02-09-2017, 05:47 PM
Had that been my experience in church, I could totally see responding as you did. You are likely missing the feeling of community that being there gave you. However the warmth these people expressed was towards the person they thought you were (still basically you.... just minus the sexuality). In most settings I would say they would likely get past it but it sounds like they deal in absolutes and thus that would be unlikely and you've already said you wouldn't want to pursue any kind of changed/compromised faith pattern.
In my case I grew up Roman Catholic and there are elements about that which I miss... the young adult program which had emotionally-charged retreats, various friendships, etc. But after being outed and shown the door, that was all eclipsed by my anger, which only grew as I learned about the hypocrisy that was and is so rampant.
It was two decades later when--because of 9/11--I found myself in a church setting again as part of helping our area cope with what was going on. I got involved with the Episcopal Church which--besides evolving on LGBT issues--has a very different approach to theology that admits there is a lot we don't know and a lot that people over the years just made up. While I no longer say I believe without reservation in "god" as the church defines it, or that Jesus Christ was any more "the son of God" anymore than any of us are, I believe that Jesus the person brought us teachings about how we should live and treat each other which remain relevant, more so than ever in the environment we find ourselves today. To me the church, beyond community for my own needs, provides a framework to live that out and try to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
I think there are lots of people who feel similarly to you. There is something called the Ethical Culture Society which has the community and even the social justice work, just minus the god stuff.
In my case I grew up Roman Catholic and there are elements about that which I miss... the young adult program which had emotionally-charged retreats, various friendships, etc. But after being outed and shown the door, that was all eclipsed by my anger, which only grew as I learned about the hypocrisy that was and is so rampant.
It was two decades later when--because of 9/11--I found myself in a church setting again as part of helping our area cope with what was going on. I got involved with the Episcopal Church which--besides evolving on LGBT issues--has a very different approach to theology that admits there is a lot we don't know and a lot that people over the years just made up. While I no longer say I believe without reservation in "god" as the church defines it, or that Jesus Christ was any more "the son of God" anymore than any of us are, I believe that Jesus the person brought us teachings about how we should live and treat each other which remain relevant, more so than ever in the environment we find ourselves today. To me the church, beyond community for my own needs, provides a framework to live that out and try to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
I think there are lots of people who feel similarly to you. There is something called the Ethical Culture Society which has the community and even the social justice work, just minus the god stuff.
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