Gay Rights and the Church

The title of this article is actually a contradiction in terms. The "Christian" church has become so watered down and weak that the majority of "Christians" remain as babes their entire life, only being capable of eating "milk", not the true "meat" of God's word. If you are a true Christian, then you most assuredly read the Bible and commune daily with God. Therefore, you must be versed in the scripture, and therefore, you are aware that the Bible considers Homosexuality a sin. I did not write the Bible, it is the word of God, but I do believe wholeheartedly in the Bible. Too many "Christians" have become pick and choose believers that only follow the scriptures they agree with. In a word, this is WRONG. They worship as fools worship; not my words, it is in the Bible. Saying this, people that are living the homosexual lifestyle should be welcomed into church so that they might hear the truth, but they can not be allowed to lead or influence the church in any way as long as they do not repent of their sins. This goes for all people, not just homosexuals. We all fall short of the glory of God, but as Christians, we must aspire daily to be more like Christ. Our world has become so concerned with nickles and noses that God has become an afterthought at most churches. Church is to be God centered, not man centered, but most pastors worry more about what their congregation believes than what God has said. These practices have basically tied the hands of God, and then people wonder why the church is weak and anemic. It is a sad commentary, but it is true, read the Bible for yourself, and not just that part you like, read it all. So many churches preach only the feel good portions of the Bible, but that is a charade, and they will never come to a full understanding of God, or the purpose he has for their lives.
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Heaven for non-Christians?

As with many issues, compassion and humanism have a way of clouding this issue. However, the answer, although unpopular in today's culture, is black and white, no shades of gray. Let me first state that I know many caring, compassionate people that will whole heartedly disagree with what I am about to write, and that is OK, that is what makes Helium great, it is a place to express opinions. A Christian family member of mine has been struggling with this exact question for some time, and she expressed her theory to me on the matter. She has theorized that we will all be judged on merit, and that devout Jews, Muslims, etc will have a chance to enter Heaven upon their demise. The only problem with this theory is that she is a human, she is not God, and in reality, only God's opinion matters. Recently, a well know religious figure, Joel Osteen, was asked this same question by Larry King on national television. His answer surprised me, and in many ways it troubled me about his resolve. What was his answer to this difficult question? He simply did not give an answer at all. I would have much rather him answered on way or the other, at least that would have shown some backbone. In a world where far too many churches have become more interested with attendance that truth, his lack of an answer weakened the church as a whole. So, what is the correct answer to this question? As with all questions involving God, we must turn to the Word of God to get the only important opinion, God's own opinion. There are many passages that deal with this issue, but for the sake of time, we can look at one passage and get the answer we are looking for.
John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: John 3:2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
From this passage, it is clear that to enter Heaven, you must come to Christ. There is no wiggle room on this issue, for Jesus did not say you can be born again, he said you MUST be born again. As I stated, this issue is black and white, and I know that I am correct in my analysis because what I have written lines up with the word of God; and any one person and God make a majority.
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