LGBTQA+ Community

[Sakila 88]

(so I feel funny just saying the pledge of allegiance...)

We have to recite it every day (that and the JROTC creed which also has "God" in it) and I feel weird since I'm Muslim. If I recall correctly, the "Under God" part was added during the Cold War to contrast with the Soviet Union's official atheist status---religious morale was really high at that time.

The thing is... a true follower of God is forgiving and full of love. This doesn't mean to agree with and support sin - but it does mean to not treat people that you think are "not up to your standards" like crap. People with nasty pride like that dig themselves a hole. I love my God and will follow what He says - He will never be irrelevant. People choose to do wrong, people go along with the flow, and are easily persuaded. There is both good and evil in the world - I don't think it's very responsible for a human who is fully capable of making their own choices to blame their choices on God, but never give God the glory when things turn out well.

Ahhh, extremists. How bad a rep they give.

Exactly my point. idk, because there are some wierd contradictions, sometimes I view myself as an atheist... I would be atheist, but it's just that I don't want to turn back against my family. I never told them about my religious status, but if they say they wouldn't care, I'd say atheist.

Doesn't every religion have contradictions? No matter how you look at, in the end, religion is a man-made thing, is it not?

[Anti-APTX4869 181]

Aaaannnyyywaayyys...

I've studied Parent Ed. and there was something like this in one of the units. a small part of it though.

"Your child may think he or she is homosexual - or you may even wonder about it yourself. Be ready and willing to give your children emotional support by offering them love and affection. Again, be willing to talk to them and listen to their feelings. Teens may be confused about their sexuality. Emotional and physical rejection by parents can cause them to feel alone and isolated. Your children need to know they are loved regardless of their sexual preferences. When teens believe their parents hate them, they may turn to alcohols or drugs. Instead, try to offer your children guidance as they try to sort out their sexual orientation. However, be careful not to label a teenager. Some young teens mat experiment in a sexual way with members of their own gender. That does not mean they are homosexual. Sexual orientation may not be formed until late adolescence or young adulthood.

If you find that your teen is homosexual, it is important that you get in touch with your own feelings as well. Remember that your child is also trying to sort out his r her own feelings as well. What he or she needs is acceptance from you. Joining a support will meet other parents who share your conscerns. You will have an opportunity to find out how others came to terms with their children's lifestyle and maintainwed a close and loving relationship."

...is what it says. some parts sound weird and idk why they kept switching words between teen(s) and child(ren)... this is an old packet...

[dcfan4869 18]

What a controversial topic to discuss.

The way I see it, if women earned their rights, if blacks earned their rights, then hell, gays and lesbians should earn their rights as well!

[detective-db 16]

It's great to see so many contributing to this discussion in the course of a day! I'm glad my post was able to change the minds of some people. And I'm very happy that some people put that their view on homosexuality itself behind their belief that everyone should have equal rights. This is great! I know religion can sometimes force you to go against homosexuality, but I'm happy to see some religious people supporting too. ^^

LOL, Chelsea. XD You posted right before I did. :3 I feel flattered! Maybe this explanation works better for specifics for detective-DB though.

Heterosexual: Like opposite gender

Homosexual: Like same gender

Bisexual: Like both genders

Asexual: Like neither gender

Aah... tnx for the exp.

i'm hetero...

I find relationships between the same gender acceptable. After all, if two people love each other, then why should I hate on them just because of they share the same gender? I have no right to interfere with something that has nothing to do with me.

Agree ^^

[hopes 237]

Hmm well first, let's respond to Akakata: She got expelled because... she was harming herself along with her 'friend' who convinced her to do it in the girls' bathroom.

That's absolutely terrible... I hope neither of them hurt themselves critically... Were they

actually close or actually friends or...? It actually isn't any of my business, sorry.

I understand that I'm probably the only one here who is kind of on the "opposing" and "stubborn" side of this. However, I believe that if others are allowed to rant on their dislike of God and of people who many times unfortunately represent Christianity - which I follow - I should also be allowed some input.

No, I don't think you are, but that's absolutely fine, Forever. I understand what you're saying.

And yes, since it's your religion and you believe in it and someone does start to rant about it, you should be allowed that.

The thing is... a true follower of God is forgiving and full of love. This doesn't mean to agree with and support sin - but it does mean to not treat people that you think are "not up to your standards" like crap. People with nasty pride like that dig themselves a hole. I love my God and will follow what He says - He will never be irrelevant. People choose to do wrong, people go along with the flow, and are easily persuaded. There is both good and evil in the world - I don't think it's very responsible for a human who is fully capable of making their own choices to blame their choices on God, but never give God the glory when things turn out well.

All in all, I'm not hating or anything like that, and I hope you didn't get that impression at all.

I didn't, Forever. ^^ Thanks. It's nice to know that there are also people out there like you, who are forgiving. Because as others have said, if God created all of us and He loves us equally, then we should accept that and treat each other equally. I doubt how well that will work throughout life, though.

You see... I'm not an atheist, but I'm not quite certain about how religious I actually am. I am Christian, but... I haven't gone to church much in my life and... Yeah.

With all the terrible things that happen in the world, it's questionable. There will be believers and non-believers. We'll just have to wait and see.

[Forever Lost 55]

@Akakata I think they were caught before they were hurt critically. This was someone she considered close, even though she's the one who still spread her diary around. This girl is just jacked up in the head and she was pulling my friend with her. They've harmed themselves before separately, but this other girl had the bright idea to just go do it together in the girls' bathroom which got them expelled. So, technically, she was a real close friend to her, but to me, I don't think she was a good friend to her at all.

[A L 217]

Not long before I went nuts because things like these were unnatural for me at least. I grew up where there was only school, divided into different wings for girls and boys. There was no cable TV until I was like 9, and then somewhere around 2008 we got the internet so I never really knew about these things. But I'm supporting this because it hurts damn much to be despised for what you are. (Note: this doesn't refer to my sexuality, and I never knew there were sexuals other than hetro and homo o.O")

And I kinda noticed this, I really don't mean any sort of offense, but if there are so many versions of the bible (it's Injeel for me ^ ^; ), is there a version that is 100% accurate the way it would be by the time it was sent to earth?

[Forever Lost 55]

In regard for the way the Bible is translated over time, it was an extremely sacred document and was copied with tons of rechecks. If someone misspelled God's name (if I remember this correctly) they had to literally burn the page they misspelled it on and redo everything. It went through extreme and rigorous checks during copying and translations. They actually found some really old scrolls that actually had some of the ancient manuscripts for the Bible and they were exact word for word except for a few minor changes that had to do with sentence structure. It is one of the most (if not the most) accurate documents from history by the standards that historians hold to measure the probable accuracy of documents. The events were written down as it happened, not hundreds of years later. There were tons of copies and each of them were identical. The accuracy of the Bible is something that I do not believe is a very questionable thing, considering if you do your research you will find that what I am telling you here about it is very true.

The only thing you really have to be concerned about with the different versions is when there are "footnotes" that have been added. These notes are from people and their speculations on what things mean and blahblahblah - don't treat those as actual scripture and you won't have any problems. If you're still unsure, just go back to the original Greek and Hebrew translations and look up word-for-word what something means if you want to know if someone translated your version of the Bible correctly.

I know you didn't mean offense, and none was taken I hope this information was helpful to you in some way.

[Kid the Phantom Thief 252]

I admit, my views on homosexuality has changed the past year, and I look more mildly at it now. I never really hated on people who preferred the same gender, and I've never meant to make people feel bad about themselves because they're either gay or lesbian. However, you guys just have to understand that I think it's disgusting, and that you can't change that, no matter what you say. But it is alright to me if people prefer their own gender, and therefore I will not look any different on them.

Now, please don't hate on me because I say it's disgusting, there's really nothing you can do about it, besides, if the people that are actually gay or lesbian doesn't think it's disgusting, or that there's anything wrong with it, then I think it's fine. So, I will support. Thanks.

[Aeyra 260]

I admit, my views on homosexuality has changed the past year, and I look more mildly at it now. I never really hated on people who preferred the same gender, and I've never meant to make people feel bad about themselves because they're either gay or lesbian. However, you guys just have to understand that I think it's disgusting, and that you can't change that, no matter what you say. But it is alright to me if people prefer their own gender, and therefore I will not look any different on them.

Now, please don't hate on me because I say it's disgusting, there's really nothing you can do about it, besides, if the people that are actually gay or lesbian doesn't think it's disgusting, or that there's anything wrong with it, then I think it's fine. So, I will support. Thanks.

I'm really glad your views have changed! <3 It's okay to think it's disgusting- all we're trying to advocate is equality even if the two lovers happen to be of the same gender. Because something like that is not something that should strip away your rights and place the priority of your happiness below everyone else's.

[hopes 237]

@Akakata I think they were caught before they were hurt critically. This was someone she considered close, even though she's the one who still spread her diary around. This girl is just jacked up in the head and she was pulling my friend with her. They've harmed themselves before separately, but this other girl had the bright idea to just go do it together in the girls' bathroom which got them expelled. So, technically, she was a real close friend to her, but to me, I don't think she was a good friend to her at all.

Oh wow. :/ That is terrible... Is she better now?

I admit, my views on homosexuality has changed the past year, and I look more mildly at it now. I never really hated on people who preferred the same gender, and I've never meant to make people feel bad about themselves because they're either gay or lesbian. However, you guys just have to understand that I think it's disgusting, and that you can't change that, no matter what you say. But it is alright to me if people prefer their own gender, and therefore I will not look any different on them.

Now, please don't hate on me because I say it's disgusting, there's really nothing you can do about it, besides, if the people that are actually gay or lesbian doesn't think it's disgusting, or that there's anything wrong with it, then I think it's fine. So, I will support. Thanks.

Like Aya-chan, I'm very glad your views have changed! ^^ And like she said - it's totally fine if that's what you think. You do have positive input, so that's great!

[Forever Lost 55]

@Akakata I have no idea.. this happened during the time that I was no longer at the school she goes to, so after that I lost contact with her. At least she's not putting herself in the hospital that I'm aware of..

[A L 217]

In regard for the way the Bible is translated over time, it was an extremely sacred document and was copied with tons of rechecks. If someone misspelled God's name (if I remember this correctly) they had to literally burn the page they misspelled it on and redo everything. It went through extreme and rigorous checks during copying and translations. They actually found some really old scrolls that actually had some of the ancient manuscripts for the Bible and they were exact word for word except for a few minor changes that had to do with sentence structure. It is one of the most (if not the most) accurate documents from history by the standards that historians hold to measure the probable accuracy of documents. The events were written down as it happened, not hundreds of years later. There were tons of copies and each of them were identical. The accuracy of the Bible is something that I do not believe is a very questionable thing, considering if you do your research you will find that what I am telling you here about it is very true.

The only thing you really have to be concerned about with the different versions is when there are "footnotes" that have been added. These notes are from people and their speculations on what things mean and blahblahblah - don't treat those as actual scripture and you won't have any problems. If you're still unsure, just go back to the original Greek and Hebrew translations and look up word-for-word what something means if you want to know if someone translated your version of the Bible correctly.

I know you didn't mean offense, and none was taken I hope this information was helpful to you in some way.

Well I don't have a bible, but if you can understand this, in my religion, there was the last prophet sent after Hazrat Eisa (that's jesus in other terms ^ ^; ) and the Book (Quran) which was brought by him is said to be complete and it will remain unchanged till the end of this world. I'll have to go check what it states about this matter, it's provided me all round logical reasons everytime~ and yes that information was helpful

EDIT: OK now I'm really freaked since anything except the normal sexual orientation has capital punsihment o.O"

Edited June 8, 2012 by The Banana Assassin

[Sakila 88]

Well I don't have a bible, but if you can understand this, in my religion, there was the last prophet sent after Hazrat Eisa (that's jesus in other terms ^ ^; ) and the Book (Quran) which was brought by him is said to be complete and it will remain unchanged till the end of this world. I'll have to go check what it states about this matter, it's provided me all round logical reasons everytime~ and yes that information was helpful

EDIT: OK now I'm really freaked since anything except the normal sexual orientation has capital punsihment o.O"

I don't think people should be punished for their preferences, at least not by other people. If anyone I believe only Allah should have that power. That's why I support gay rights.

[Erza Scarlet 104]

honestly, im starting to wonder sometimes if God really does exist. well, im a Catholic but im not someone who's really pious or devoted to my religion. I don't even go to church. thinking about this, though, makes me feel like Satan's starting to creep inside my body; but I don't want to be restrained by fear of punishment after death just because I feel this way. I don't know. it's kinda hard to deal with sometimes. ANYWAY, this thread isn't created for that topic, is it? I heard a nice quote from a TV show coming from a transexual: "I'm just a woman born in the wrong body." idk if that's exactly it, but... whatever. I just think it's nice xD

[Kyuu Nye 425]

I promised myself I wouldn't get involved, I really did... But now that people are bringing in religion... I have to say something.

If you feel you would be offended by some harsh thoughts on religion please don't open the spoiler.

With all due respect... The further along in history your book is from the more BS it becomes. Here is why... Torah gave no power to the people who read it, it was purely for moral and historical guidance. No power was given to the people and all smiting was done by God himself. Then comes the Bible. Well Jesus was God in human form, thus making him more connectable to the people. God no longer smites people, and is generally a nice guy. No real talk of punishment until Revelations and the final end of everything. But still God shifted his focus for peacekeeping from his heavenly domain to the mortal realm, however it was just that. THEN the Koran comes along and says, oh no you both got it wrong. God wants US PEOPLE to stand judge and jury, and his initial laws were wrong! Here are the new and improved ones, and here are the punishments he set forth. Now we have come to the point where God no longer has any power but people have assumed full responsibility to judge and punish.

You see where I'm going with this? Each and every iteration of "THE WORD" has resulted in less and less power to the ALL POWERFUL being which is supposed to be worshiped, and increasingly more power to his followers. Mind you, this is the same God who said "THOU SHALT NOT KILL." Why would a guy, who was so sure of himself and his rules that he would inscribe them on stone slabs at the top of a mountain 2000 years later say "ehhhhhh you know what? I was wrong about that whole "killing" thing, just kill those who don't believe in the same things as you, and by all means end the life of those who don't adhere to what is seen as status quo."

I don't mean to trample on anyone's beliefs, but I encourage free thought. I have come to these conclusions after much self-reflection and thought.

That all being said. Religion has very strong views on homosexuality, well Judeo-Christian at least. And in that very same book they say that shaving the hair on your temples is a sin, shaving your beard is a sin, and wearing clothes with more than one fabric is a sin. So by all means, speak against homosexuality if you are Judeo-Christian, but I best be hearing you speaking against polyester clothing as well. It isn't right to pick and choose what YOU feel is morally questionable from the Bible. If you believe it is the word of God, then everything in it should be heeded, not just certain things.

I don't know if homosexuality is predetermined or chosen or if certain factors lead to it. Nature suggests that it is, we aren't the only creatures that have homosexuality. There is the praternal androgen theory too, which could be a contributing factor. But there is just not enough evidence to confirm it as 100% predetermined. I'd like to say that it is, and believe me when I say, that I do think it is due to the evidences I have presented. But until a time where we can isolate the factors that lead to sexual preference, I cannot, as a self respecting scientist, say that it is confirmed as true, but I do subscribe to that theory.

All I know is that I'm cool with it. I am fairly certain at this point that I'm heterosexual, perhaps slightly bi-curious, but that's about it.

[Forever Lost 55]

@The Banana Assassin: Oh, I see, yeah that's definitely a totally different ball park, and I have no personal experience with that ^^;; I only have research I did once for English IV and yeah, punishment is pretty severe.. Pretty scary o.o;;

@Ezra Scarlet: True, the thread wasn't specifically made for that, but I do think it has a lot to do with the topic. People who are or support homosexuality (etc.) struggle with what they declare to believe. Other factors to do with this subject could include, but is not limited to, school bullying, social standards, and suicide. These are all struggles to deal with.

Although, I forget who may or may not have referred to me as an extremist, I wanted to thank you! Because from the sounds of it, a lot of people aren't really sure what they believe (and that's not really wrong; at least they admit it and are willing to find out). I know what I believe and I think that as someone who really believes something wouldn't say that the opposite is true. For that reason, I'm happy to be called an extremist. That means I'm not normal and I don't fit in with what everyone finds acceptable. I'm not a hater or a person who is out to hurt people "beneath" them - in fact, that's actually against what Jesus teaches by example and words. So thank you for the honor. This is probably going to be one of my last posts on here soo~ If I remembered how to do the spoiler tag, I would probably do that for this paragraph simply because I figure you all would like to get off this subject and move on to another.

[A L 217]

Well, that's a spark,

the basis of going against this cause for most people is religion. I might add I found Kyuu's spoiler amusing () I would be likely to believe to that, since I don't trust history so much as well because I was not there, therefore I have no solid evidence, and having no solid evidence is what started the fanatic preist jokes etc- and I'm afraid I won't dare to just write on a forum to state possible contradictions that give logic or something

@ForeverLost: yes. apparently severe punishment in front of other people is supposed to be a lesson that if they are caught doing this or that they will be treated like this. O^O

[Sakila 88]

Although, I forget who may or may not have referred to me as an extremist, I wanted to thank you! Because from the sounds of it, a lot of people aren't really sure what they believe (and that's not really wrong; at least they admit it and are willing to find out). I know what I believe and I think that as someone who really believes something wouldn't say that the opposite is true. For that reason, I'm happy to be called an extremist. That means I'm not normal and I don't fit in with what everyone finds acceptable. I'm not a hater or a person who is out to hurt people "beneath" them - in fact, that's actually against what Jesus teaches by example and words. So thank you for the honor. This is probably going to be one of my last posts on here soo~ If I remembered how to do the spoiler tag, I would probably do that for this paragraph simply because I figure you all would like to get off this subject and move on to another.

Oh no no no no no! I'm sorry! I didn't mean YOU were an extremist! I was referring to the people you were talking about in your post! People who take religion so seriously in the wrong way that they start er...."dissing" the people who don't and the people who don't follow the same religion...er...do you understand? Like those people who think homosexuality shouldn't exist and people shouldn't be allowed to practice it because it breaks the rules of religion.

[PhoenixTears 5]

Someone mentioned the New Testament (don't remember who and I'm too lazy to go back and quote), but I just thought I'd point out: the New Testament doesn't actually talk about homosexuality, and Jesus himself never mentioned it (for those of you who follow a faith that involves Jesus). Obviously he had more important things to worry about than whether or not some guys were sleeping together.

[Kyuu Nye 425]

Someone mentioned the New Testament (don't remember who and I'm too lazy to go back and quote), but I just thought I'd point out: the New Testament doesn't actually talk about homosexuality, and Jesus himself never mentioned it (for those of you who follow a faith that involves Jesus). Obviously he had more important things to worry about than whether or not some guys were sleeping together.

I did, but not in that context.

[Forever Lost 55]

@Anime Girl 4 Eva: Oh~ I misunderstood! It's alright XDD

@Phoenix Tears: 1 Corinthians 6:9 mentions it as well as Romans 1:26-32.. Matthew 19:4-5 Jesus mentions that a man should leave his household and cleave to his wife (in other words, not his husband or partner or whatever). I might add, however, that these mentions weren't for saying these people should go die - but in fact that we were once this way and we, as well as they, can repent and be followers of Christ, etc. It's not a matter of whether or not it's in the Bible, it's whether or not people chose to follow and/or believe it.

And, random question, could someone show me how to do the spoiler tag so I can let people click a button before they read possibly-somehow-offensive words? >.>'''

[Sakila 88]

And, random question, could someone show me how to do the spoiler tag so I can let people click a button before they read possibly-somehow-offensive words? >.>'''

insert text here[/spoiler_]

Without the underscore.

[Forever Lost 55]

Thank you!

[Erza Scarlet 104]

@Ezra Scarlet: True, the thread wasn't specifically made for that, but I do think it has a lot to do with the topic. People who are or support homosexuality (etc.) struggle with what they declare to believe. Other factors to do with this subject could include, but is not limited to, school bullying, social standards, and suicide. These are all struggles to deal with.

yes, yes. I was about to say that. XD