I do not believe people are born "gay".  Am I correct to conclude that because man was created in God's image (with free will to make choices in our lives), it wouldn't make sense that He would create some of us to live a lifestyle specifically condemned in the Bible?  Or is there a better answer given in the Bible to support this argument that people are not born homosexuals?

Sincerely,
Ain’t Talking About Being Happy

Dear Ain’t Talking About Being Happy,

Nobody is forced to have a sinful homosexual relationship.  The argument of the homosexual community is that they are born desiring people of the same sex and that they have no choice whether or not they act upon those desires.  That simply cannot be true.  God makes it clear that He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able (1 Cor 10:13).  Even if someone is born with a predisposition toward homosexuality – they aren’t forced to act upon it.  We always have a choice.  There is always a way of escape from sin.  We often use 1 Cor 10:13 as a proof text that no one is born “gay”.

Homosexuality is like all other sins; we sin when we act upon the lust... after all heterosexual lusts get people into plenty of trouble, too.  Attraction is not the same as action.  God does not tempt us to sin (Jas 1:13).  It is our own lusts that entice us to do the wrong thing (Jas 1:14-16).  One person has a tendency toward anger, another has a tendency toward alcoholism, and some may in fact have a tendency toward homosexuality – but that tendency does not force them to sin.  We need to put away all filthiness of the flesh and be doers of God’s Word (Jas 1:21-22).

Okay!  This might sound odd, but I have what you would call a gift from God!  And a verrry strong one at that!  I know I could use it for evil or pagan works, but I don’t play with the dark side, nor do I want to, so how can I progress my gift without crossing the line?  And, yes, I know it might sound crazzzzzy to you, but it’s really cool, the thing I can do.

Sincerely,
Gifted

Dear Gifted,

Everyone has gifts and talents given to them from God (Ps 139:14, 1 Cor 12:13-19).  However, it sounds like you are talking about a miraculous gift.  If that is the case, your belief (no matter how sincere) is wrong.  The abilities to perform miracles, prophesy, etc. have long since ceased.  When the perfect Bible was completed, miraculous abilities ceased to be necessary (1 Cor 13:9-10).  We recommend you read “I Dreamed A Dream…”.

Whatever natural gifts and talents God gives us, we must use to glorify Him (1 Cor 10:31).  We do this through study (2 Tim 2:15), zealous enthusiasm (Jhn 4:24), obedience (Jhn 15:14), and growth of character (1 Pet 2:2).

Hi, I had a dream a few nights ago; I was outside, and it was daytime.  I looked up at the sky, and I saw a few clouds, and something red was in the clouds.  It was like a human shape; it was red.  I couldn’t see a face or hands; I don’t know what it was.  Then I saw three or four, maybe even five, moons in the sky.  What does this mean?

Sincerely,
New Moon

Dear New Moon,

It means you had a weird dream.  The days of prophecy and visions are over.  The purpose of prophecy was to bring God's Word to us.  Now that we have the complete and perfect word of God, there is no more need for visions and dreams (1 Cor 13:8-10).  God's Word is complete, and it has once and for all been given to mankind (Jude 1:3).  We all have odd dreams from time to time; they are caused by strange events in our lives, eating something disagreeable, or any number of other factors... but they have no divine significance.

We recommend you read "I Dreamed A Dream" for more information.

I want to know, is it wrong to smoke cigarettes?

Sincerely,
Burn Baby Burn

Dear Burn Baby Burn,

Yes, cigarette smoking is wrong.  There is no direct verse that condemns smoking, but there are many verses that indirectly condemn it.

1. Cigarettes are known poisons.  There was a time when people were unaware of the effects of cigarettes upon the human body, but we now know that there is no redeeming health value to cigarettes.  Cigarettes directly poison the human body.  God tells us to treat the human body as a temple (1 Cor 6:19).  Purposefully poisoning your body is not exactly honoring that command.
2. Cigarettes are known to be highly addictive.  Cigarettes are designed to get people addicted to them, so that one will do just about anything to continue to get their “fix”.  Cigarettes become your master.  Christians cannot afford to have any master other than God (Matt 6:24).  Christians should never be brought under the power of anything other than God (1 Cor 6:12)
3. This life is a gift from God; He created us (Gen 1:27).  Christians are supposed to live lives that are preparing us for whatever work God has in store for us (2 Tim 2:21).  We are to purge ourselves of anything that would keep us from being the best servants to Jesus we can be.  If you die ten years early from cigarettes, who knows what work you will have failed to do?
4. Smoking not only harms you, it harms others.  Second-hand smoke is a known carcinogen and poison.  If you know that what you are doing is harming others, you must stop (Jas 4:17)

Whatever we do, it should be done to the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31).  Cigarettes wouldn’t fit into the category of “glorifying God”.

My parents are great christians.  I've been raised in a happy home.  I'm not a christian yet.  How do I figure out if this sort of a commitment is right for me?  The thought of breaking my parents' hearts is almost too much to bear, but I need to be able to make this my own.  I feel like I should already have made this decision; I'm not a kid anymore.  What part of the Bible can I read, so that everything clicks?

Sincerely,
Under My Own Burden

Dear Under My Own Burden,

You know the commitment is right for you if you are unable to live with the consequences of not making the commitment to God.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Pr 1:7).  We often forget that not choosing to become a christian is a choice, too.  We either serve God, or we serve something else; we cannot have two masters (Matt 6:24).  The consequence of obeying God’s Word is salvation and life (Rom 1:16).  The consequence of not serving God is death (Rom 6:23).

There is no magic trick or single verse that makes Christianity “click” for us.  Commitment happens when we weigh the benefits of Christ against the “benefits” of serving ourselves.  After you have counted the cost (Lk 14:28) of service and the cost of not serving, you can make your decision.  Just remember, indecision eventually becomes a decision as well.  Lukewarm is as bad, if not worse, than outright disobedience (Rev 3:16).  We will all eventually die and face the judgment (Heb 9:27).  Will you have lived and prepared for that day?