Are gays bad

Research suggests it’s a long process.

Through personal experience and from social institutions, people learn that LGBT people are “threats” and heterosexuals are “normal.” For example, throughout adolescence, boys consistently have it drilled into them by peers that they need to be masculine and antifeminine. Indeed, the male peer group is the ideal context for proving one’s masculinity via aggression because other males are present to witness the macho display.

Studies also indicate that perpetrators of hate crimes, including violence toward sexual minorities, seek to alleviate boredom and have fun – termed thrill-seeking.

He offered the gift of his presence and the offer of salvation without prejudice.

4. Paul does not exclude anyone, even classifying himself as the chief of sinners. We have the examples of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, and Rebekah, Ruth and Boaz; Mary and Joseph; and several more. None of these couples was perfect, but each is an example of heterosexual marriage.

What Did Jesus Say about Homosexuality?

While Jesus did not explicitly address homosexuality, when it comes to how society treats individuals who engage in homosexual relationships, Jesus’ attitude is the benchmark.

Jesus hung out with everyone. He ate with sinners. To be masculine, one must be heterosexual, so the thinking goes. When a gospel-believing person highlights sin in a person’s life, the purpose should always be to point that person to Jesus and his saving mercies.

Admitting and repenting of sin, turning to Christ for salvation, restores a person to peace and wholeness with God.

Many so-called Christians, however, point fingers and exalt themselves by knocking down anyone whose lifestyle does not line up with their own.

Is Homosexuality a Sin?

It is not appropriate to label someone who identifies as gay or transgender as a "sinner" while overlooking one's own faults. For example, studies indicate that heterosexuals who have a close relationship with an LGBT individual report lower levels of sexual prejudice.

The gospels illustrate how Jesus wants us to treat a person who has been marginalized by society by highlighting several encounters Jesus had with women.

He called out their sin but offered something better. Much of my work is helping them to externalize the harmful messages they internalized about themselves that have contributed to low self-esteem and a lack of self-worth—something I refer to as “messages from the playground.”

“Messages from the playground” are the subconscious beliefs we all pick up from our childhood.

“Before the fall — before sin — sex was part of the created order. But given the widespread nature of bias-motivated aggression and the ubiquity of heterosexism, these individual-level approaches are likely insufficient on their own. Given that sexual stigma devalues homosexuality, it sanctions these perpetrators’ strategic choice of a socially devalued target.

Translating motivations into violence

How does a given perpetrator get to the point where he decides to attack a sexual minority?

The word “zakar” in Hebrew can refer to any male, including human and animal, but also to boys.

But Strong’s concordance indicates that “zakar,” as used in Leviticus 18:22 above, refers to sodomy, a term not reserved for acts of child sexual abuse or rape but also consensual acts between adults.

“Arsenokoitai” is Greek for “men having sex with other men.

If we’re serious about tackling the public health issue of anti-LGBT violence, we need to try to reduce heterosexism at the societal level. The reality is that LGBTQ youth exist. (1 Timothy 1:15)

Intimacy, Identity, and Culture

Sam Allberry, a same-sex pastor from England, confronts the pain of being alone, even by choice, on the grounds of obedience to God.

Celibacy is made more difficult by the elevation of marital intimacy to a lofty position above all other forms, including friendship.

Allberry’s fear is that “if someone’s only choice in life seems to be either unbiblical intimacy or no intimacy, they’re going to end up choosing unbiblical intimacy. The Samaritan woman depicted in John 4 had been married five times and was with a sixth man.

He sat and talked with her when the rest of her community shunned the woman.

That’s probably because positive feelings regarding the friend are generalized to all sexual minorities.

These kinds of experiences may help lessen heterosexism within various social contexts.