The Pope on Homosexuality

[snipped]

A victim of clerical sexual abuse has said that Pope Francis told him that God made him gay and that his sexuality "does not matter."

Juan Carlos Cruz, a survivor of sexual abuse, spent three days with Pope Francis at the Vatican in April, in which he discussed his sexuality and the abuse he suffered at the hands of a Chilean priest.

Describing his encounter with the Pope to CNN, Cruz said: "You know Juan Carlos, that does not matter. God made you like this. God loves you like this. The Pope loves you like this and you should love yourself and not worry about what people say."

edition.cnn.com...

For Centuries Gay people have been told that they are God's abomination. They are not and this is an issue that need's to be addressed. Gay people are not sinners. The delation of the origional post seems to imply that the administrators of this site believe differently. In responce I suggest they spare 10minutes of their time and watch a very impassioned speech by the Irish Drag Queen - Ms Panti before deciding to delete another post relating to serious issues that religion must address

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a reply to: DpatC

Do you get that the Church is just made up of humans? For all the claims of them being "Gods representatives" the evidence (and attributed words from Jesus, or someone who knew someone, who heard JC) say the opposite. Thus the Church saying homosexuality is/was an abomination is just men saying that. Not God. There is a chance that they are filtering the words of a deity (sorry I believe there are a multitude of them).

Pope must be using the Queen James edition.

a reply to: DpatC

I was wondering what happened to your thread. I went to add something to it after hearing an announcement on television and couldn't find it.

a reply to: DpatC

NO, his being gay is a mental disease caused by the church abusing him. Conduct a study and find out how many gays WEREN'T abused and get back to me....

I've done my own and every single gay I interviewed had been abused. It is a coping mechanism to deal with the wrongness of it. They need to normalize it in their minds so they end up becoming gay to adjust and normalize the wrong behavior that they were forced into.

Yes, I do have a psychology degree and no, it is not a published study; it was simply for my own edification.

Jaden

originally posted by: ketsuko
Pope must be using the Queen James edition.

Winner!

It doesn't matter what the pope says. He is just a man, and men cannot forgive sins regardless of what he says.

Scripture is very clear about Same sex sin. They spell it out very clearly.

God loves everyone

No matter what the sin

That’s pretty much every major religion

originally posted by: Masterjaden
a reply to: DpatC

NO, his being gay is a mental disease caused by the church abusing him. Conduct a study and find out how many gays WEREN'T abused and get back to me....

I've done my own and every single gay I interviewed had been abused. It is a coping mechanism to deal with the wrongness of it. They need to normalize it in their minds so they end up becoming gay to adjust and normalize the wrong behavior that they were forced into.

Yes, I do have a psychology degree and no, it is not a published study; it was simply for my own edification.

Jaden

I have often wondered about that issue.

I don't believe that (in most cases) homosexuality is a choice- I think people are born with it. The abuse theory would seem to call that into question though.

Does the abuse factor apply to lesbians as well?? Did you interview men only or women as well?

Imagine that, a leader of a religion being inclusive. Religion evolving again; adapting?

I'm an agnostic, I just can't claim one way or the other, but I've seen some terrible things done in my life in the name of God. Different people, killing people, in the name of different Gods.

Having said that, this Pope actually sounds like a good person, loving and caring. I would imagine if Jesus were alive, he'd be similar to him. I think he will be a good leader for this, very necessary, next step in evolution of the church.

Someone had to lead them out of burning witches and quartering people. Someone had to lead them through the evolution of the church past science age, so they don't burn astronomers. Someone had to lead through women's rights, black rights etc... These are all major changes in our society that church has had to evolve through or it would have collapsed.

Gay rights is the next obstacle that church will have to overcome if it wants to keep existing, and this Pope seems like the right leader for that.

a reply to: visitedbythem

Scripture is also clear about boiling goats in milk. Scripture has been clear on what to eat and Christians don't follow that. Scripture is wrong about a lot of things too. Probably wrong about this one.

a reply to: KansasGirl

Seems to be that bisexuality amongst women is the new it thing lately.

originally posted by: Joecanada11
a reply to: visitedbythem

Scripture is also clear about boiling goats in milk. Scripture has been clear on what to eat and Christians don't follow that. Scripture is wrong about a lot of things too. Probably wrong about this one.

Boiled goats don't spread disease

I respect the Pope's opinion. But he is wrong to say that God created him that way. The Bible says:

And God went on to create the man in his image, in God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.  Further, God blessed them, and God said to them: “Be fruitful and become many, fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving on the earth.” Genesis 1:27, 28.

So God made them male and female. Adam and Eve they were given the names, and they were married by God and told to have copulate and have children and fill the earth with human beings.

After that they sinned and died. And thus sin entered into the world through one man. Sin is a defect not made by God.

So whether a person is born with the birth defect, or they later become that way through their own freewill, or by the environment around them, it wasn't God who made them that way. Why would God condemn homosexuality if he made people that way? That makes no sense.

What the pope is in effect saying is that he doesn't believe in God's word. He is in effect saying he does not believe the Bible. He probably doesn't even believe in God.

originally posted by: visitedbythem
It doesn't matter what the pope says. He is just a man, and men cannot forgive sins regardless of what he says.

Scripture is very clear about Same sex sin. They spell it out very clearly.

Scripture was written by Men also...as well as translated and edited (many times)!

a reply to: visitedbythem

Yet God said in Leviticus 14:7
The priest will then sprinkle the blood of the dead bird seven times on the person being purified of the skin disease. When the priest has purified the person, he will release the live bird in the open field to fly away.

The bible or scripture is dead wrong on this one. Birds blood for a sick person??

a reply to: Masterjaden

You of course can prove that this is the case right? Mental diseases can be classified, and diagnosed. Homosexuality is seen in nature, thus, you are going to have to work hard for your premise to be true.

originally posted by: redletter
Why would God condemn homosexuality if he made people that way? That makes no sense.

It seems the pope agrees with you on that. It makes no sense for God to condemn God's own creations, and now the pope refuses to do such as well.

originally posted by: redletter
What the pope is in effect saying is that he doesn't believe in God's word. He is in effect saying he does not believe the Bible.

The bible is simply a collection of gospels written by humans (not God), and later collated and edited by the wishes of king James (not God). Humans are fallible, and so are their works.

There is a way that seems right to mankind, but in the end, it leads to death