Reply to Do churches generate a lot of revenue from the LGBT community?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]First off, I am an atheist. Admittedly, I have a cynical view of religion. Also, my vantage point is Bethesda.

I can't help but notice that pretty much every church I see has a flag, placard, or message out front targeting a single demographic: the LGBT community.  Not asians, not hispanics, not men, not women, not young, not old - LGBT.

Churches exist for one reason: to propagate themselves.  That requires money and customers. So, it must be that singularly advertising to LGBT is a smart business move.  Its just a surprising one, given the % of population and, I would think, I general dis-inclination toward religion.

So what is the deal?  Smart business move?  Meaningless signaling?  Something else?

[/quote]

Those aren't real churches [/quote]

Folks, here is the poster who thinks that Protestant denominations that have been mainstays of religious life in the US since the nation’s founding aren’t “real churches.”

Draw your own conclusions.[/quote]

Objectively, it isn’t that.
It’s that there is literally a “guidebook” that identifies what God considers sinful behavior. It’s called the Bible. And engaging in homosexual acts is specifically called out as a sin in the word of God—several times. So are many many other sins. And each of us sin on a daily basis. Yet we are all welcome and in fact called by by God to worship Him and to confess our sin, repent of that sin (whatever it may be), and accept that on the cross, Christ took the punishment for OUR sins…all of them…paying the price for us and allowing us to live forever with God in heaven.
One would think that the churches that put out the LGBTQ+ flag are signaling “yes—you are welcome here, too. ALL are welcome to come and worship the Lord and repent of whatever sin is keeping hold of you. Jesus is the answer to setting you free from whatever sin is defining you, including sexual sin and sins of lust or idolatry, regardless of orientation.”
 But instead, the message from these churches that put out the LGBT flag seems to be “we promise we will value your self-identification as part of the LGBT community above any Biblical teaching. If you come to this church, we will affirm your desire to keep this area of your life off limits to God and you can hang onto this particular sin because you really really like it and society has decided it’s who you are.”

These are “real” churches, but they have been ideologically captured at the seminary level by folks who are more interested in pleasing society than obeying and submitting to God.

The church also welcomes those who are divorced or having premarital sex or [b]who eat shellfish [/b]or who tell lies or who have dishonored their parents, etc. The difference is that they do not celebrate those sins as being who you are. Instead they recognize that we are all sinners worthy of love from God and are invited and called to repent. 
[/quote]

Eating shellfish is not a sin.  It's a dietary prohibition for Jewish people per the Torah.[/quote]

Okay cool. The point of the forest was missed for this one tree, but the examples were meant to highlight that there are many behaviors that are sinful in the eyes of God that we are called to confess and repent from…and sexual immorality is one of those. Instead, the LGBTQ + community and churches that hang out the flag as an affirming signal are proclaiming that this area of people’s lives is untouchable by God and instead of being called to repent from any acts of sexual immorality (aka any sexual relations outside of the covenant of marriage as defined as union between one man and one woman by God) it must be pridefully celebrated.[/quote]

Do you think that being attracted to someone of the same sex is something someone chooses? Or do you believe they don't "choose" it, but should refrain from any relationships of the same sex if they are gay? so they should just be alone? I'm curious what someone like you really thinks about this...not the just the church and bible talking points. 
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