I
received the following from Peter who use to blog here. I am not sure if he wrote this so I
asked him to tell me who did if he didn't.
I told him I would forward any comments left i
I am a bit late in adding my answer to "Why I am not a Christian?" but
I'd love to share it with all. The question could also be "Why I am no
longer a Christian?" in my case. It's personal but relevant. I was
raised in a conservative Christian family and went to church. When I was
12 I realised that I was gay. I felt terribly ashamed and guilty and
dared not tell anyone. There were pamphlets in my church explaining how
AIDS was God's judgement on homosexuals. I remember the preacher asking
the same as a question and then responding "You bet it is!" to the
congregation. I was so miserable inside and I couldn't understand why
God had caused this to happen because I was trying my best to be a
Christian. I recall once going out the front to get prayer and when the
"elder" praying for me wanted to know what I wanted, I could not say and
eventually made up something else. Very unpleasant experience.
At a
different church (a Sydney Anglican!) some years later, I confided in a
minister. His solution was to read sections of the Bible with me, pray
and then fob me off to some other mob who supposedly could help. I went
to them and they wanted $$, got me to buy books (more $$$), and the take
home message seemed to be that you could change your sexual orientation
(WTF?, with hindsight).
I came to the realisation that the Church
offered nothing for gays, except a miserable life of celibacy. They love
to teach that God loves the gay, but hates the sin. It's so easy for a
straight person to say that. They can go home afterwards and have sex.
But you gays, no way. You just have to not do those sinful acts. In
fact, you shouldn't even think about doing them, because remember what
Jesus said about thinking about doing naughty things with someone in
your heart... So what are gays supposed to do? Cut off their genitals?
Remove part of their brain? Live like a Roman Catholic priest?
(we all know how well that works). So, churchies, take your ancient
texts that promote intolerance and hatred (just ask Ugandan gays right
now) and think about it from outside your own straight, conservative
world-view if that is possible. Then do what I did. Leave, think for
yourself and enjoy life for what it is.
That is why I am not a Christan.They tried to blame us.
Just problems.