Speaking from many years of study of the Bible, and having attended an extremely conservative Theological Seminary and obtaining a Bachelors, Masters Degree in Theology/Ministry/Counseling coupled with a PhD in Cognitive Studies from a secular institution, and having dealt with many gay persons including ones in my own family I have without doubt concluded that it is from birth. I further do not feel God makes mistakes, nor do I believe a person of the Gay persuasion is a mistake. I further and unquestionably feel through extensive research that the Bible does not state it to be a sin. YOU SAY HOLD UP. I say study on. Remember that God says " Study to show thyself worthy - A workman, rightly dividing the word of truth". There is far more to rightly dividing the word of truth than extracting a single verse of scripture and using it to prove a point, to manipulate or to condemn. Sadly this is what has happened in the case of homosexuals.

Before I continue I must state that as in many cultures and sub-cultures people tend to place emphasis on the worst, the most vile, the item, or persons who they can use to gain the most sensationalism from. Very much the same thing the main stream media (news) does. After all it is far more exciting than the bland truth. Just to mundane, and boring right?

I have placed a link below that will allow you to view the results or the important aspects of many years of research. Not only from myself , but others. I have combined the most relevant content and posted it here. To avoid duplication I have supplied you with a link below.

Keep in mind. If you truly want truth or if you are truly on a journey to find truth you will view, and consider in full, the data you find. Just a little exercise for you to perform in your head. Imagine you are on a search to find the truth on a matter. The way I perform this is very simple. Imagine a dinning room table. Each bit of information and or evidence is represented by a playing card. Once I get a new bit of information I research it, fully, and exhaustively until I can without doubt classify it as truth or non-truth. If it is truth it stays on the table. If it is non-truth it is tossed from the table, and not to be returned. At the end of the day I am left with only fact or truth on the table. Now we may have enough truth or fact on the table to render a conclusion. Maybe not. However this must be conducted this way in order to rule out non-truth, and or error. If we allow any shred of information that is non-truth to remain on the table we have contaminated the whole picture or journey for truth , if you will. Many times this is the case. People will get lazy and do not or will not properly research an item, and then simply make a judgment call. A judgment call will certainly be biased, and bias plays no part in finding truth. Fact is fact, truth is truth. Bias is your opinion (or someone else's you have not validated), and your opinion does not necessitate truth or fact.

Whatever is left at the end of the day on the table should be fact or truth. If there is enough data on the table you may be able to make an accurate conclusion. If not your conclusion will be inconclusive or non-obtainable -period! You may have to keep on searching until you can obtain enough factual information to make the call. Sometimes it may be that you cannot, and other times you may or it may take a long time or it may be another person much later that can obtain or find the needed data. I am only saying to do it correctly, and utilize fact or truth, and be willing to except fact even if it goes against everything you may have been told or have heard. You know it is quite possible you have been told and have always heard something that is in total error. If time permitted I could administer a short survey with maybe ten questions from the Bible, and I would venture to say most will fail it. It is information which is held to be truth, that is simply not truth, but has been passed on, and down through generations, and even into the secular world as Biblical fact. These are simple items and really not relevant to ones belief system. Just a list of common mistakes taken as truth.

So I hope you take the time to thoroughly read the information I have provided in the below link. It will take you a few moments of concentration, but if you seek truth I am presenting you with information. Now it is up to you to research my findings. If you find it truth. You should except it. If you find it in error you must discard it, and tell me. It will take you minutes to read, but it took a long time to research the information in order to present the seemingly short report. I have presented this or had it presented to laymen and clergy alike. As of yet, I have not had anyone, neither clergy nor lay person after careful research of my findings dispute it. I have however had the occasional "this is what I was taught and that is good enough for me". That is actually not good enough, and not even close to proper research. This information is for those willing to check out my findings.

Please refrain from comment unless you first check out what I say thoroughly. That goes for person's commenting for, and against. Do not take my word for anything. I only give you my research, my information. You must make the conclusion whether it is fact or not. It is not difficult, but will take time. IF you cannot take the time do not make the grave mistake of ridicule before investigation, as that is the height of ignorance. link text

I agree no friends are better thwan fake ones. I further feel once you reach my age (48) if you can count your true, true freinds on your fingers, and they fill up one hand you are blessed.

True freinds arethose who stand firm or walk in as others leave or run for cover.

I wrote an article some time back I will post below, but just be yourself. The person you see all alone in the morning when oyu wake up in the mirror should be the person everyone sees. Other words be you all the time, and around everyone -- the same -- the real you.

You will eventually attract someone. Besides if oyu put on and you gain a frend eventually they realize that is not the real oyu. Lethte real oyu lead, adn shine the path. It will come or they, him, or her will come.

Enjoy my little thing on feinds and give it some thought:

THE TRUTH OF FRIENDSHIP!

by Mark Taylor on Sunday, July 4, 2010 at 11:14am

Friends are only friends if they are willing to tell you the truth. Otherwise, they are just mere acquaintances. Sometimes the truth is in your favor and sometimes it is not. It can sometimes be the healing balm, and sometimes it can hurt to your very core, either case coming from a friend it should be welcome. I personally have experienced both, and to be perfectly honest it is those friends, with the courage to tell me a truth when it is something I rather not hear, that I respect the most.

It saddens and frustrates me when friends don't tell friends the truth. I mean, when someone complains about the same thing over and over again (or the same person over and over again i.e. if they can't forgive someone or see their innocence), perhaps someone should tell them...HEY BUD, IT's YOU!

I remember a friend of mine crying to me one night about how he is so trusting with people but they always let him down. I told my friend right then and there that it wasn't about trusting people, it was about his discernment. He called it trust so he could blame them if the relationship didn't go his way. He was not taking responsibility for his part in it. That's the truth for so many of us.

Now, just to be clear you must be a good friend, a friend that has the ability to listen beyond the story being told i.e. does not put loyalty above the truth.

A good friend doesn't believe there is only one version to any story, there is always two. A good friend may say things like, "Man that sucks" but they also follow that up with, "and what was your part in it?" Maybe not in that same moment but in a moment that follows, the moment of true friendship.

What I have come to realize is, sadly, some people don't want the truth. They don't want truthful friends. They don't want to be called out or called on to change themselves or their version of the story. Heck, they are so busy weaving a story they probably don't know what the truth is anymore.

Telling a story is the way we give our life meaning. So I understand the seduction of it. Yet inside the story we are either taking responsibility or blaming. What is your intention when you tell a story? Do you want people to side with you? Do you want to find the lessons in the story? Do you want to search for the truth for each person in the story?

How do you know if the people in your life are true friends? Who will call you on the stories you tell that are just plain stories?

Ask yourself: Are you able to hear feedback without getting defensive? And if you do get defensive, can you admit it? Do you ask your friends "is it me?" Are you willing to hear the answer?

You might have people in your life that you feel are true friends, but true friends will never agree with you one hundred percent of the time. REPEAT...true friends will never agree with you one hundred percent of the time. They can't. Sometimes you are just wrong and they are the ones that you can trust to tell you.

So do you have true friends?

Do you give your friends the space to question you, i.e. go deeper or see the other persons point of view? Are you committed to the truth more than being right?

If you want to be right, forget it. Your friends can't help you and your friends have learned a long time ago that you don't want their help. They know you want to be right and personally, a commitment to being right is so small-minded.

Ask yourself this; Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy?

Sure, being right feels good. No one can argue that. But personally, I want to be happy. And sometimes it is my friends that help me get there.

I do not feel that you are wrong at all. Firstly, you have the right to raise your children the way you see fit (For now anyway). It appears you are trying to allow them an opportunity to excel in life. Looking back, (I am 48)I did not like a lot of the things my parents did in regards to TV viewing and the like. We watched or were allowed to watch cartoons on Saturday mornings for a few hours. The last one to play was Tarzan and then it was outside for us kids (5 Boys).

We were taught, and encouraged to read books. Granted we did not have all the cable shows or video games that are available today, I feel that if we had my parents would have encouraged, insisted we read. I feel that the like for reading is a taught behavior. My daughter loves to read, and came to do so by hearing me talk about the books I had, and were currently reading, and by seeing me read, and realizing that was my means of relaxation, and excape from stress etc. A healthy escape.

A well read person and a highly institutionally educated person are very hard to tell apart. To this day I read, and watch very little television. It serves as more of a backgound ambiant than anything else. Now my daughter is 18. I never specifically stated she could not watch television or stay caught up in online social sites or video games. Matter of fact thinking about it she is free to choose. I feel by example she has personally and independently chosen not to.

Ironically she is in all of the AP (Advanced Placement) classes in school (A Senior). She is dialed in to most current events, and rarely even uses the PC for socializing. This goes even further. We boys (my brothers and I) had to read the "Emily post book of Etiquette". My mother would actually quiz us on the information. When each of us turned 13 she got a copy for us. I still have mine, and it has served me well. I feel comfortable in most any setting. My mother stated that she would teach us correctly, and allow us to know and understand the correct ways of life, but it was on us to live that way. She had fullfilled her duty in allowing us to obtain the knowledge. It seems to me you are doing the same. I salute, and commend you.

To end this I will say that we as parents have an obligation to expose our children to the right things, and to encourage them to involve themselves with the right things, and to play a part in developing right behaviours. Beyond that it is their choice(Free will). What they see in us is extremely important. They will and do in most cases follow our example. I am not even close to perfect or anything of the sort. I at times will even tell my daughter -- I may not do this correctly, but I am going to tell you the right way so you can. I have to do this because there are times all of us are not good examples on everything, but they have the need, and right to have exposure to it, to the right way. So to preclude the hypocrit status I plainly tell her I am not doing, acting, performing whatever it it may be in the right manner. I then tell her the correct manner, and tell her that I am not perfect, but she has a right to know the truth, the correct way regardless of my actions on the particular matter, and that is not being a hypocrit nor has she ever accused me of being one. Being a parent is not hard nor is it rocket science.

Warmest Regards, Mark Taylor, PhD