COMING OUT FROM CONSERVATIVE RELIGION

In Pennsylvania German society, and specifically amongst the Old Order Churches, people live within a very close knit connected framework.

An individual’s family, housing, food, employment and social fellowship are all directly connected to worshiping at a specific meetinghouse or with a local church district.

Any effort by an individual to express themselves in any way differently from the accepted norms in their own particular local group is immediately noticeable and subject to varying degrees of response ranging from toleration to total segregation and disavowal of membership in that community.

When others in mainstream society (often called, ‘The English’) acknowledge their same gender attraction, they often term this as ‘coming OUT’.  For someone in the Old Order community of Pennsylvania German religious culture, this has a far more encompassing effect for everyone involved.

Due to the churches insistence upon adhering to old ways and being skeptical of new ideas, the concept of someone being gay and Christian is totally inconceivable.  Anyone who is a member of an Old Order church who recognizes themselves as gay, is ultimately forced to ‘come OUT’ of fellowship or membership with his congregation because of the churches total intolerance of their existence as God created them.  Not being in fellowship with one’s church community puts that person at odds with everything their life is centered around. This usually involves a huge life changing occurrence, with immediate need for housing accommodation, food, clothing, employment and encouraging fellowship.

Being open and honest about one’s same gender attraction and how God created them is more important spiritually and emotionally than falsely living up to an expected standard out of pretense.

Coming OUT as a gay person or member of the GLBT community can be done and can be the most honest and rewarding thing one does in life.

Some things to think about before taking any serious steps towards change:

1. Discover in yourself through prayer and bible reading, who you are and what you are in the eyes of God, remembering that each of us are a unique model of His creation and worthy to be loved and accepted just as we are.

2. Understand the importance of being obedient to God’s commandments, especially about loving Him above all else, treating one another how we’d like to be treated, and being honest with Him, ourselves and others.

3. Then practically prepare yourself for the major life changes that could happen if you are honest with others about your sexual orientation or same gender attraction.

It is the sincere hope and prayer and stated desire of this online community to provide the moral support and spiritual encouragement necessary for any and all people to accept themselves for who they are and what they are as created by God.