I'm Gay..Am I Going to Hell?

[mrkrim]

Hi there. I'm a gay man. I have no sexual interest in women but love manly men. I often participate in homosexual activities and people have told me I am going to burn in hell because of this. Is this true?

[Vort]

Yes, you will, unless you repent.

Pretty much the same as with the rest of us. Repent and be saved. Reject repentance and be damned.

But don't think this is about God "punishing" you for your homosexuality. That is nonsense. This is about you choosing whether you will follow God and do his bidding, even when it is not comfortable for you, or whether you prefer instead to follow your own carnal desires. It's natural consequence. If you wish to live with God, you must follow God's commandments and start down the road to salvation. If you choose not to follow that path, you will have proven by your actions that you do not desire salvation. And God forces salvation on no one; indeed, such is impossible. Salvation is a gift, freely given and freely accepted or rejected, not a sentence pronounced by a divine judge.

I, for one, invite and implore you to choose salvation and start down that path.

[Dravin]

It should be noted, in case there is possible confusion, that what you need to repent of is your acting on your inclinations. Your inclinations themselves, aka being gay, are not something that condemn you for existing.

In a Q&A session, an Apostle, Elder Oaks, responded in part to a question about what to do if your child hypothetically informed you of his same-sex attraction with this:

The distinction between feelings or inclinations on the one hand, and behavior on the other hand, is very clear. It’s no sin to have inclinations that if yielded to would produce behavior that would be a transgression. The sin is in yielding to temptation. Temptation is not unique. Even the Savior was tempted.

The full Q&A can be found here: Same-Gender Attraction - LDS Newsroom.

[NeuroTypical]

mrkrim, do you believe in God?

If no, then why do you care what we have to say?

[bluedreams]

Are you asking just for the shock value of seeing people with an entirely different mindset? A mindset you might find weird and counter your own (ergo wrong in your book)? Just curious, That's what it reminds me of.

Often the ideals of another when against our own can appear irrational and even a point of bigotry. I don't expect anything stated to change your opinion, but our belief isn't out of some instinctive feel of wrongness to homosexuality or sense of phobia. It stems from an understanding of human nature and our purpose here on earth which is stated in this scripture here:

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."

So our purpose to overcome anything that keeps us away from God. What keeps us away from God is anything that doesn't fit the laws and ways of heaven. All of us fall terribly short. The homosexual doesn't have a corner market in carnality and fallen states. None of us are perfect and God's standard is perfection. Our purpose in this life is to learn to control our wills (that natural man) and become perfect through Christ. There's no other way to heaven. Only He can purify. All that is truly good points to Him. Anything else is vain, short lived, and crumbles over time (whether here or the next life, it doesn't really matter).

Hell is simply a state without God and this purifying power. Are you going there? Yeah. But then again so was I. And so is your neighbor. And so is everyone else until they come to let go of sin and desire to yield to the way that leads to Heaven. The way of heaven isn't some mean and wrathful God. It is a state of love and peace and calm no matter our circumstances. There is nothing more freeing. It is when we are outside of that do we naturally meet the opposing force of anything from anger to lust to fear to loneliness. The more we find God the more we find the meaning of charity, peace, joy, and our truest character. The more we find "ourselves" the more we find the fickle world of human frailties, crutches, and wrongs that lead to our ultimate downfall.

You are no more special than I. You are no more loved and desired of God than I. But only you can choose your destination.

With luv,

BD

Edited October 22, 2011 by bluedreams

[pam]

We have something in common. I like manly men too.

[Guest]

Me three!

[mrkrim]

I do believe in God..i am just wondering how he feels about me..So basically, its perfectly fine that I'm gay and that I constantly have cravings for man meat just long as i never take a bite out of that man meat sandwich? So i should just repress all of my natural feelings and pretend to be something I'm not? And if god created me then why would he create such a strong desire within me that yearns for the tender yet firm touch of another gentleman?

[skippy740]

mrkim,

Please use appropriate language. This is a public, G-rated forum. (Okay, maybe PG.)

[mrkrim]

I'm sorry didn't mean to offend...But basically what you guys seem to be saying is it's okay if I'm gay and think about gay things as long as i don't do any of the gay things I think about? If God gets so upset by people performing gay activities then why did he make me like other dudes so much??

[JudoMinja]

Ether 12:27

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

[pam]

Are you LDS mrkrim? If you are not, I'm not sure why our opinion would be of much concern then.

[skippy740]

mrkrim,

First, I'm not gay, so I cannot imagine what it's like.

Second, in the LDS church, we don't associate certain 'labels' on others that seem to mean that you must conform to a certain lifestyle. We don't say 'gay' or 'lesbian'. We talk about same-sex attraction. It's a craving and a temptation... but it isn't WHO you are. You are a child of a loving Heavenly Father.

That said, we need to control our actions to not 'act out' our temptations. A higher discipline is to control our thoughts.

Why did God make you so that you liked men? Probably the same reason why he 'blessed' me with ADD/ADHD... reckless spending habits and other carnal cravings. We ALL have certain gospel weaknesses. (Some are better hidden than others.)

The real question is... how do we cope and overcome them?

[sister_in_faith]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, other LDS members, but I don't think that a homosexual person 'burns in hell' for their actions. They aren't 'cast out' so to speak, but they just would not be granted entrance to the CK? Am I right? So in essence they wouldn't not go to heaven, they would just go to a different degree of heaven? I think 'burn in hell' is a little intense... But I may be wrong.

[skippy740]

To my knowledge, an unrepentant, sexually-active homosexual will first pay for the sins in their life. Then, once paid, they will be assigned one of the degrees of glory. Most likely, it's the Telestial Kingdom, according to the way I read the revealed doctrine.

However, a repentant and non-acting-out homosexual may inherit the Celestial Kingdom just like anybody else!

[Bini]

Something smells fishy.. It'd just be a shame if everyone's advice has gone to waste.

mrkrim, do you believe in God?

If no, then why do you care what we have to say?

Are you LDS mrkrim? If you are not, I'm not sure why our opinion would be of much concern then.

[NeuroTypical]

If God gets so upset by people performing gay activities then why did he make me like other dudes so much??

I suppose you'd have to talk to the people with bad tempers, or a predisposition to alcoholism, or who find harmful relationships so attractive.

From where I'm standing, there's a difference between "I want it" and "It's what God wants for me". And no, a gay guy isn't the only person who finds himself in such a situation.

Are you saying that just because you happen to have a leaning/tendency/desire/urge that is so powerful it's a part of you, that it's what God wants for you?

Edited October 22, 2011 by Loudmouth_Mormon

[Skade]

you will not go to hell

homosexual people are sons from god as well and he is a caring father

who really cares about , what we have inside our hearts <3 take care dear

[annewandering]

you will not go to hell

homosexual people are sons from god as well and he is a caring father

who really cares about , what we have inside our hearts <3 take care dear

How would we know what is going to happen to him? Dear?

God cares about what we do as well as whats in our hearts.

[Skade]

when you have been through different kinds of hells in this life

and have life many different kinds of situations

most of them bad dangerous and dark

and seen death and evil

you realize that god must be way more understanding, and way more capable of forgiveness than we think

if my daughter was gay

id love her the same

love should not be on exchange of something that we want from someone

I know one thing

I respect everyone

but we need to get outside the box and just see things

from what weve been told

and research, life research, I ve been inactive for so many years

now Im seeking to me enlighted by mercy by strengh

without prejude

without saying you are going to hell because you are gay

There are laws, but we are humans, and sometimes laws need to be changed, Im no one to change anything

Im not gay, but If I was , I would like not to go to hell because of that....: )

[Skade]

I just know one thing

If my daughter was gay Id love her the same

we all need to be understood

without prejude

God exist, and is way more merciful and understanding that we think

sometimes laws are great

but other times like this

are wrong

we still humans

.

much love.

[pleasehelpme]

How would we know what is going to happen to him? Dear?

God cares about what we do as well as whats in our hearts.

its people just like you, that makes others hate mormons.... so darn judgemental just like in my post where you say to go away..... people like you make me sick.... it was apparent that the young lady was trying to help this guy and you still had to add your two cents... how about this... why don't you go away......

[Dravin]

its people just like you, that makes others hate mormons.... so darn judgemental just like in my post where you say to go away..... people like you make me sick.... it was apparent that the young lady was trying to help this guy and you still had to add your two cents... how about this... why don't you go away......

Actually her post (in this thread) was the opposite of judgmental considering it was pointing out that Skade wasn't in a position to judge his final disposition.

Edited October 23, 2011 by Dravin

[annewandering]

Thank you, Dravin. I might have been feeling a little judgmental. Two new people who come here today on their first posts with this subject worded in such a way?

No, gays are not going to hell for being gay. No one is going to hell for their weaknesses, and we all have them. We are condemned or exalted for what we do about our weaknesses. Do we just go along with them? Do we work on them to lessen their power in our lives? That is the key.

I edited the other post I believe you were referring to.

Edited October 23, 2011 by annewandering

[Suzie]

Because of God’s great love for his children, even the worst sinners (or almost all of them) will ultimately be rewarded with assignment to a kingdom of glory. 5 Persons who have lived good lives and received most of the ordinances of salvation but have failed to qualify for exaltation through eternal marriage will be saved in a lesser place in the celestial kingdom where there is no eternal increase (see D&C 131:1–4).

Same-Gender Attraction - Liahona Mar. 1996 - liahona