so far, have been pretty uninformed, so as a practicing student of Y'shuah, I will give this a go. Normally I don't comment on this kind of article. It may go past 1,000 words. If so I will post a second part.

First, from the article itself:

"Why would anyone subject themselves to such an onerous regimen, followed by a life spent in either celibacy or constant sexual vigilance and guilt?"

Because some choose to answer life's questions honestly. If want to invent your own religion, do so. But it will be nothing more than unsubstantiated fiction. A way for you to live easier in delusion and denial. If you want to practice a philosophy that was devised by the God of the bible, read the Bible (according to the authors inspired by God), and practice it. To adhere to some adulterated form of it is to invent ones own religion. The bible is all about balance. God is perfectly loving, and perfectly holy, and perfectly just. It's the justice part most wishy washy types like to discount. You may not like it, but the God of the Bible is also the God that told Joshuah to destroy Jerico and all of it's inhabitants. He is also the God that destroyed all of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He also loved the broken, errant people of earth so much, that he allowed his Son to pay the penalty for their wrong doing. The only thing I bristle at is when people try to sell a fake version of what I hold as a perfect system.

BTW - The bible does not only condemn homosexual sex, it condemns all sex outside of marriage. For good reason - Outside of marriage, it is harmful to humans.

"Some of the men at New Hope had asked their fellow congregants for help and prayers, only to be shunned or told they were possessed by demons. Some didn't dare to speak of it at all."

Yes, of course. And all institutions can be judged by a few lurid examples. There is a lot more evidence that (using this formula) all homosexuals are warped, deviant people. Those churches that practice the teachings of Y'shuah treat all people with equal respect, as did he. However, this does not mean that behavior and concepts which are contrary to God's nature are acceptable. To the woman that was spared a stoning for adultery:

Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

John 8:10-12 (New International Version)

From the responses:

Chelseajoe wrote

"Why adhere to the laws and strictures of the one book without heeding the message of love and humanity of the other?" also: "Maybe my conviction wasn't that strong to begin with, but the moment it became apparent that my sexuality and my faith were on divergent paths the choice was simple, and the Catholic Church lost out."

The catholic church has never practiced only the teachings of Y'shuah. The catholic churches draw authority from three palces: the bible, tradition, and the holy See. It has been thoroughly corrupted by those that run it.

tregibbs wrote:

"Jesus makes no mention of homosexuality in the Bible"

You may argue this if you wish, but there is a larger, overriding fact. The bible is inspired by the God of the bible (according to the authors), and Y'shuah said "I and My Father are one"

Also:

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.

John 1:14

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

So, the book that defines the God of the book and the teacher Y'shuah, also states that Y'shuah and God are one and the same. It is also true that Y'shuah never disagrees with any of the writings of the old testament. Practicing any kind of sex outside of marriage is inconsistent with the purity teachings of Y'shuah.

Anonymous wrote

I am glad I leaped, because with all of my faults, I'm real. And pretty normal. And a follower of Christ. And gay. Big deal.

You are not a follower of theChrist. You are a follower of your own invented christ. You cannot be an adherant to a given teacher or philosopher, and differ on such a fundamental level with that teacher. This is the case with all those who say they are "christians" but who will not subject their ideas of what is right and what is not right to the teachings of Y'shuah.

Poco