Hi, kmoney.
Don't worry. I have a thick skin. Sinners use the word faggot as well, so when the saved do, I see them as basically the same group of people. People like to criticize, cut each other down, curse one another. It's human nature. The "tough love" that Jesus calls for is to return evil with goodness, to bless those who curse you. Many posters will justify that Jesus called people names, so they can do, nyah!! But that is a spiritually immature attitude. As a buddhist, I am to feel compassion for all, even my enemies, and so, I try to show as much self restraint and patience towards others as I can.
You will probably be attacked on a thread in the future. Prepare yourself for it. There is a group mentality that you have to resist, and when you do, you get attacked, but for the most part, it is more bark than bite.
Lastly, thank you for your concern about me being homosexual, but I have struggled with this since my mid teens, and laid awake for hours, staring at the ceiling, wondering why I was feeling this way. I turned to the bible, I went to counceling, I faced suicide on a number of occassions. And I made it through.
But if you really care, go to a place like
www.whosoever.org, and read up on the whole site. It speaks of all of the verses in the bible and research done on them (who was speaking, the translation, who was being spoken to, etc.) I found that the bible wasn't saying what people said it was. (Don't you think it odd that people only use 2 verses of Leviticus, and dismiss the rest?) The site gives accounts of people and their conflicts with being gay and seeking God. (Yes, that's right - gay and christian! Being "gay" doesn't mean you are sexually active. It is how you are attracted.) It gives very uplifting sermons.
In short, it offers hope instead of doom, encouragement instead of threat.
And shouldn't the Good News be, well, Good?
May God bless you and your friend. My apologies to you for some of the things you are about to witness here on TOL, but take comfort in God, and listen, and learn from the mistakes of others.
Namaste