Hi,
I saw your post and just wanted to quickly respond. I know how it feels to be ostracized, but remember that those who judge will be judged even by their judgmentality. I think I posted this a while back, but there are plenty of welcoming Christian organizations (including those from mainline churches as Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, Episcopalian, etc.,) and even non-Christian (Reformed Judaism which is the largest Jewish group in the country is accepting of homosexuals). The truth is that depending on where you live, society is learning to understand homosexuality and homosexuals (just to different amounts--and in the most conservative bases, they are trying their best to turn the tide).
It is still hard, I know, but it may help you to remember that our fight is no different than those who fought against discrimination from interracial marriages (in the 70's they were accepted by only 4%, and we're doing far better than that now). Anyway, here's the site...
http://www.christianlesbians.com/congregations/ Also, if you want to read a fairly lengthy sermon on it, here's an interesting one from a highly respected theologian/academic in the Lutheran Church:
The Story in Acts that forms the text for this sermon is the conversion of Cornelius. He is the first Gentile or non-Jew who becomes a believer in Jesus, a disciple. A Roman soldier, a centurion (10:1) or what we would call an officer, the text claims that he feared God. But he had not become a Jew. This man has a vision in which an angel told him to send for Peter. Meanwhile, God is also communicating with Peter himself: vv. 9-16:
About noon the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the
city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something
to eat; and while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the heaven
opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the
ground by four corners. In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. Then Peter hear a voice saying, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.
But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane
or unclean.” The voice said to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” This happened three times, and the thing was suddenly taken up to heaven.
The vision offers unclean animals, things that were not kosher to eat. The vision is at times referred to under “creepies and crawlies.” Biblical texts have explicitly forbidden certain foods. Leviticus 11: among unclean animals are camels and pigs, anything moving on its belly (snakes), and in the water: anything that does not have fins and scales (shrimp, scallops). All winged insects are “detestable to you.” Touching such things defiles a person.
Peter is told to kill and eat three times. But not even a divine voice can get him to do it.
For Peter these animals are disgusting. Only the French would eat such stuff!
“I would not touch that with a ten-foot pole.” It’s enough to make a man gag. (For me: raw oysters). Note that this involves not just a biblical prohibition but a visceral reaction: disgusting!
As Christians we are not obligated by Ancient Israel’s food laws. Indeed, we have left behind other biblical texts that advocate: holy warfare, slavery, the second-rank status of women (no women could testify in court, study>
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