Evangelical, fundamentalist Christians — by which I mean, specifically, Christians who believe that being gay is a moral abomination, an appalling affront to God — talk to me, please, about this kid.
Tell me that your belief system didn’t help but the hot tears on this kid’s cheeks. Tell me that the bullies who torment this kid aren’t in any way encouraged or empowered by your tacit approval of their actions. Tell me that the shame this kid feels about himself has nothing to do with the shame that you believe all gay people should feel for themselves.
Tell me that you can’t comprehend the connection between your conviction that God finds homosexuals repulsive, and the fact that this kid finds himself so repulsive that he habitually cuts his own flesh.
Tell me, please, how you love this kid. Tell me how you understand his pain. Tell me how when he cries, you cry.
Tell me how you want to do everything in your power to make sure that no one, ever again, feels free to in any way victimize a young gay person.
A Christian myself, I am pleading with you to be honest with me about this.
Tell me, please, how none of this kid’s anguish has anything to do with you.
I’m listening. I really am.
We all are.
   |
Filed under: Views & Voices
Florida teen fighting criminal charges related to same-sex relationship
Harvey: Gays deserve to be fired for displaying their lifestyles to everyone
Anti-gay marriage activist commits suicide on alter at Notre Dame cathedral
Bryan Fischer: The Boy Scouts are now the ‘Boy Sodomizers of America’
Candidate for Va. Lt. Governor warns same-sex marriage leads to bestiality
ACLU, attorney condemn prosecution of teen who had sex with minor girlfriend
Sex and the teenage girl: The Kaitlyn Hunt tragedy
UPDATED: Police call fatal New York City shooting an anti-gay hate crime
Transgender student skips graduation rather than wear female gown
Attorney implies suspect’s child sexual abuse was a factor NYC killing
Picture book teaches children of ‘God’s plan’ to demonize LGBT families
Iowa anti-gay activist explains his opposition to gay marriage: ‘It’s awful’
Lesbian teen charged in relationship with underage girlfriend rejects plea deal
Details emerge in case against teen accused of lewd behavior with girlfriend
BREAKING: French president signs marriage equality bill into law
I <3 him And his video
A thoughtful, heartfelt, beautiful response. Thank you, John Shore.
I wish I could reach right through this computer screen and hold this young man until the tears stopped. “Christians” are some of the most hateful people I have ever come in contact with. I am transgendered. I hear you. I understand you. I feel what you feel. I am so very proud of you–how strong and courageous you are. Please keep up the fight. It will get better. You are valued and loved. Please know that. ♥♥♥
Religion is affront to “God”. Twist the word a little more hypocrites, the only ones going to this hell of yours, is you.
Oh my God I just want to hug this poor kid and never let him go. Stay strong, Jonah, we’re all here for you <3
My heart goes out Jonah. I cried when I watched this video. I just wanna hug him and tell him “It DOES get better” I can’t wait for the day that everyone is loved and accepted for who they are.
strong kid <3
WOW,,,POWERFUL,,,,,
My heart is with him
The strength he shows here is absolutely stunning to me. There’s a million things to say about how wrong the bullying is, how horrible it is that there are people out there who turn a blind eye simply because of who he or anyone else loves… the list, like the insults, goes on and on. But this boy, and I hope this reaches him, is an inspiration and absolutely beautiful for his strength and we are listening.
Link wont rub on my phone. But i’ll again say what i’ve said a few times recently. makes it no less true :
Lgbt’s? These people are our people. They need, deserve our support & love. Fyi – i’m. a straight, married middle aged bloke.
Anyone who has a problem with any of what ive written, truly has problems……
*run
Churches that preach anti-gay themes support violent behavior against gays regardless of their words to the contrary. They should be taken to task for their evil.
:[ not all christians are “hateful people”. Not all of them are hypocrites. I hate religion. I have a relationship with god, not a religion. And God loves all his children.So I am called to do so as well.
Alison, you’re one of many christians who are good and helpful and supportive. However, there are far too many in the minority who are destructive and damaging, and they overshadow the good.
What a brave boy…..
I wanna hug this boy an tell him he aint alone!! :( things get better everythin thus far makes u stronger…an yall dont hate on jus christians cuz they arent the only ones hatin.. an not all of em are. Im gay an imma christian but i dont do wat every one is sayin cristians do.i try to rise above all the hate
That poor boy! I know what its like, luckily for me I had a very supportive and acceptance group of friends and family! and good for him he knows he is better than what he was and he is one tough boy I wish there was some way he knew me and I could help him, but if he ever reads this my message is Don’t ever give up.. dont ever listen to those ignorant people who tell you that you’re not loved and accepted because what they believe is brain washing them and its not the truth! AND BTW IF THERE WAS A GOD HE WOULD LOVE EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING BECAUSE HE WOULD HAVE MADE THEM ALL WE WOULD ALL BE HIS VISION!! I mean I don’t believe in god however, Im not saying that he does not exist i just haven’t seen him in my life or felt him so therefore for me there is no god. <3 kyler
I admire his strength. He is amazing and brave. I wish, like others, that I could hug him and tell him that he is NOT alone. There are people who feel his pain and who understand him. What a truly brave young man.
Oh AND to add… Jesus Christ taught how to love and make peace and have respect and tolerance for others than yourself. NOT hate and war and spite. “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ”. – Gandhi.
However, not all Christians are haters! Trust me! I go to a college prep school and its filled with Christians however most of which i talked to dont hate on the lgbt group..
I feel for him, so much… I’m a transwoman; I know what it’s like to be hated and insulted and victimized for being me. But all the hate in the world can’t put out the fire of the love I have, for myself and my boyfriend… Nobody can take that away from me.
That’s… Powerful.
stay strong young man. do not let anyone tear u down. You are amazing just the way u are.
I`m still crying. I just wish I could hug him… :(
Thankfully, there is a follow up vid Jonah made. He thanks everyone for the support. I dare say WE are far more civilized than the religious nutcases.
There is a follow up video, by Jonah, to this one. He thanks everyone for their love and support. It is short and sweet. However, what strikes me is his facial expression. In his first video, he looks very sad and depressed. In the 2nd video, he looks happier- more confident in himself- I suspect that through our positive responses, he has gained insight, strength, love, and some self-esteem that will only help him on his journey. Please continue to encourage Jonah, hold him in your thoughts, prayers, warm light- whatever your spiritual practice—AND do the same for all the Jonah’s of the world. Peace and blessings to all!
Wah i dnt like most is how ppl treat others like this boy different but ppl who r gay and other stuff should be treated wiv respect cause they were born tha way as am i. Im bisexual and i understand what this boy is feelin theres one thing that we can always is fight back and it dnt matter what ppl think of u cause if u love ur life and accept wh r thas more important, hating wah u r is not tha option, i support this boy cause hes scared of tha way his life is goin well i got some words to share ……… NEVA LET PPL BRING U DOWN CAUSE U R AN A AMAZING PERSON EVEN THOUGH I DNT KW HIM I UNDERSTAND HIS FEELINGS AND RIGHT NOW I SUPPORT U. u have ur family to help and support u and as well as ur friends neva be affraid and neva stop being who r.
BTW, I went back to the follow up video… it seems he has taken it down… sorry about that- it apparently just happened within the last hour…
How is it there God teaches them to HATE?
if i was near him i would help him through his fears and make him feel more comfortable wiv his life cause ive been there before ive been tryin suicide and others but i fought back and believed in wah i needed to do cause ppl like him deserve a good and happy life
Stay strong and always look to God for help. I’m a gay Christian and I know what its like. God won’t let you down. There are a lot of us out there. AND GOD LOVES US, HE MADE US GAY! WE SHOULD CELEBRATE THIS, WE ARE TRULY BLESSED. FIND A GAY CHRISTIAN CHURCH LIKE MCC. GOD WON”T LET YOU DOWN!!!!!
I watched this last night and just cried. What a powerful message.
This is one of the reasons I stopped going to church. I was tired of seeing people cutting others down in the name of religion. I was bullied by their children in school and they did not do anything to stop it. Later in life, I was bullied by the “Christians” themselves..They were rude to me when I had the pleasure of dealing with them on the job. They were rude to my co-workers. I overheard them in the store making harsh remarks about others. The same people who would smile and tell me “God bless you” on Sunday were the same people who would not recognize or remember me during the week, and they would not be portraying a “Christian attitude.” Honestly, I don’t think the God I know would condone hate towards his children, regardless of their skin color or sexual orientation.
BTW, I am female, straight, and married. My husband and I teach our son about God, but we do it in our own way, on our terms. We teach him acceptance and understanding. He does not need to conform to anyone’s standards and he can make his own decisions about what he wants to believe.
This is one of the reasons I stopped going to church. I was tired of seeing people cutting others down in the name of religion. I was bullied by their children in school and they did not do anything to stop it. Later in life, I was bullied by the “Christians” themselves..They were rude to me when I had the pleasure of dealing with them on the job. They were rude to my co-workers. I overheard them in the store making harsh remarks about others. The same people who would smile and tell me “God bless you” on Sunday were the same people who would not recognize or remember me during the week, and they would not be portraying a “Christian attitude.” Honestly, I don’t think the God I know would condone hate towards his children, regardless of their skin color or sexual orientation.
Wah i dnt like most is how ppl treat others like this boy different but ppl who r gay and other stuff should be treated wiv respect cause they were born tha way as am i. Im bisexual and i understand what this boy is feelin theres one thing that we can always is fight back and it dnt matter what ppl think of u cause if u love ur life and accept wh r thas more important, hating wah u r is not tha option, i support this boy cause hes scared of tha way his life is goin well i got some words to share ……… NEVA LET PPL BRING U DOWN CAUSE U R AN A AMAZING PERSON EVEN THOUGH I DNT KW HIM I UNDERSTAND HIS FEELINGS AND RIGHT NOW I SUPPORT U. u have ur family to help and support u and as well as ur friends neva be affraid and neva stop being who r. if i was near him i would help him through his fears and make him feel more comfortable wiv his life cause ive been there before ive been tryin suicide and others but i fought back and believed in wah i needed to do cause ppl like him deserve a good and happy life
Christians aren’t the only ones who bully. Let’s try to remember that.
It has everything to do with them. And they either don’t care or are too brainwashed to even try to see a different point of view, even though their hearts may tell them something’s terribly wrong with their theology. I have a lot of anger and hatred towards Christianity and its followers, and I can’t tell you how hard it is to let go of that when a gay man dies of AIDS, a lesbian is raped, or a bisexual teen ends her or his life, and all fundamentalist Christians do in response is keep spreading the same destructive moralistic message. I know the Church and many in it need my forgiveness, and I struggle to put that in practice. All I can say is if this boy’s message doesn’t bring you to your knees weeping, you’re no more a Christian than Pontius Pilate.
Yea, no shit Amanda, it’s social stigma being attacked here. Come on, bro.
Read this earlier on Huffington, bought tears to my eyes.
I think we need stop acting like these religious abusers are in any way moral no matter who spares there tears there ideal view of God is a being of hate
I cut myself starting in 7th grade until shortly before I turned 20, and it all started with being bullied for being bisexual. Lives are being lost, and for many more quality of life is being diminished because of bullying. Is someone’s LIFE really not as important as someone else’s beliefs? As humans we have free will and can believe whatever we want, and that’s a beautiful thing. But there is no excuse for anyone feeling the way I did, or how Jonah does, just because not everyone sees eye to eye.
He’s very brave and I’m glad he made his video, but he never said he was gay. Plenty of straight kids are bullied and called homophobic slurs, so I think it’s irresponsible of you to assume he’s gay, and it does nothing to help his case, especially if he’s really straight. That having been stated, your general points about many self-proclaimed “Christians” is spot on.
I recently saw this video elsewhere and was touched. To hear that a child that young was going through this only reaffirmed the idea that something needs to be done. However, I don’t get why LGBTQ Nation attached religion to this. I don’t recall him mentioning religion in his video. Yes, some religious zealots take their beliefs and wrongly use them to harm others, verbally and physically. However, I think this is just another step in widening the gap between being queer and being religious. You can bully someone without being religious. Instead of tying in religion in this, you should have attached a list of senators so that we could email them, requesting something to be done about bullying legislation, instead of inserting Christianity and starting this flock of religious jibber-jabber. Contrary to popular belief, you can be queer and really religious. Also, I love how most queer media only focuses on Christianity. Why not Islam also? Either way, his story is one that many a child is living, but sadly most won’t get help unless others, like ourselves, help them out.
Just a question, and I feel for this boy and I want to just jump right through the screen and help him, but does this boy ever say he is gay, or do we assume he is because they call him fag and homo?
My heart goes out to him, particularly as I struggled with self-injuring and self-loathing for years, stemming from growing up in a Catholic household and going to Catholic school. There was no refuge from the religiously sanctioned disapproval that left more than just physical scars. I hope his resilience will see him through to a much better life on the other side of all this. “Teaching a kid to hate himself so much that he or she wants to die is abuse.” – Kevin Jennings
Wait was he gay or was he just saying names that people call him?
It does get better, you just have to have faith and be strong. I know how you feel, just like others here do. I grew up in church and believed so strong in god and the church. But that all changed when I turned 15. I was sexually assulted by my youth leader on several occasions. U see my father died when i was 8yrs old. I didn’t have a male role model or a father figure, and this man gave me that, but took it to a dark place for me, for 2 yrs. I allowed him to do what he wanted to me because I was affraid to tell him no, and I was affraid that he wouldn’t like me anymore and kick me out of the group where all my friends were. Like any teenager you need to belong, so I thought that it was what I had to do to belong. Finally I had enough and stopped him. I kept it to myself, never telling a soul about what he had done to me. It was several years later that I told my best friend. He gave me the strength and courage to go to my church elders and tell them what had happen to me, but when I did they turned on me and called me a homosexual, that it was my fault, or that I was lying. I was 20yrs old at the time and I made the decision to leave the church. A few years later my youth ministers wife walked in on him at home and found him in bed with another man. So in someways my justice was served. But it made me see my church in an entire new light. It was difficult lesson for me to learn.
I know exactly how he feels. I also was bullied and cut and in the long run of things they do get better. I wanted to take him in my arms and tell him that it honestly will get better. But if those things are being said in middle school then high school could be worse. For me it was. But when he gets out of school he will be a strong person who will succeed at anything he puts his mind to. My heart goes out to him. And everyone else who feels the way he feels.
I’m glad you know you’re strong enough to get through this. Don’t give those loser bullies the satisfaction of getting you down. It gets better. I promise. I’ve been there.
I’m going to cry now
I’ve watched this 3 times already. so strong
This video DESERVES to be viral. Here’s one brave little guy who deserves a million people backing him up. I’m right there behind you, brother.
I seriously have tears running down my face right now and I really wish I could encourage this boy and everyone that feels like him. While it is not always people who call themselves Christians that do the bullying, I know many play a big part. I keep asking myself, where is the love? As a college student at a Christian school I wrote many papers and talked to many people about what the Christian response to homosexuality is versus what it should be and it kept coming down to one big thing. Too many aren’t showing love that the Bible says should be a telling characteristic of a true Christ follower. I’m sorry I can’t make other people love… but Jonah, if you see this, I love you. To all you who claim the name Christians, all I can say is, before you ever say or do anything, ask yourself “am I showing the love of Christ” because that is what this world needs.
My heart goes out to this kid as well, but it’s not Christianity that makes anyone judged or unacceptable.. That is our free will to choose. If we choose to tear someone down for anything race, religion, weight, appearance, gay etc. then you are sinning and not practicing what you say you believe. If you believe there is a God and satan then this is easy to understand, and understand why hatred exists (Sin). I’m not gay, but I have my own set of struggles, hard struggles that I have shed tears for and about given up on myself for, but I don’t believe that I should gratify them, be encouraged to gratify them, or be judged for them. Yes, this boy deserves every right to be treated equally like any other child, but he should not be encouraged that it’s okay to gratify your feelings. If you are Christian this is easy to understand. Heck if you’re a parent this is easy to understand.. You’re child may have Pica, a disorder that causes your child to desire to eat paint, dirt, chalk, but as parent you would deny your child these things because you know that their bodies were not designed to eat those things, and denial of them would be for the better good of your child. Just like your body wasn’t designed to procreate with the same sex. Heck, I would be proud to be this boys father and friend. Christianity isn’t to blame for this. Sin and satan are.
He is my hero, and I hope he get’s to see how many of us, strong like him, are behind him. He has more friends than he may ever meet through this courageous message. LGBT Nation, I hope you have attempted to reach out to him and may give us an update.
Jonah, please remember that there are people who support you. I love you and I support you. You are a beautiful person and the fact that you have reached out makes you better than the Christians. If i can help you in any way do not hesitate to email me.
Well, I want to clarify that not once does God condone acts of hatred towards the gay community. This may come as a shocker, but I am a christian and have never bullied a gay person! Neither have my friends. As an educator, I teach my students to respect one another. On that note, this article doesn’t amuse me nearly as much as it amused you because it’s an emotional scam to direct negativity towards people that believe what I believe. I’m not going to justify God because he needs no defender. And what does he know about pain? Try being tortured and crucified after being betrayed by his closest companions. What do Christians know about pain? Ask the martyrs who have died and continue to die because of their beliefs and convictions. My heart is saddened when I think of ANYONE who is even contemplating suicide but I know that God should not be society’s excuse for why it is happening. In Christ’s very lineage there are people of questionable character and I his own life, Christ defended people who were deemed “unholy” by the overly-religious Pharisees. I direct this to those who claim to be open minded and point the finger to people like me and tell us to be more open minded and accepting. Maybe they need to stop judging our faith and be more accepting of us as well. By the way, I’ve only read a few comments but WOW, for being such an accepting and loving community, there sure is a lot of hate towards people like me. Just food for thought. In love, JM
A couragous young guy. I know pain like his. I am so happy to hear that there was a follow up video. He, and other victimsx of bullying have my support 100%
All love is holy, and no one judging any lovers ill avoid the true God who is Loving Protector of the Innocent, the gentle and the Kind. Carry on and oppose those who claim their god of hate holds any power over the lovers. You’ll be pleasantly surprised, for He Comes to save you all soon from the wolves in sheep’s clothing who run the world for the talebangelical 666.
I love how you wrote this piece John- very powerfully written
more like Christ-aints
Very courageous and powerful video I wish there was a way to let him know it does get better. Never lose the fact your going to grow up to become an a,axing person with a brilliant future ahead of you filled with a lot of joy and love.
Keep your head held up high Jonah it will get better.
i think he just needs to get laid…
Please, watch this video and tell me that being gay is an abomination and that gays should not be welcome in our churches. How can we harden our hearts to those who need the love of Christ?!
Well done Jonah that was truly inspirational :-)
What bothers me the most is the centralization of young teens & sex. Why are these kids so concerned with who they’re sexually attracted to? They’re obviously too young for sex and way too emotional. A Christian sticking by their biblical morals can not be held responsible for teen suicides. It is each parent’s responsibility to shield their children of adult matters until they’re mature enough to deal with them. It makes me sick that tv is just full of teen sex dramas. Let kids just be kids, ya know!
my name is danelle i was made fun of sophmore year because i was raped. god loves his children no matter what. god only cares about that you are a good person. i started cutting at 12 years old. i am 35 and i still do but there is hope. i see it everywhere.just look in the places you least expect.
I am of Catholic faith and this video has no effect on my beliefs. I can say this because I hold the belief that my God is about love not about discriminiation and hate. It states that we are all made in his image. To me that means every race, every gender, every sexual orientation. I don’t share a lot of the same beliefs as some Christians because I hold the phrase “Come as you are” highest in my heart. My God does not hate he only loves no matter who or what you are. We are all one and the same deserving love, respect, appreciation, and understanding in our lives. I know I shouldn’t judge but shame on people who try to make others feel as if they are better or the “right” way, there is no wrong way to be. I pray that this young man finds peace and happiness in his life and that the young kids that torment him will see that he is just like them, made of flesh and blood, nothing else.
Religion is the refuge of the intellectually lazy. There are now numerous peer reviewed papers that demonstrate that believing in a god is a risk factor for suicide and self harm in same sex attracted young people.
It’s the PEOPLE who are bullying, NOT the religion. Being a Christian really has nothing to do with it. These people who bully are down right mean, and they’re just coward so they put a label on themselves. God loves everyone, regardless gender, race or sexual orientation.
The fact is not about him attempting suicide it is of importance but is is a LGBT movement he is gay and has come out this video is 4 months old and he is happy now is has touched millions of hearts and made such an impact it doesn’t really matter if you aren’t straight or if you are we are all human I being bi and we have hearts and for people to put him on a lower level of humanity and power and give him this brand to live with that will destroy him from the inside out is wrong arrogant people out there including the Christians can’t see till this day what disastrous effects bullying and LGBT queer hating is doing <3 is strong and it will continue to do so I believe he will make it through he has some recent videos of him laughing and smiling with his best friend but other than that everyone hear who basically commented, shared and liked this issue goes to show just how “human” we are and that we have hearts agree?
I believe that those who impose prejudice upon anyone should be at fault, here. There are many people who will discriminate against the LGBT community, and many of these people will not be Christian. I’m not saying that every person in this discriminatory group won’t be Christian, or that there won’t be a large amount, either.
I was raised a Christian, and thought myself to be one until high school. My sophomore year, I was diagnosed with a rare mental illness that was triggered by the death of someone I knew. Unfortunately, no one knew what was going on with me. My psychiatrist that I started to see, my parents, my friends, myself. My classmates.
I was subject to extreme ridicule when I went to school. I was made fun of and people mocked me for my confusion and psychosis. Even after I was diagnosed, people made fun of me, but they didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t want to tell anyone, because frankly, it was none of their business. But I was still mocked. I became suicidal and lost my faith in a God that would give me an illness so severe.
I tried to hang myself, starve myself, cut myself… you name it, I tried it. I hated who I was because no one but my family and closest friends knew. I was judged. And I hated it. I know this doesn’t apply to the traditional Christians-hating-on the LGBT community, but I know what it’s like to be unfairly treated, and ever since recovery have made it my goal to reduce prejudice wherever I go in this world.
Now, I’m a Christian, and not afraid to say it. I hate prejudice, and am an outspoken advocate against it in several organizations at my college. Anyone can judge, and anyone can have prejudice against another. It’s just us who work against it who make the difference by telling them no.
What the hell does this video have to do with being Christian, because you are assuming the people that are bullying him are Christian. Meaning what, that if you are a bully, and the person you are bullying may or may not be gay you must be a Christian.
How do you have a relationship with a mythical creature? Really dumbfounded.
Amy, you need an education on sexual orientation. I suggest you get it at http://www.kinseyresearch.com or at http://www.apa.org. Your astounding ignorance is shameful.
If there is a Christian(Christ Follower) That is spreading hate against any person or people… they are not Christians(Christ followers) to begin with. And you say YOU are a Christian yet you type that God finds homosexuals repulsive? That is a straight out blatent lie! God LOVES ALL OF HIS PEOPLE. Jesus Christ died on the cross WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS…. If there were any that had NO SIN then Jesus would have had no need to die. Gossip is a sin are they “repulsive” to God? Stealing, lying, cheating, adultery the list goes on and on. As a REAL Christian and a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ if ANYBODY casts a stone at you for homosexuality or whatever it is they are not a Christian… Our commandment is to LOVE ONE ANOTHER JUST AS JESUS THE CHRIST HAS LOVED US…. GOD LOVES CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS, STRAIGHT, SQUARE OR GAY. Leave God out of it.
He says he came out to his parents in the video description.
I CRIED WHEN I SAW THIS; AS A MOTHER OF A GAY SON; I REMEMBER THESE EMOTIONS (HE IS 22 NOW); BUT, CRYING AND THEN POSTING IT TO MY PASTOR’S JUST GOT ME KICKED OUT OF THEIR CHURCH… I AM CAUSING DIVISION BECAUSE I HAVE SPOKE OUT ABOUT MY BELIEF IN EQUALITY TO ALL; AND THE CHURCH FEELS A GAY PERSON IS SIN… RECEIVED A LETTER TELLING ME TO SUBMIT; MEANS…. LIE, LIE, LIE… TO OTHERS IN THE CHURCH OR KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT….
BEEN AT THIS CHURCH FOR TEN YEARS; LEFT THE ASSEMBLY OF GOD CHURCH YEARS AGO BECAUSE COULD NOT TAKE THEIR ATTITUDE… ON MY WAY BACK TO A UNITED METHODIST CHURCH THAT IS GAY ACCEPTING…
WOW… CRYING FOR A YOUNG BOY AND EXPRESSING IT; WHO WOULD HAVE KNOW WOULD MAKE ME SUCH A HORRIBLE PERSON TO THE CHURCH.
JO
God does not find a single human being on this earth repulsive. Nowhere in the word of God does it say that homosexuals are repulsive. There is no sugar coating, however, the fact that the bible does say it is sinful. While I stand firmly behind that belief, I would never persecute a homosexual man or woman for their lifestyle, nor do I see myself as someone in a position to do so. While many people who call themselves Christians hate homosexuals, they are no reflection of what it means to be a Christian. Being a Christian simply means living a life like Christ, who loved all and consequently died for their sins. To those of you, including the writer of this article, who are eager to spread hate against Christians without trying to first understand what the word of God actually says, you are only lowering yourselves to the level of the “Christians” who have hated you for your beliefs. Do not be like them. Educate yourselves and set an example for the world around you. Love is the only way we can coexist, and if people still choose to be hateful, at least you were loving and understanding. The ignorant actions of others is no excuse for self-righteous and unwise retaliation. Just love.
I’m a Christian. I believe in God. And it makes me sick how other Christian’s act and view Gods words. I know his heart is broken and bleeding at this boys pain. I do not believe God throws everyone to hell that sins. He’s more forgiving than that and people are painting him as a monster. I think he doesn’t condone same sex relationships. But look at it as your father. My father wouldn’t be thrilled if I were gay but he would support me and he would love me no matter what I chose. Our parents love can’t even touch the love that God feels for ALL of us. So if your parents would learn to love and accept you for who you are. Why wouldn’t God? I really firmly believe God is watching this boy and trying with all his power to protect and empower him to go and be who he is. At his young age hes going to be sooo strong and amazing for being able to do this now. I will pray for him to have strength and courage. But above all HAPPINESS because no matter who you love EVERYONE deserves to be happy. This boy is amaazing!
In western society, our moral systems have been indoctrinated by the Churches over hundreds and thousands of years. Yes, the Christian Churches have added to this child’s anguish and torment because society itself has not loosened itself from the Homophobia and Gender Stereotypes that has been ingrained into our system by the Churches.
Who at one stage or another have held absolute Authority over the moral and “spiritual” viewpoints and teachings of our societies.
So whilst the bullies may not necessarily be Christian. The indoctrination over generations of religious homophobia is indeed one of the major factors contributing to LGBTIQ suicides and depression.
It is also tragic that I feel I must inform you that Jonah did give up, and did take his life. May his memory live on, and may his words serve as a reminder to everyone of the pain that he himself, and many others face every day.