused by this, I can understand their way of living. I can see that keeping their inheritance and unity within their family is sacred. So with that, I have respect for them and I do not judge them in any way. This is their way of living. So what’s my point you ask? My point is that the Old Testament is just that. All this being considered, even the Hebrews do not practice the Old Testament—even though that is their bible. Most of the entire book of Leviticus is based on the sin of intermarriages and incest.
Leviticus 18:22 Do not practice homosexuality; it is a detestable sin.
Okay, so now that we know that whoever eats shrimp, lobster, crabmeat, whoever loves someone of the same sex, whoever enjoys an elegant ostrich dinner, or sits on the couch of a woman that is menstruating, are all going straight to hell? Hmm… This is a lot to absorb, right? I can’t imagine our God saying that all mankind is going to hell. There are millions of people who eat shellfish. What about going to a female friend’s house? How can you know for sure if she is menstruating? Is she going to say to you-- “Oh no! Don’t sit on my couch! You’ll be defiled!” I’m only trying to make a point here, which is that some people do not understand the gay lifestyle, nor would they ever practice it, because it is not their way of living. The same goes with the Hasidim lifestyle, I don’t understand their way of living entirely, nor would I practice it, however I do not judge them. It is just not my way of living. Whatever lifestyle someone leads, let God be the only judge.