(This article is a contribution from Lex Bonife, screenwriter and Yoga instructor.)
I bumped into screenwriter Ramon Bayron (Abakada, Ina) and he was ecstatic to share his thoughts on our film “Ang Lihim ni Antonio” (Antonio’s Secret). He liked the existentialism of the material and all. I was surprised that Mr. Bayron liked the film despite him being very religious. And he caught me by surprise by asking a very thought-provoking question.
“Why would God be concerned with men sucking each other’s penises when there are millions of other life-threatening and earth-shaking problems in this world?”
And I paused to think about it. What’s with ejaculation that God (as supposedly represented by the church) should make a big deal about? First, it thought about it in a particular context. If such an act would create destruction of a particular family, causing pain for the wife and her children, I think God should definitely look into it. But if two responsible and educated adult men help each other into ejaculation, what does God have to do about it?
It was such an interesting perspective to probe on. But unfortunately, I can’t force myself to continue with it. I don’t believe in the Judeo-Christian God. And I have known for a fact that historically, we humans are fond of ascribing and imposing our own attributes and values to the god that we create for ourselves. Hence, such an idiosyncracy from a supposedly “god being” isn’t really a surprise.
But if you are a believer, just like my friend, it would really be interesting to think about it. “What’s really with responsible men sucking each other’s cocks that would make God (Judeo-Christian) so angry that he will condemn you to hell for all eternity?”
About the author:
Lex Bonife is the screenwriter of Filipino gay films “Ang Lihim ni Antonio” (Antonio’s Secret) and “Ang Lalake sa Parola” (The Man in the Lighthouse). Lex blogs at www.lexuality.com.
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This thing has 41 Comments
because the church considers semen as life too
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May mga bagay kasi na kasuklamsuklam sa paningin ng Diyos at isa na rito ang relasyon ng lalake sa lalake at babae sa babae. Pero binigyan nga tayo ng Diyos ng freedom. Pwede nating gawin ang kahit anong gusto nating gawin. Pero sa huli, lahat ng kasalanan kailangan nating pagbayaran hanggang sa kahulihulihang kusing. Hindi ako against sa mga bading kasing bading din naman ako. Pero hindi ako ethnocentric na masasabi kong lahat ng pinaniniwalaan ko ay totoo. Nakalagay kasi yun sa Biblia, nung lipulin ng Diyos ang Sodom at Gomorra dahil ang mga tao dun ay nakikipagtalik sa lalaki sa lalaki. At kasuklamsuklam yun sa paningin ng Diyos. Mayroon din akong nabasa sa Bible, di ko lang matandaan kung sinong Biblical character pero kinasusuklaman din ng Diyos yung lalaki na nakipagtalik sa asawa nya na pinalabas nya yung binhi nya sa labas ng sinapupunan ng babae. Sa ating term ngayon, ipinutok sa labas.
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OMG….
I guess, read your Bible again Met
Di naman exclusively homosexual acts kaya gumuho ang Sodom at Gomorra!
I visit church and hear mass, not religiously though….but, one thing is for sure and very pure….
God loves me because He Bless me with life as fascinating as Migz’s life and as wonderful and exciting as everyone else life out there…..who am I to complain?
Kung ito man lang ang maging kasalanan ko sa mundong ibabaw….so be it.
If cocks and Bible don’t mix…to hell with it!
I love men and adore cocks…..kahit mapunta pa ako sa impyerno!
Qui ver! Masarap doon kasi nandoon lahat malalaki!
Aray!
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I will take this seriously. Why would God be concerned with men sucking each other’s penises when there are millions of other life-threatening and earth-shaking problems in this world?”
(Let us leave the Church for a while, because there is an infinite distance between God’s will and the discernment of the Church.)
Most of God’s laws given to the people of Israel were meant for them to survive as a people (they were nomads constantly threatened) and be free (they were slaves remember).
It was important for them to procreate, to make their nations larger so that they can defend themselves. No semen should be wasted. And at that time, life in the desert was so hard, it was always a miracle when conception happens, and when one has a large family, goodness, that is heroic in gigantic proportions.
Masturbations, sodomy, and fellatio were such a waste of semen, and did not result to procreation. Thus, these acts were not helpful at all to the survival of a very young nation chosen by God.
Ergo, they have to declare it illegal. (Remember, the only law was God’s law.)
But today, well, that my dear is a different story.
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Would you please stop your hypocrisy!
Almost every nation has a different God, and together with them, different sets of crappy beliefs and traditions.
There are religions where being a homo isn’t considered a taboo. In fact, homosexuality had been practiced during the time of the first civilizations such as the Incas, the Aztecs, the Mayans, the Chinese (believe it or not, the emperor of China occasionally had sex with his young male concubines), etc.
I think the real God wouldn’t give a crap about men giving other men a head. God has other important things to do than waste his time on us humans. Come to think of it, if God really hated homos, then shouldn’t we be dead by now?
And please, hell (and such ideologies) in various religions were made so that they could ensure that their traditions are followed.
Remember, RELIGION IS ALSO POLITICS!!!
If you want to worship God, you don’t need to do those crappy traditions and rituals. Just talk to him and thank him that the world is still as it is.
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Btw, people who tell other people the will of God think of themselves as Gods. So why waste your time on fake Gods. Get a life! If you really love God, talk to him personally, without those stupid novenas and prayers. Don’t worry, the real God understands whatever language you speak and whatever intentions are in your mind
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Alam ko maraming bading ang magsasabing hindi kasalanan ang makipagrelasyon at makipagtalik sa kapwa lalake kung wala namang ibang buhay na nasisira ng mga gawaing gaya nito. Ginawa kasi ng mundo na ang kahalayan ay kaayaaya at masarap sa paningin at pandama ng tao. Ang pakikipagtalik sa kapwa lalake o kapwa babae ay hindi lang kasalanan, kundi kasuklamsuklam rin sa paningin ng Diyos. Ang lalake na nakikipagtalik sa babaeng may asawa na ay gumagawa ng kasalanang mortal. Ang lalakeng nakikipagtalik sa hindi pa niya asawa ay nagkakasala rin ng fornication. Sa gayon, ang pakikipagtalik na kalugodlugod lang sa paningin ng Diyos ay ang pagtatalik ng isang babae at isang lalake na nakapaloob sa sakramento ng kasal. Siguro nga tama yung kasabihan na “Truth hurts.” Pero anuman ang gawin nating pag-iwas at pagtanggi, ito ang totoo na kasalanan ang makipagtalik sa kapwa lalake. Masarap makipagtalik sa isang gwapong lalaki. Dahil ito ang ginawa ng sanlibutan, ang gawing masarap ang kasalanan upang maraming mahulog sa bitag nito. Gusto ko rin magreact dun sa sinabi nung isang nagkomento na kung galit man ang Diyos sa mga bading na nakikipagtalik sa kapwa lalake ay bakit buhay pa tayo hanggang ngayon. Ang Diyos na nakilala ko (hindi ko alam kung Siya rin ang Diyos na kilala niyo), ay mapagpatawad. Nagagalit ang Diyos sa lahat ng nagkakasala anumang kasalanan yun, maliit o malaki, pero hinahabaan din Niya ang Kanyang pasensya at awa para sa lahat ng tao. Kung pupuksain ng Diyos ang lahat ng makasalanan ay wala nang matitirang tao sa lupa sapagkat lahat ng tao ay makasalanan. Kaya nga hinahabaan ng Diyos ang buhay ng taong makasalanan upang kahit minsan sa kanyang buhay ma-realize ng tao ang kanyang pagkakamali, magsisi at magbalik-loob sa Diyos. Hindi tayo pupuksain ng Diyos sa mundong ito anuman ang pagkakasalang nagawa natin sapagkat ipinangako Niya na ang bahang lumipol sa sangkatauhan nuong panahon ni Noah ang kahulihulihang paglipol Niya sa sanlibutan. Ang tunay na paghatol ng Diyos sa ating lahat ay magaganap sa Huling Paghuhukom sa kabilang buhay.
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The question, “Why would God be concerned with men sucking penises when there are millions of life-threatening and earth-shaking problems in this world?” is a mere excuse and denial that this kind of act is indeed a mortal sin. I mean, why would God not care about that at all? God knows everything and every little detail that is going on in this world. There are just two things that men are doing, it’s either good or bad. How can you categorise 2 men sucking each others’ penises? Is it good? If it brings so much pleasure and feels good to you, do you think God also thinks the way you do? Let’s not make excuses for committing sins. Because lust, in the first place, is already a mortal sin. I’m not here to condemn gays because I, myself, am also a gay. I don’t know if being gay is a sin. If it is, then, I’ll admit that I’m a sinner. And if ever I’m sucking other men’s penises, then I’ll make no excuses for doing such sinful acts. I mean, wag na tayong magmalinis!
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seryoso.. hindi ko kaya..
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If that’s what you think, then let’s not have any sex at all!
You are pathetic! You’re being manipulated by other people and you don’t even know it. Cut the crap! The real God gave you a brain to think. Please use it wisely, that is if you know how to think.
History had repeatedly showed us how everyone had been manipulated by people in power, and yet we never learn.
And please, if we really did care about what God thinks, then there shouldn’t be no sinners in this world.
And by the way, anyone could make someone a legend by making him a biography like the Bible!
Geez!
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Another thing. Good and bad is being subjective. People label things accordingly as they see fit. For example, a man sucking another’s dick may be okay to one but immoral to another. To make it short, THERE IS NO REAL TRUTH IN THIS WORLD. Only the real God has the power to determine which is right and which is wrong. However, I assure you that every God created or made by men are either fake or minor Gods. The real God is the creator of everything. Therefore, only he has the power to say what is right and what is wrong.
And please, don’t ever tell me that the Hebrew God is the real God, because every religion has the same proposition!
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Lastly, we are animals. We just think we are higher than them. True, we are more intelligent then them, but we have the same basic instincts, such as sex. Now if you think that we are washing our hands regarding having sex with men, then tell that also to the various animals who had been proven to be committing sex with a similar gender. Homosexuality is a natural phenomena. I was just wondering why we condemn homosexuality when in fact it had existed even before the civilizations of men?
As I said, the problem with us is that we had been given a brain to think, yet we just let ourselves be manipulated by people who think they are right. I would suggest that you live you’re life the way you like it to. If you want to hurt people or treat them nicely, it’s up to you. Please don’t make the Bible and morality an excuse for everything. After all, what you think is right may be wrong to another.
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I think we’re becoming too much dependent on other people’s beliefs that we tend to think they’re the whole entire truth. Don’t settle for written reports and take it for granted they’re 100% real, especially those that sound dodgy, self-serving, contradicting and opinionated.
Keep searching for the answers yourself, because if you only keep listening to other people, you’re letting them pull the wool over your eyes.
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Shouldn’t they focus their energy on easing poverty or improving children’s literacy, or at least get rid of pedophile priests in their ranks before they start hitting on us? There are a lot of problems that the church should be concerned about, and they’re focusing their power on the elimination of homosexuals in the society. They should get their priorities straight before starting to badmouth homosexuality.
And why do they always confuse our obsession of sexuality with obsession of sex?
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Nature of Human Beings: We see the wrongdoings of others even if we haven’t seen our wrongdoings.
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we have freedom to do anything we want, whether good or bad! the church is not here to point shotgun on our heads but they are just here to remind us of what we have been doing and point us to the right direction. kung minamasama nyo yun, then go ahead with your sinful ways! binigyan ka ng knowledge of things, gamitin mo. but many of us don’t possess is wisdom coming from god. i think you should pray in your silent moment for god to enlighten you. but if you depend only on your knowledge and intelligence, then you don’t need anybody’s advices nor the church’s teachings! you don’t need god at all! just go on with your life and make use of your freedom to the absolute extent and do whatever makes you happy! may nakalagay sa bible na hindi darating sa buhay mo ang paghahari ng diyos unless matuto kang magpakumbaba gaya ng mga bata. because children are submissive without even asking why. these are just reminders. it’s all up to you if you will take it, because it’s your life and in the end, you’re the only one accountable for everything you have done.
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My friend, as I have been saying, the concept of good and evil is vague!
No one has the right to tell someone that he is doing something good for someone because you are not the true God! No one has the right to judge or condemn someone if he/she just bases his principles of “morality” on an organization which is clearly manipulating its believers to think that it is the sole authority on the truth.
Clearly my frind, you need to open your eyes and see that the Church had been committing more crimes than anyone had ever done for ages, and yet you think that their actions are still under God’s will?
The real God woud surely pity someone listening to false Gods…
Call me a heretic or whatever, but I know that the real God could surely take the life out of those he hates because hecreated us. But lo and behold, I am still here in this world, breathing and sucking dicks!
You’re just making a fool of yourself my friend. Open your eyes and see that the world is a much larger place than you think. Don’t become a “Dog” to those who believe that they are “goDs”
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ang masasabi ko lang ang kabaklaan ay kasalanan. ang makipagtalik sa kapwa lalaki ay kasalanan din! buti na lang kahit bakla ako, hindi pa ako nkpgtalik sa kapwa lalake ever! wag nyo na kasi pangaralan ang mga bakla kung un ang gus2 nila gawin sa buhay nila! buhay nila yun!
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what if god descends from heaven and tells us that what we have been doing all this time is a mortal sin, will we ever listen to him? i think we won’t. we will still go on with our sinful ways because these wicked things bring so much bodily pleasure than the holy things. don’t tell me that after sucking dicks and eating cums here on earth, we’ll still have the audacity to enter the gate of heaven!?! it’s in hell where we belong. satan has billions of dicks there in store for us!
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The only God I know is loving and not hateful.
besides… I suck and swallow so its not a waste of sperm….hihihihi.
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“Why would God be concerned with men sucking each other’s penises when there are millions of other life-threatening and earth-shaking problems in this world?”
~maybe they are thinking of starting in a small scale. siguro lang. mas madali kasi pag sa maliit na problem first muna before going big, bigger and bigger. although i dont consider men sucking each other’s penises as a problem. LOL
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God is loving and not hateful. But He is also just. In the end, He will judge every soul according to what he has done on earth. Peace.
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The problem is that many of us see these issues in black and white. That is not the way to judge the rightness or wrongness of things.
Is gay sex wrong? This cannot be answered by a simple YES or NO. The answer is much more complex, because we have to factor in the circumstances within which the act is committed. Just because some verse in the Bible says it is wrong doesn’t mean that it automatically is all the time.
Instead of saying “Yes” or “No” when answering complex moral questions like this, we can say, “It depends.” It depends on the context and circumstances surrounding the act.
What if an elderly man rapes a young, innocent boy? Common sense would tell us that it’s wrong. The context is clear: it’s pure lust at work, and someone is hurt.
But what if two men or two women have sex in the context of a mature, responsible, committed, and loving relationship? What if they have sex to express their love for one other? Man, that cannot in any way be wrong, as far as I know. Just because homosexual intercourse cannot result in procreation–which is the main reason why many organized religions are against it–doesn’t mean it’s wrong. (Sheeesh, sex solely for procreation is too medieval. Procreation is not the most important thing in the world. Kung ganun din lang, mag-anak nang mag-anak na lang tayo araw-araw.)
I am gay man with a partner for more than a year now. We both graduated from a Catholic university. We kiss, suck each other’s cock, help each other ejaculate. We reserve our semen for each other, and loathe the thought of having sex with a woman just to procreate. And we love each other dearly. As far as I know, we are able to sleep soundly and live our lives to the fullest, without ever fearing that some sadistic God would condemn us to hell.
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all i know is that no one will ever admit that he/she is committing a sin. even a rapist when caught and brought in front of the judge will deny all accusations of the crime he has committed. no one in this world has the courage to even at least admit his mistakes. how can we be forgiven?
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the steps to forgiveness of sins:
1. admit to yourself and to God that you have sinned.
2. repent for your sins
3. ask for forgiveness
4. turn away from those same sins
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Simple lang naman kasi. If you believe in the Bible, then homosexual acts are considered sinful. That’s what the Bible says. But the Bible also says everyone’s a sinner so no one can cast judgment on another. Only Jesus Christ can do that. If you want to repent, just talk to God and ask for forgiveness. If you want to accept Him as your savior, then do it, but you must be willing to live within His Word and abide by it. No if’s and but’s.
If you don’t believe in the Bible, then homosexual acts should not be sinful for you. If you don’t believe in God, the concept of “sin” vanishes from your daily vocabulary. Hwag na tayong maging fence-sitter.
Klaro ko lang: If you believe in the Bible, then homosexual acts are sinful. If you don’t, then it is not possible to judge them from the viewpoint of a Judeo-Christian concept of “sin”.
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Ang katawan natin ay templo ng Banal na Espirito ng Diyos. Nasa Bibliya yun. Wag nating babuyin!
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Daming salita.
Ayaw nyong chumupa, di ‘wag! The more for us!!
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Sex is essentially good…
If there is one thing that needs to be emphasized about sex, it is
that it is essentially good. Even before we ponder about sexual
wholeness we need to know about it’s goodness.
It’s almost like: there’s good wine and there’s good sex. However
some wine turns bad. All sex is good until a person turns it bad. Sex
is essentially good. Whatever works toward true love is good.
Whatever work against it - harming or hurting - is not good. It maybe
improper or unsatisfactory to the extent that it is selfish, cruel,
impersonal, or irresponsible.
Human beings are sexual beings, and this is a good thing. We should
never be afraid of sex, nor try to run away from it. When men and
women rightly use their sexuality, it can be uplifting and splendid
part of their wholeness.
Furthermore, when it is combined with love, it points to the Creator
of the world, who is Love. Sex is a gift from God, the Creator, the
Creator of sex!
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Our gayness is a GIFT not a curse! Homosexuality is an essential part
of who we are. We must accept our sexuality as a matter of honor, a
matter of being TRUE to ourselves, a matter of being at peace with
the world.
GOD loves us more for being HONEST than trying to conceal the simple
TRUTH and pretending to be something we are not. When men and women
rightly use their sexuality, it can be an uplifting and splendid part
of their wholeness.
We are not disgusting or pitiful or silent. We are not criminals or
sick with perversion. We are not deviant but different, a minority in
society, but in a society with RIGHTS! And, of course,
RESPONSIBILITIES! Our LOVE is no less honorable, no less to be
respected, no less deserving of protection.
“It is beautiful; it is fine; it is the nobles form of affection.
There is nothing unnatural about it.”
- Oscar Wilde
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Think about this….
“I know that God created in me a need to love, the ability to love. I cannot believe that God would be so spiteful to say ‘Ha! you’re gay, you can’t do anything about it.’” Chris Ambidge, co-convener of Integrity’s Toronto chapter, a support group for Anglican/Episcopalian gays and lesbians.
“I think that the Bible teaches that homosexuality is a sin, but the Bible also teaches that pride is a sin, jealously is a sin, and hate is a sin, evil thoughts are a sin, and so I don’t think that homosexuality should be chosen as the overwhelming sin that we are doing today.” Billy Graham, 20/20 program, 1997-MAY-2
“I’m tired of people telling me that homosexuality is a terrible sin. Homosexuality is not a sin. Heterosexuality is not a sin. It is coerciveness, promiscuity, manipulation, lack of safety, and lack of a prior commitment that makes a sexual act sinful — not the gender of the two people involved.” Anonymous posting to a gay mailing list.
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Hitler’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbles, stated what is, unfortunately, a profound truth. He said that no matter how big the lie, if it’s repeated often enough, people will come to believe it. Just as that axiom proved true in Nazi Germany, it certainly proves itself to be true regarding the relationship between Christianity and homosexuality. For centuries, we have been repeatedly told from assorted pulpits throughout the world that homosexuality is a “sin,” so that so many professing Christians and others come to think that it’s a no-brainer, that it is, in fact, a “sin.”
The fact is, as the Reverend Troy Perry has said, “Jesus came to take away our sins, not our sexuality.” In addition, as I have said for many times, “Never let other people define your reality or put you into bondage to their ways of thinking!”
Simply put, if we remove the patriarchal and legalistic trappings of “Christianity,” that presents the false gospel of legalism perfectionism, and exclusion, we see that the only Gospel to be found in Christianity, the Gospel of grace, faith, love, peace, reconciliation, and inclusiveness demands that we embrace all of God’s children, we be authentic as God created us to be, and we recognize that we commit a grievous sin when we reject the wonderful gift bestowed upon us by God, the gift of being able to love another person. As Rev. Troy Perry has said, “God didn’t create someone whom He could sit around and hate!”
You also commit a grievous sin if you reject the sexual orientation given you by God! We are to never chafe under the sovereign choices of God, and so many LGBT Christians fail to recognize that they are God’s gift to the Church and to society! Always remember, God has gifted you with the capacity to love and that you are God’s gift to the Church and to this world!
“We are not here to prove ourselves to the world, but to be ourselves in the world!” This is a good point and truth worth meditating on each and every day of our lives. Read Isaiah 2:22 and Galatians 1:10 for further confirmation of this truth!
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Thanks for all that, Sphynx.
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HIndi nakaya nang powers ko si Ate Met at Ate Chuchay…mga baklang hindi mahilig sa tite…kaloka.
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if that’s the case, would you also ask what is God’s beef when he destroyed sodom and gomorrah? has He not have better things to do then?
it’s not the act, it’s the decree.
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ang sa akin lang e hanggat di ako nakaka agrabyado ng kapwa ko e wala akong ginagawang masama….if we are not attracted to the same sex then we would not be “bakla”….i personally believe that the God I believe in is perfect….if that’s the case then he made me and all other things as perfect as He is….so if we question the existence of homosexuality di ba it’s as if you are questioning na din ang pagiging perfect ni God?
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I think the Biblical passages pertaining to Sodom (Genesis 19), God’s own explanation of their sins in Ezekiel 16:49-50, historical perspective on why the men of Sodom wanted to rape the strangers (i.e. to humiliate them and the transference of supernatural powers through sex) and antidotal evidence (e.g. the entire male population showed up to “know” the strangers, not the small minority that would be the gay population) all point to only one logical conclusion. God destroyed the people of Sodom not for the sexual act of sodomy but for the wicked and debased spiritual state of these people who had clearly abandoned the Law of Love.
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walang bakla ang magsasabing kasalanan ang makipagtalik sa kapwa lalake, gaya rin ng walang kriminal ang aaming may kasalanan siya!
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you guys want the truth??? watch this http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/
this will shake your belief and if you have an open mind, you will know the truth!
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kasi sucking each other’s penises is a homosexual act and according to the book of Deutronomy no homosexual can enter God’s kingdom. besides, our bodies are temple of God. if ginagawa ninyo yung act na iyon, what do you think will God’s reaction be? just a piece of my mind.
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I agree to most of teh comments here…
I remember 3 years ago, i was in one of the churches in Pampanga
asking god to give me a loving caring partner…asking god that i want someone to wake up with in the morning…someone to call my other hafl…
He gave me one after a week..
Imagine…4 years na kami ngaun..and I still ask god for his blessing na magtagal kami..
I always asking god to protect him…
I always asking god…
so tngin nyo??sakin lang as long as there is LOVE…GOD will always be there…kahit M2M Relationship pa yan..:D
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