Young gay people think that because I worship God I must be a fundamentalist.
This is because they associate all religion with evangelical fundamentalism.
The blame for this lies squarely with the media.
Whenever a dispute over gay rights arises the media present the opposing views of the fundamentalist Churches.
The conciliatory views of Churches like the Uniting Church in Australia are never presented.
So young gay people think that God hates them.
And when I say that gay people go to Heaven they say they wouldn't want to if God's like that.
But God is not like that.
God loves gay people in the same way as He loves others.
He does not judge or punish us.
He does not damn us.
It is our job to reassure young people that God is a God of Love and compassion not a harsh, judgmental God.
I can state categorically from personal experience that it is not God who condemns gay people but the hard-right factions of his Churches who monopolize the media and intimidate their opponents.
These factions do not represent Jesus' views but the views of the Pharisees who killed him.
So do not despair of God's Love.
It is my prayer that you will experience the Love that has delivered me.
Photo Credit: O. Herreman via Compfight cc
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