Do not listen when they tell you you cannot be gay and believe in God. Choose one, they say.
This is a blatant lie. You can be both. In his wise ways, God created you perfect in his eyes. Be gay, pray with a glad heart and thank Him for this blessing and gift. To love is a freedom given to you to receive joy and happiness in this world. You are blessed more than you know and God loves you just as you are. For He is The God of Love. You are precious and destined for good things and for a good world to come.
Ignore the imperfect writings of ancient men and listen to your heart and reason - love is the way.
Love yourself and love God. Be free from choosing and condemnation.
hello!! i don't know if you've been asked this before, but i just saw a post of yours that said you don't believe in a conventional/eternal hell. can you explain/expand on that please?
i was by a previously pentecostal "fire and brimstone" (now conserv. baptist) father, and a conserv. baptist mother. a lot of my family (the ones who are christian, anyway) are very end-times/rapture/hell/fire and brimstone-based. it's honestly terrifying- i grew up having nightmares about it all when i was young. i'm now deconstructing my faith, but that aspect always feels like a scary looming figure at the back of it.
i read somewhere once that jews don't believe in an eternal hell? i'm not sure if that's true or not, but that's what i was reminded of when i saw your post. is it like that?
basically, i'm asking: why do you believe that way? what supports it (not that you need anything to support it, just that if there is, i'd like to see it)? would you be willing to share?
thank you very much- i'm sorry this got a bit vent-y, but i just wanted you to understand my background, and where i'm coming from when asking. :D
On Hell
First of all I want to apologise for taking one million years to respond to this. Time is a slippery character with few morals.
The first thing that I want to establish is the difference between what I understand hell to be and what others do. Growing up I was taught that hell is a pit of fire and flames that people reside in for the rest of their soul's eternity, as punishment for not believing in the Christian understanding of God. I do not believe in this.
I do not believe this to be a biblical notion either. I encourage you to read the following and click the link to read the full text as they articulate it better than what I possibly could ever. Here is an excerpt from it.
"There Are The 4 Words Translated As “Hell”
Most of the confusion around Hell starts with translation error. There are four separate Hebrew and Greek words which are translated into the single English word “Hell”, despite having drastically different meanings.
Sheol (Hebrew)
Hades (Greek)
Tartarus (Greek)
Gehenna (Greek)
The English language is often very limited when trying to express certain concepts. A perfect Biblical example of this is the multiple Greek words translated to the single English word “Love”. Agape is a special version of love that speaks about God’s love toward humanity. Phileo speaks about brotherly love and Eros refers to sexual love or desire.
And just like “love”, the English word “hell” is unilaterally translated from the Greek and Hebrew words Sheol, Hades, Gehenna, and Tartarus, each of which have different meanings.
1. Sheol (H7585)
שׁאל שׁאול she’ôl she’ôl sheh-ole’, sheh-ole’ From H7592; hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranian retreat), including its accessories and inmates: — grave, hell, pit.
2. Hades (G86)
ᾅδης hadēs hah’-dace From G1 (as a negative particle) and G1492; properly unseen, that is, “Hades” or the place (state) of departed souls: — grave, hell.
3. Gehenna (G1067)
γέεννα geenna gheh’-en-nah Of Hebrew origin ([H1516] and [H2011]); valley of (the son of) Hinnom; gehenna (or Ge-Hinnom), a valley of Jerusalem
4. Tartarus (G5020)
ταρταρόω tartaroō tar-tar-o’-o From Τάρταρος Tartaros̄ (the deepest abyss of Hades); to incarcerate in eternal torment: — cast down to hell.
Below, I’ve listed the full 13 times “Hell” is used in the NASB translation of the Bible. Sheol and Hades are always correctly translated as “the grave” in the NASB and other more accurate translations, which is why you don’t see any references below. I’ve included those words in our discussion simply because they will come up incorrectly as “Hell” in the KJV.
You’ll notice that NONE of the above 4 words actually translate to Hell. The closest is Hades, which is derived from Greek mythology and is never actually translated to “Hell” in academically accepted translations. Sheol and Hades are both always translated as “death” or “the grave” in the NASB and other more accurate translations. And as we are about to see, neither Tartarus nor Gehenna can be correctly translated as “Hell” either.
In other words, “Hell” is NOT actually in the Bible."
Hell is not a Biblical concept.
I believe in "hell" in the sense that when my soul feels hurt and tormented, that is a bad place for my heart and mind to be. When I think of Jesus and His loving teachings I am filled with peace and helps bring me out of that place.
While I don't believe in ETERNAL hell, I do believe in divine punishment. Those who do not follow the teachings Jesus preached (being loving, kind, empathetic, caring about social justice) will experience some sort of punishment. If it is not in this lifetime, I believe it will be in the next.
Do I believe they'll all be put in flames? No not really. I believe God will provide them with a consequence that will assist them in changing their perspective and changing for the better.
I don't believe people who don't worship the Christian understanding of God, yet follow what Jesus preached will be punished eternally. I don't think God will mind if we get the theology wrong but what we did get right was the act of loving our neighbour.
Our affiliated congregations and ministries, ministers, and members represent a diverse range of theology, perspectives, and worship within
I've likely not explained this very well at all and I'm still growing and learning in my faith. If you have new perspectives you want to add onto this and more resources to provide to me, I am more that happy for you to share them!
If you are going to get upset with me in the comments for what I believe and tell me again and again that ETERNAL FIRE AND HELL is real, I am unfortunately not interested in that. I was taught that for many years of my life and it never brought me peace. It only made me feel further away from God because I didn't understand how He could be so hateful. Please don't come to my comment section and tell me my God is hateful. I deconstructed that notion long ago.
Let me know if you want me to explain anything better or provide more resources!
FYI, God never created hell, it is a Satan-inspired lie to put a blemish on God's good name and nature, to poison believers into worshipping a monster of a God and to turn the sane FROM God.
The real punishment for sin has been DEATH right from the start, from WHICH we are saved through Christ's sacrifice on the cross. The whole world is destined to resurrection and new life by God's side. There is going to be a lot of redemption and healing.
Stop scaring people with hell. You are literally engaging in spiritual terrorism when you do that. It's especially revolting to see queer people singled out for this time and time again.
No one is going to hell, especially your queer neighbour. You know why? Because hell is fiction, a lie from evil men and Satan himself.
You are a gift, destined for a good new beginning at the end of this age, created by God to spread love and positivity. Every good thing is a gift and a blessing from God, so is being queer.
Here we spread the glorious message of our Good God and of the Great works of his Son through self-sacrifice so that to redeem the world from death and sin.
I made this tumblr blog to share my musings and to teach anyone willing the truth which is so rare nowadays.
As for the quite... unorthodox blog name, it's on purpose. Jesus is quite the radical, and so am I, his student.
I first found myself in Orthodox Christianity, but later left to find my own road because the traditions didn't sit right with me. I could not reconcile the traditions with the good God I knew in my heart. Research led me to Universalism, which saved me from suffering, and I haven't left since. :D
Sending love to my homies Universalists who are on Tumblr.
My greatest wish is for Christian Universalism to be preached to every person. There is rarely a person not hurt by the Satan that is organised religion, and truth and spiritual healing are very much needed for humanity to abandon fear of God and open up its eyes. You are valid and very brave in your faith. Till God saves All!
