“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.”

- Matthew 22:36-40.

I’m a Christian. When I say that, people automatically assume things about me, based not on my own beliefs, but the behavior put forth by other people who call themselves Christians. There are several examples of this, but the main one surrounds beliefs about homosexuality.

Jesus calls all Christians to love God and love others. He says these two things are the most important things that we can possibly do. Everything else in life stems from these two actions. I can’t understand why some Christians will overlook this verse when trying to enforce other verses.

Yes, the Bible says that being gay is a sin. You know what other things the Bible says are sins? Judging others. Lying. Sex out of marriage. Lusting. Jealousy. And many, many other things that we all do. And yes, I mean us Christians too. No human in sinless or blameless. Sin is sin, and we all do it. It’s part of human nature. We’re all imperfect, but guess what? God loves us anyway. And despite what some people may believe, I do mean all of us. God loves me, God loves you and God loves gay individuals too.

So why do some Christians insist on emphasizing an aversion to gayness? Why protest, discriminate, and make others feel less than? Christianity is a beautiful, beautiful thing. When Christians act this way, however, it makes all Christians look bad and can even lead those who are hurt to form an aversion to God. As Christians, we are supposed to spread God’s love, not make people run away from Him because we’re acting out of accordance with Jesus’s instructions.

Trust me, gay people have been told over and over again what Christians believe about gayness. You know what they’re often not told? They’re not told that they’re loved anyways. They’re not told that the church accepts them. They’re not told that they’re welcome with us. They’re not told that Christianity is for them, too. They’re not told that they belong.

But they should be. Every person should be encouraged to experience the grace of God’s love. Everyone should have a chance to build a relationship with God without being shunned for their sins. If sin were the marker of unworthiness of faith, then none of us is worthy.

So, on behalf of Christians, I’d like all gay individuals to know that you’re loved, you’re wanted, you’re welcome, you belong. I’ll gladly stand beside you in church, hold your hand in prayer, and find joy in your happiness. This prejudice is misguided and I want you to know that it’s not of God. As Jesus says, we’re instructed to love one another above all else. Any actions taken by Christians that don’t contend with this are misguided, and I’m sorry if you’ve been hurt because of it.

To the Christians who too harshly judge the gay population, I’d like to point out the hypocrisy. The same Bible that makes you believe that gayness is wrong also calls you to love others. Prejudice and exclusion are not in accordance with this. You are never in the right when you make others feel horrible about themselves and make them run from God. You may believe gayness is a sin, but as Jesus said, “let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” - John 8:7