It would be difficult to correctly characterize my characterization of Christianity as either inauthentic or a distortion. Faith is a complicated thing, but as a Christian I'm pretty sure that I have some knowledge of what Christianity is. You may perceive Christianity differently than I do; from your post it sounds like you come from the perspective of someone who is either not among the faithful, or who has lost their faith. But I will maintain that those two points summarize what I was taught, and what I am still taught, in the church. I've worshiped in several different denominations, but those two points are pretty consistently what comes from the pulpit.
The people who confronted your friend, they missed the first point. They probably aren't aware that they did.
As for homosexuality being a sin, I can't really say. Given the rarity of its mention in scripture, as opposed to other issues like taking care of the poor, the sick and the oppressed, I've always looked at it as a non-issue. For most mainstream churches, it is a non-issue. I've heard exactly one member of the clergy speak against homosexuality, and that was in the context of somebody who was knowingly spreading HIV. If your friend's homosexuality isn't hurting anybody, I find it rather difficult to see that it could be a sin.
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Date: 2010-10-07 05:39 pm (UTC)The people who confronted your friend, they missed the first point. They probably aren't aware that they did.
As for homosexuality being a sin, I can't really say. Given the rarity of its mention in scripture, as opposed to other issues like taking care of the poor, the sick and the oppressed, I've always looked at it as a non-issue. For most mainstream churches, it is a non-issue. I've heard exactly one member of the clergy speak against homosexuality, and that was in the context of somebody who was knowingly spreading HIV. If your friend's homosexuality isn't hurting anybody, I find it rather difficult to see that it could be a sin.