Some of them, (a few of them still think it's a "sin" for women to wear pants)..I would not advise that a gay person attend the Westboro Baptist Church. :-0

Yes, I have friends that attend Church, and yes Baptist Church and they are Gay.

Why not? Isn't every one of them a "sinner"?

Some of them. There is one really crazy, nonsensical, moronic one out there that I know you couldn't. Westboro! signs held outside a catholic church, I believe, and then below that at the funeral of a soldier.

Of course you can. A very good gay friend of mine was a Southern Baptist Preacher. Not now he is out, though. You can do what you please. Just don't let the elders find you shagging their sons (even if the son is willing!). Another one I know, with a willing gay son, had his gay son jailed for unnatural acts!

Yes. You can be gay and attend -any- church if you want to, it's just an acceptable gamble to assume that you will need to keep it a secret in order to continue attending. Some will accept it, most will not, at least in some form.

I know that churches in general have different attitudes towards homosexuality. For most of the major religions an annual conference is held with their bishops and pastors and the church's stance and doctrine are reviewed and voted upon. This gives hope to me that those issues which are important to the members will be grow closer to being accepted by the church body at large. Not being Baptist, I don't know how or if the church's stance on homosexuality is likely to change in the near future. Many of the churches only frown on people who engage in homosexual sex. In other words you can be open about being gay but have to acknowledge it as something that is sinful. It gives me hope to realize Christianity is a dynamic and therefore changing. There is always room for improvement and we accomplish nothing by barring our neighbors who are gay from attending our churches. Indeed I find it an act that is somewhat hateful. But we are free to attend churches that are more to our liking. Once a denomination feels the pinch of a less populous membership they will review the issue with a more open mind, haha.

Yes.

They might beat you up a little bit and sit you in the corner and tell you not to speak in tounges because it is satanic. :0

I don't believe they have gaydar installed at all the entrances, so some could certainly enter undetected.

Can't say there has ever been a gay rule at any of my southern baptist churches I have been a member of. I would imagine you cannot be in an active homosexual lifestyle and be a pastor at most baptist churches, but all are welcome to come in and worship.

They will probably incourage you to attend. Only later will they try to "cure" you of your gayness. Be careful of the subtle invitations... "Hey, we are starting a new men's group to talk openly about issues men face..." Shortly thereafter, you will be given a choice of drinking the kool-aid or a beating in the name of all that is holy.

There are gays in all churches, just as there are alcoholics. Both are welcome. But the lifestyle of both is not pleasing to God, so abstinence is encouraged.

I reckon you could attend any church if youre gay, im sure all religions have gays.... either ones that are 'out the closet' or of course the ones who refuse to 'come out'.

The Lord loves the sinner; hates sin. My 2 cents.

Sure. I'm not sure why you would want to, but your religious inclinations are none of my concern. Now, if you come out of the closet there, you are probably going to have to deal with a bunch of attempts to "save" you, "fix"/"heal" you, and so forth. You may even be pushed toward reparative therapy, which is specifically denounced by all reputable medical and psychological associations (including the American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association, and the American Association of Pediatrics) not only as ineffective, but harmful and dangerous. Be careful.

SURE anyone can come to church but if you are " GAY " then you should repent or else.. No man or woman is perfect not even ME after all why would people want to be gay.. its not normal..

Not Southern Baptist, they have "Disintegrators" at all the doors tuned for Gays, even Black!!! John

Well, a gat person wouldn't have to go around tell everyone about it. I mean, they don't ask you at the door, "You gay?"....at least I don't think they do.

I'm a Baptist minister in London, and so my comments have special relevance for UK people. One of the features of truly Baptist thought is that the local church is free, under God, do discern together what Jesus would have them do. No larger institution is going to prevent the local Baptist church from doing that. So, you may find that one Baptist church has people (likely to be conservative evangelicals) who would be quite hostile to gay and lesbian people, and would struggle with the idea that one might be gay and Christian. Yet, in the same town you may find another Baptist church that was inclusive, and welcoming and affirming. The best thing to do is to go along and see for yourself. Like another contributor said, there won't be a checklist on the door (but if there is, then that is definately NOT a church worth considering!) Baptists have a variety of opinions, but the majority would probably feel that homosexual orientation, and temptation were not sinful, but that expressing that would be. Celibacy is seen by the majority as the best course of action. Of course, these are on a spectrum of opinion, so there'd be a number who'd celebrate a civil partnership, and others who'd come to the conclusion that it was simply impossible to follow Jesus and be gay. I hope that helps.

Sure! I have yet to come across a "No Gays Allowed" sign, lol. Being completely and sincerely welcome is another story. But homosexuals are certainly able to do and attend whatever heterosexuals can.

I doubt a gay person would burst into flames upon entering the "sacred" grounds. So, they could attend any baptist church that they wanted. What happens when the congregation finds out? Well, that might be a different story. It all depends on the individual church or the denomination. Some accept gays, while most others don't. The main stream religions don't exactly accept gays. Take the catholic church, they have a hard time accepting women, gays are way down the road.

You can attend any church you wish, I wouldn't stand up in front of the congregation and announce I'm gay though. But I think you can go to a church like the people there and have your faith even if one or two things in your life may contradict whats being preached. The one thing you have to remember is there are NO unforgivable sins. God loves you no matter what or who you are and just waits to be loved back.

As long as you were not a practicing gay, and you realized that you were sinning and you were trying to turn away from your sin and repent. Church is for the sinners, the ones that need to learn the truth. It would do no good to turn away the very ones that need to learn about God.

I think anyone can ATTEND a Baptist church. Whether they would let you JOIN the church is a different matter. I think that churches have a right to deny membership to individuals who are living in a way that they interpret to be contrary to what the Bible teaches, but I don't think that any church should discourage attendance.

anyone can go to a church

There's a religion out there to suit anybody if they want one, if not start your own church or whatever

You could be gay and attend a baptist church. you could attend any christian church for that matter. if they wouldnt let you in, you could sue them for millions of dollars. maybe they might not like it if you tried to become a member. baptist churches already have closet gay members. when I was in monterey california, i joined the baptist church. the minister was a closet gay man. he often met other gay men in a public bathroom at a local golf course. One time he was caught in a sweep. And it turned out it wasnt the first time he was caught. The publicity for his second offense got him fired. So if you are not outward with your sexual politics, you could even become a member.

Yes, in most Baptist churches gays could attend. However they couldn't be a pastor, Deacon, or Elder. I'm not sure about a Sunday School teacher, most likely not.

I sure hope so! I think it would be a beautiful thing. I won't go into why because I don't feel like getting slammed but let's just say it would be a good thing :)

you could but you could not escape the guilty feeling.

I"m not gay but I've had other problems with the baptist people. They're probably the more judgmental of all christian beliefs... especially the wacky southern baptists. . Up to 9 or so years ago, I went to church 3 times a week.. missed a Sunday due to being sick.. and the preacher's wife called me to inform me that the devil had me by the heels and was pulling me into hell. I literally have not been to church since. . .

Absolutely! If they are the kind of church they should be, they will welcome you. If, however, you want to become a member, that is a different story, as they should want you to profess a sincere belief in and acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, who would lead you out of the gay lifestyle into the kind of life that is healthy for your body, mind, and soul. But, yes, if you are led to attend a Baptist church, you certainly should. If you are not welcomed in such a church, please leave it and look elsewhere because the love of the Lord Jesus Christ is not there in my opinion.

As long as you date or marry someone of the opposite sex you can be as gay as you want.

NO!!! It could be Dangerous as they have "Gay-O-Check" at the doors & those machines are pretty rough!!! John

As long as they do not find it out.

Many do but they keep it a secret!

I understand that the Baptist Faith has no official single position on the issue of Homosexuality. They differ depending on which church you attend. However, does the Bible itself inform us within its pages how Christians regardless of denomination are to conduct themselves? Yes. What was and is God’s position on this issue as found within Scripture? With the Baptist denominations everything seems to be based on individual opinion rather than Scripture. When however, I read the Scriptures I find no affirmation of homosexuality. We find from Scripture the position that homosexuality is something against God. Something unclean and to be highly avoided by those professing to be God’s People. Rather than leave opinion only, I’d like to leave a few Scriptural references for individual thought. Romans 1:24-31, Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, & 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.