I know this is adding to the already crowded discussions of LGBT on this sub, but when people say the "it's a temptation" thing it irks me and here's why.

According to those who believe LGBT is a sin, there is ZERO healthy outlet for those queer "temptations". Meanwhile, for heterosexual temptations like porn, they can be turned into the healthy outlet of eventually getting married and having sex, and it's seen as a natural sexual attraction and very normal etc.

I've heard the metaphor for lust that "sexual desire is like a river: when it is in the natural bounds of God's commands, it's a great beautiful thing. But when it floods outside the banks of the river, it causes real damage and is dangerous". Now for LGBT people, that metaphor would be "there is no natural bounds for your desires and your identity. Dam it up and never open that dam, it's all a sin and perversion!"

So when people compare LGBT as a "sin" to other sins, they'll be like "we all have our crosses", but then the anti-LGBT person's crosses will be things like being prideful, or greedy, or gossiping. And things like that have a route in Christianity to be transformed into gratefulness, stewardship, and mentoring others, etc. And also people are more understanding of those sins in anti-LGBT churches. Meanwhile, LGBT people in order for their "sin" to be transformed into acceptable for the anti-LGBT crowd, would have to either change their sexual identity despite all the queer person's feelings or experiences, or always have a loathing for the part of themselves that is queer.

And how is "it's not a sin, it's a temptation" supposed to comforting to LGBT people anyways? It's a technicality that is still telling the person they should be ashamed of their LGBT identity, but as long as they keep it to themselves and don't act on it, then can they be "confident in their salvation". Either way you're saying their sexual identity isn't a real sexual identity and/or it's wrong with no healthy outlet.

I can’t do this anymore. I’ve been patient, I’ve loved Jesus, I’ve loved God, I’ve prayed, I’ve tried my hardest but I cannot accept it anymore. I cannot accept that an all loving God sends imperfect individuals into an eternal life of torture and agony.

You’re all scared, because you’re all imperfect, that’s the only reason you belive in God, you wouldn’t follow him if you didn’t have the fear of hell and that’s a fact, you say you feel his ‘peace and love’ but where is the peace and love of just constantly pressuring yourself to be different and believe you’ve got a ticket to heaven because you’ve gone by the books. You believe in him because biologically you WANT love, peace and attention from someone in a beautiful warm place, and the concept of Hell being real; a place so terrible makes you terrified into believing.

I can’t look at my gay friends and believe they’re going to hell, I can’t look at my atheist friends or friends of other religions and believe they’re going to hell all from a book that was translated hundreds of times. I can’t believe an ‘All loving’ God would send his OWN children to a place of eternal pain. And don’t try to sugarcoat it, don’t say he’s forgiving and merciful, not everyone is sorry to a man they don’t believe in. I can’t look at my OWN FAMILY, who by the ‘rules’ would be judged into hell. I would be too.

I somehow feel shame when I say I’m christian to somebody. Because today’s society of christianity is quite frankly disgraceful. So am I going to hell for supporting the LGBTQ community?

If I am such a lovely, loyal and helping person my whole life, but I might’ve been lustful at some stages or had some pride in my life but didn’t ask for forgiveness or believe in him, I’m judged straight to hell? Then someone who did no good but judge others based on their religion and identity their whole life’s; but because they asked for forgiveness of their ‘sins’ they’re judged to Heaven? It’s stupid. It’s a harmful ideology.

My aspect on Christianity as a child was very different as I was brought up in an Open Christian household, so I thought nothing of ‘sins’ or ‘evil’. Even my siblings are bisexual. All I knew was bad people and good people. Good people go to heaven, Bad people go to hell. But being a good and bad person is WARPED in Christian beliefs. All I knew was that Jesus was loving and he loved us all, that he kept the bad away from us, like murder, grape, sa, abuse.

Ever since coming online and seeing this community for what it really is has opened my eyes, all I came on for was to find others to worship and love with, I wish I never did. It’s disgustingly judgemental. I had a stage of worrying and feeling guilty over every tiny thing I did and felt like I was walking on eggshells but now I don’t care, I’m being me, I’m living free, worshipping how I want to. The community and people are disgusting online, abusive and thinking they’re of a higher power just because they’re ‘close with god’ by ‘asking for forgiveness of their sins’ so they’re automatically guaranteed a seat in heaven above the ‘losers’ who they criticise online and in real life.

I can’t believe even a few weeks ago I saw a post on here of a guy in extreme deep heartbreaking grief just because he believed a lovely friend of his who had died had gone to hell BECAUSE HE WASNT CHRISTIAN. The man saved peoples lifes, he was described as compassionate and amazing and made a mark on peoples lifes for the good, yet everyone in the comments even said this guy WOULD be considered in hell because he refused to believe in God. If somebody at your last moments of death tried to convince you into being muslim or a jew would YOU convert immediately? And even so, the concept of a man that’s done such good and was so giving his whole life is in the flaming pits because he didn’t accept God? You’re all brainwashed. I hope this post gives some people some decency.

I’ve lost a great faith in being Christian, I’m trying to feel anything but I’ve lost most of my feelings towards it. Hell is a disgusting concept I think used to control, scare and manipulate many people into believing something they don’t believe in— a threat of ETERNAL punishment and agony for basic human biology most of the time. I’m going to be honest, I even looked into the rules of Judaism and I’ve got to say they’ve certainly got it better than this. I don’t know what comes after death now, I’m not sure what to believe at all, but my image of Jesus and God is completely hijacked and gone. I’ll always worship God and Jesus as I have for many years and I could never erase them out of the equation, but this will always be a big scar on my beliefs and opinions.

Please stop trying to scare others with the concept of hell just so you think because you’re spreading the ‘gospel’ you’re automatically GOOD. Your bible quotes are taken out of context and heavily translated by a man’s hand.
Have some consideration of others and not just yourselves, that’s what I always thought being good was but it’s been modified.

Sorry this was a long one and not meaning to attack anyone in anyway, I’m just getting my thoughts and opinions out there on how this side of Christianity has turned toxic and harmful. Love and peace to you all ✌️

Ignore all the judgemental crap for the "Christian" religion. If you want to come to God, do so. God (unlike his/er followers) accepts all. If he puts it on your heart to change, then deal with it then. My thoughts (if like the rest of us) are that god will have more important issues to address with you. Remember the words of Jesus: avoid sexual immorality. This includes adultery and prostitution. We decided much later to add homosexuality and the like. Your journey is your own, and yours alone

I’ve been going through a deconstructionist phase and I believe I’ve reached its natural conclusion. The modern vocal evangelist majority of America makes me even more uncomfortable even expressing these ideas.

I’m agnostic and believe in the teachings of Christ but remain unconvinced of the existence of miracles. I have seen nor heard any credible evidence to the contrary. I would love to believe that supernatural power can manifest in the physical but I can’t believe without seeing.

If you hit me with the ‘blessed are those who believe without seeing’ it’s old hat at this point. Yeah sure at that point believe anything told to you. What does the truth even matter anymore. The internet is just a cycle of rage bait.

Christ is my spiritual teacher but not my God. He is my Lord but not my master. If God is out there, there’s definitely aspects of Christ in Him.

I see multiple times on this sub and others where Christians keep saying that Muslims don't believe in the Messiah. Like is this some kind of propaganda that's being spread among Christians because most of the Christians will never in their lives learn about Islam? I mean a simple Google search will tell you that Muslims do in fact believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah as it's stated in the Quran and Hadiths, where the prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him referred prophet Isa (Jesus Christ), peace be upon him, as the Al Masih (Messiah). Messiah literally means anointed one. It doesn't mean son of God.

I am a feminist. I am a Christian, and I have started seeing people point out bible verses like these: 

-1 Timothy 2:12 – "I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet."

-1 Corinthians 14:34–35 – Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.

-Ephesians 5:22–24 – "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church..."

-Deuteronomy 28 -29- “If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay her father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.”

Honestly, I thought that feminism was something that elevated  Christianity over Judaism and Islam. I don’t think I could follow a religion in which I am treated as inferior or as an object owned by men because of something as dumb as the chromosomes I was born with.

The amount of hate and homophobia gay people get from straight christians is absolutely nuts. By the way, judging and hating is actually mentioned so many times by Jesus, and gay people are never mentioned by him. Are Christians absolutely nuts for bullying gay people? Turns out, the sin isn't being gay; it's judging gays for being gay. All of the verses that mention homosexuality are not aboout love!:

1. Violent Assault & Aggression

​Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19): A mob of men attempts to gang-rape male angelic visitors. This is a story about violent assault, host hospitality norms, and mob brutality.

​The Concubine at Gibeah (Judges 19): A horrifying story mirroring Genesis 19, involving mob violence, gang rape, and murder.

​2. Ancient Cultic Laws & Purity Codes

​Leviticus 18:22 & 20:13: Part of the ancient Israelite "Holiness Code." These laws were focused on ceremonial cleanliness, social hierarchy, and distinguishing Israel from neighboring pagan cultures (who used cultic sexual rituals). The concept of two men in a loving, committed household did not exist in this legal framework.

​3. Exploitation & Power Dynamics in the Roman World

​Romans 1:26–27, 1 Corinthians 6:9, 1 Timothy 1:10: Written by Paul in the Greco-Roman world. In that society, same-sex sexual behavior almost exclusively took the form of pederasty (wealthy older men exploiting young boys), master-slave abuse, or prostitution. The ancient Greek words Paul used (malakoi and arsenokoitai) addressed male prostitution and sexual exploitation, not two equal partners sharing a life together.

I don’t see people giving other religious figures nicknames like “sky daddy” and people will also go out of their way to disrespect God for no reason yet never do that to other religions.

I'm not looking to start a war or smtng just honest opinions .

I'm currently an atheist, but I've recently been studying Mormonism with missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). I originally started meeting with them simply because I was curious about their religion and wanted to understand what they believe and why they believe it.

I've been reading the Book of Mormon, and surprisingly, I find it quite interesting. In some ways, I actually find it easier to read than the Bible because it has relatively clear stories, characters, and narratives that are easier for me to follow. I've already read quite a few chapters and am now almost halfway through the Book of Alma.

One thing I've learned from the missionaries is that Latter-day Saints believe the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and additional scripture that complements the Bible. They believe it contains the word of God and tells the story of ancient peoples in the Americas, including an account of Jesus Christ appearing to them after His resurrection.

The missionaries have also taught me about Moroni's promise in Moroni 10:4–5, which essentially says that if you read the Book of Mormon, ponder its message, and sincerely ask God in the name of Jesus Christ whether it is true, the truth will be revealed to you through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Even though I'm an atheist, I decided to give it a try with an open mind. I've prayed and asked God, in the name of Jesus Christ, whether the Book of Mormon is true and whether what the LDS missionaries are teaching me really comes from Him.

And here's the interesting part: I've actually experienced some good, peaceful, and comforting feelings while reading, praying, and learning about Mormonism.

When I told the missionaries about these feelings, they explained that this could be the Holy Ghost communicating with me and confirming the truth of the gospel in my heart

Are these feelings really from God, or are they simply natural emotional responses to reading something meaningful, praying, and being part of a welcoming religious environment?

Has anyone else here experienced permanent cut off from God and the Holy Spirit? The HS strived with me for 5 years, but I persistently refused it in rebellion, to the point I blasphemed it and now experience a living hell while i await the actual hell. Searching for anyone else in a similar boat as me... Wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy

Why does god let bad things happen? Let children die, people murder, rape, etc.
I always never know what to say.

There is literally no advice on the topic I can readily find. CCC states, “Just be chaste.” If I go onto Reddit, I'm either told to be chaste + pray to Jesus/God/X saint here, which isn't really helpful. Sure, good advice, but since such a small proportion of Catholics suffer from this issue, it makes for a challenging time. I made the somewhat silly mistake of going on Open Christian (or something along that name) and got called a homophobe.

I understand that this is something I must deal with myself, but I've come to realize I don't truly have any outlet for my lust and/or lustful thoughts. I'm young, so “stop masturbating” probably wouldn't work for me. I'm considering finding a way of asking a priest how they deal with lust/lustful thoughts.

And having a crush is horrible. And especially if I know they're gay. Now I comfort myself via A, saying that they didn't want me anyway; B, saying that I wasn't good enough for him; or C, steel my heart and throw myself into my education (may I add, which is exhausting and extremely stressful because if I am anything less than a perfect student, I'm done for. Literally only at my school because of academic scholarships).

Any thoughts or advice would be most Appreciated.

(Ps. It'd also be preferred if you tried not to pull me away from Catholicism and or tell me "Love is love/God loves all and gay isn't a sin")

When one or two scumbags attacked me on the street for no reason, I stood my ground and fought back. Was that god helping me because I was in the right?

But what about the time when I was just as much in the right, yet three guys attacked me, two of whom were tall, athletic men? I fought back, but they beat me up. Where was god then?

Or what if ten thugs attack you, four of whom are taller and clearly stronger than you? What exactly are you supposed to do in a fight like that? Where is god then?

A modern take on ancient wisdom. Changes denoted by [bold brackets]

Luke 10 (NRSVUE)

²⁹ ...who is my neighbor?” ³⁰ Jesus replied, “An [immigrant] was going down from [Philadelphia] to [Washington DC] and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and took off, leaving him half dead. ³¹ Now by chance a [Texas Senator] was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. ³² So likewise a [Tennessee Congressman], when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a [Manhattan atheist] while traveling came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, treating them with oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two [thousand dollars], gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him, and when I come back I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ ³⁶ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” ³⁷ He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Am I wrong for praying like this it's not my fault I don't won't a ugly wife but atleast a decent looking one, but ik I shouldn't care about looks but if you say you don't care for looks not even a little I might believe you but it takes a special guy to be like that, I use to be like that but something in me changed...

But let's skip all that the reason I prayed is because I'm stuck in this praying for forgiveness after I masterbate cycle, Ik it's wrong but I get real high urges I feel like I just need sex at that moment which I never had which is probably why my sexual urges been so high everytime it comes back.... But I asked the Lord to please help me to find a wife so I don't sin anymore so I don't masturbate in the devil won't have a foothold on me anymore... So if I have a wife we'll be one in the flesh in it won't be in sin... But of course I told him I don't won't a wife in this blessing from you just to complete my sexual urges but to be happy and we can put God first me and her in love godly... I didn't ask for a Christian wife but just one that will believe in God in won't be sinful and put God first not me, and of course I said ik you won't force a wife or to force any women to marry me but to atleast open that door for me so this can be possible...

The more I question Christianity, the less sense it makes to me.

After four years in Bible college, major health challenges, racism, and ostracization, I have spent a lot of time reconsidering what I was taught about God, morality, suffering, and human nature. I genuinely do not believe in God anymore, and there are some fundamental problems with Christianity that I cannot reconcile.

If God is omnipotent, omniscient, and perfectly good, why does so much unnecessary suffering exist? Why are children born with painful diseases? Why do innocent people experience abuse, violence, and devastating illnesses? Why would an all-powerful God need suffering to teach people lessons or develop their character? And if God's reasons are supposedly beyond our understanding, how can we confidently claim that everything He does is good?

Then there is the question of free will. If God created humanity, knew beforehand that humans would sin, and had the power to create us differently, why did He create us this way? If God cannot sin because His nature is perfectly good, why couldn't He create humans with the capacity to make meaningful choices without being capable of horrific cruelty? Why is the ability to commit evil supposedly necessary for love to be genuine?

And if God knew Adam and Eve would disobey Him, why place the tree in the Garden of Eden in the first place? Why allow the serpent to deceive them? Why should generations of people suffer because of the actions of two individuals? How is inherited guilt compatible with perfect justice?

The moral questions are equally difficult. If God is the ultimate authority on morality, what makes something good? If an action is wrong when a human commits it but justified when God commands it, what is the actual moral standard? And if God is good because everything He does is good, isn't that circular reasoning unless we have some independent way to evaluate what goodness means?

Christianity also teaches that salvation depends on Jesus, yet billions of people have been born into different cultures and religious traditions. Why would a loving God make something as consequential as eternal destiny depend on beliefs that people cannot simply choose to find convincing? Why would sincere disbelief be treated as rebellion? And how could eternal punishment ever be proportionate to the actions or beliefs of a finite human life?

Then there is the Bible itself. It contains different portrayals of God, difficult passages involving divinely commanded violence, and accounts that require considerable interpretation. Christians disagree about what these passages mean, how literally to read them, and which theological explanations resolve the apparent contradictions. If the Bible is supposed to be God's authoritative revelation, why is determining what God actually means so dependent on fallible human interpretation?

And what about prayer? When something good happens, people credit God. When something terrible happens, they say His ways are mysterious. When someone recovers, it is a miracle. When someone dies despite years of prayer, it is part of His plan. If every possible outcome can be explained as God's will, what evidence could ever demonstrate that God is not intervening at all?

I also struggle with the gap between Christianity's teachings and the behavior of Christians themselves. Christianity teaches love, compassion, justice, humility, and care for vulnerable people. Yet I experienced racism and ostracization within a religious environment that was supposed to embody those values. I know that Christians are imperfect, but repeatedly explaining away harmful behavior as human sinfulness does not erase the harm or answer every question about the system itself.

I no longer believe that morality requires religion. Empathy, human dignity, fairness, and the consequences of our actions provide meaningful foundations for ethical behavior. People can be compassionate without believing in God, and religious belief does not automatically make someone compassionate.

Ultimately, I cannot accept something as true simply because I spent years studying it, because people I respected believed it, or because questioning it was treated as a spiritual problem.

I spent four years in Bible college. I gave Christianity a serious chance. I studied its teachings, lived within its community, and tried to make sense of its claims. I am not obligated to continue believing simply because I invested so much of my life in it.

Deconstruction saved my life because it gave me permission to question the belief system I had been trying so hard to reconcile with my reality. I no longer need to interpret my suffering as God's plan, my limitations as a spiritual test, or my experiences of mistreatment as something I must forgive and endure to prove my faithfulness.

I do not believe in God, and I do not need to replace that belief with another religion or pretend I have all the answers.

I would rather acknowledge uncertainty than manufacture certainty. I would rather evaluate claims critically than accept them out of fear. And I would rather build a meaningful life based on what I genuinely believe than spend the rest of it trying to force myself to believe something that no longer makes sense to me.

My life has value whether or not a God exists. My suffering matters without a divine explanation. My morality does not require a supernatural authority. And I do not need to believe in an afterlife to recognize that the life I have now deserves to be lived honestly.

I lost my faith, but I began reclaiming my ability to think for myself.

And I am no longer willing to sacrifice that freedom just to preserve a belief system I no longer find convincing.

I’ve been listening to a lot of atheists lately and a lot of them tend to get frustrated at believers when someone says “I don’t know, I’m not God.” Since we believe in God, and we aren’t God, we don’t know the answers to why God allows suffering, or why so and so happens. Whatever it may be. Some atheists seem to be dissatisfied with this answer, and can laugh or mock which is fine(because they don’t believe so this answer is ridiculous in their minds) but how could you expect a human being to completely understand the God of the world with our human brains?

““My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So no, Christian’s will NEVER have the answer to why there is terrible tragedy on this Earth, or why God does certain things. Because we are finite in our knowledge.

Today I received email from professor to give me offer in my PHD study which I am waiting for God to fulfill His promise to me with a verseI saw on a car window’ And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

Genesis 26:22 ‘after the next day I apply for a work at school to spread His gospel and testimony for His glory for God waiting on God will never be ashamed. In this PHD application, I have three letters from three professors, rejected by two, while the third give me offer today, which is alike the three wells in the above verse of Isaac while he get his promise land. The most amazing thing is that this professor has only me as his applicant and also today he told me one student reject offer from the department, and he ask me an offer. It can only be God’s work, not mine, testimony for all His glory. Thank you Jehovah Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, my God. Amen.

btw i dont fully believe in the rapture maybe its real maybe not

Hi. I just read that the gospels aren’t written by eyewitnesses as far as history is concerned.

Can any of you answer or prove this?

Thought for the Day From Unshakable Kingdom Life

Faith isn't about having all the answers, It's about trusting the One who does, Walking in the light you have today, Confident He'll illuminate tomorrow's path when needed.

A thought to ponder.

help me with these dear christian brothers and sisters, i'll tell y'all why i do believe and don't.

here is why i don't believe yet.

1. why would god create satan in the first place and my question is deeper, can we actually blame satan? because logically he did what god created him to do, since god is all knowing, before the creation of anything, god knew he'd create satan and he'd want and make satan disobey him, everything is said to be god's will and it's written by him, so god wrote satan's entire fate, including his disobedience, ending, or whatever he'll do, it's all a part of god's plan, so how is this logically satan's fault? he's doing what he's programmed to do. now ik the usual defense that they have to this contradiction is ofc free will.. they claim god gave creatures free will, so to them satan chose to rebel out of pride and humans choose to sin on their own, but if god creates entity X knowing with 100% certainty that entity X will choose path Y, then god chose path Y for them at the moment of creation. to claim satan or a human had a "choice" implies there was a point where the outcome was uncertain, but to an omniscient creator, the outcome was never uncertain

2. it's yes and no for me right now. yes because people literally saw risen jesus, paul tells us that, crucifixion is historically real, then there’s people who really saw him after like thomas or simon, but i struggle to find if that's even true. i also have trouble with jesus's life here on earth, if he didn't accept worship or call himself the literal son of god, then whatever people make of his words comes after his death or resurrection, right?

why i do believe.

1. mark 14:61 to 64, when the high priest directly asks jesus "are u the messiah, the son of the blessed one?" jesus replies "i am and u will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of the mighty one and coming on the clouds of heaven" the high priest immediately tears his clothes n accuses him of blasphemy.. now if jesus was jus claiming to be a good human then it wouldn't be blasphemy punishable by death, so lowk he was claiming divinity

(correct me if im wrong)

1. in 1 corinthians 15:3 to 7, paul writes down a creed that scholars date to within 2 to 5 years of jesus death.. "that christ died for our sins... that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day... and that he appeared to cephas (peter) then to the twelve, after that he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once" this does show that the claim of the resurrection wasn't like a myth that developed over time byt more it was the core n immediate claim preached in jerusalem right where jesus was executed and i believe the news spread quick

then we have a former atheist c.s. lewis who pointed this out, lookin at jesus's claims and his trial, lewis argued u only have three logical options regarding jesus identity, 1. Iiar, that he knew he wasn't god but lied to everyone and died for a scam (doesn't fit his character or teachings) 2. lunatic, he wasn't god but genuinely thought he was (doesn't fit the profound wisdom and sanity recognized by millions over thousands of years) 3. lord, he was, and is, exactly who he claimed to be...

then i look at jesus's actions like forgiving sins, accepting forms of worship made his identity clear enough that the religious authorities executed him for blasphemy, which kinda lowk gives away he was god's son maybe? please fact check and correct me, also provide verses and interpretations that the historical jesus did accept worship or he did forgive sins, what's the best evidence we have.

Is there any instance in which a deliverance session is ineffective, like say if the the Holy Spirit say were to refuse to participate? What might bar someone from an effective delivery?