My Response To Christians Who Believe I'm Harboring Hate Towards LGBTQ+ People

A while ago, I left comments on a Medium essay that's about how "harmful" the Catholic position on homosexuality is. The essay in question insisted that the Church tells LGBTQ+ people they're disordered. My comments were basically saying that the author of the essay was twisting the Church's words. I said that the Church says that homosexual acts and attractions are disordered, not people.

 
A gay, progressive Christian responded to me, telling me to let go of my hate and choose to love my neighbor as myself.

I responded, saying that I don't harbor any hatred towards LGBTQ+ people. I said I don't hate anyone, in fact.

I also left a comment that said it is possible for LGTBQ+ people to marry a person of the opposite gender, just as God intended.

This progressive gay Christian said it's not good to have LGBTQ+ people marry a person of the opposite gender because God didn't intend it.

 
I responded to him on multiple occasions in an effort to tell him that I don't hate LGTBQ+ people, and I'm not intending to be cruel. I cited the Scripture passages in the New Testament that condemn homosexual behavior, but he stated he believed that some Scripture passages are harmful and not helpful to Christians.

But after a while, I decided that the effort was futile and deleted all my comments on that essay.
But I thought I'd address Christians who believe that the Catholic Church is being hateful by condemning homosexual acts and it's not good to have LGBTQ+ people marry a person of the opposite gender. I have no problem with loving my neighbor as myself. But progressive Christians who say something like "Let go of your hate and choose to love your neighbor as yourself" are basically asking me to approve and support active LGBTQ+ lifestyles.

 
I can't in good conscience do that.

For those Christians who believe that it's cruel to be against gay "marriage" and to state that it is possible for LGBTQ+ people to marry a person of the opposite gender, let me be clear: I am not the one who clearly laid out what constitutes marriage. Jesus is. He does so in Matthew Chapter 19: 4-6.

He said in reply, "Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate."

Notice how Jesus affirms that marriage is one man and one woman becoming one flesh. The one flesh bit isn't a metaphor, folks. A man and a woman actually become one flesh on their wedding night.

A man and a man or a woman and a woman cannot become one flesh. That is why I can't in good conscience support or approve of same-sex "marriage."

So don't tell me to let go of my hate and choose to love my neighbor as myself when I reiterate the traditional Christian position on homosexuality and marriage. Don't tell me I'm speaking from my own ignorance and fear, because I'm not. Repeating what Jesus said about marriage in the Gospels is not speaking from ignorance and fear. Don't tell me I seem to believe that cruelty is a Christian virtue because I don't believe cruelty is a Christian virtue. Don't tell me to let go of my homophobia because I don't have homophobia. If you have a problem with the Christian teaching on homosexuality and what constitutes marriage, don't take it up with me. Take it up with Jesus. He very clearly defined what marriage is, not me. I'm just relaying what He said in the Gospels.