Prison might drive me to homosexuality

Dear Pastor,

I am a Jamaican woman and I am in prison in England. I am serving a 10-year sentence and finding it difficult to stick to my sexual beliefs. I was brought up in a good Christian family and was taught that same sex relationships were wrong. I am finding it difficult to stay celibate because some of the girls in prison are very attractive and very sexy and they have coca-cola-bottle shape. The girl next door to my cell has a girlfriend and I regularly hear them having sex. Sometimes they have sex three times for the night and it sounds so good. A church sister told me it isn't sex, it's foreplay and the Bible doesn't mention woman and woman being intimate. Is this true? I feel I need somebody to satisfy my needs. As they say, "One hand can't clap" and "The pastor can't work without a congregation". I am sure you know what I mean. Please help me.

C.H

Dear C.H.,

I am sorry to hear that you are in prison and that you are fighting to uphold certain Christian principles. The Bible strongly condemns homosexuality. I know that same-sex marriage is legal in some countries but that does not mean that because it is legal, it is sanctioned by God. It is not for me to condemn any couple who lives in this type of relationship. I would not encourage any Christian to condemn them but bible-believing Christians maintain that the Bible is divine inspired and the foundation of our faith is in Christ Jesus and we receive guidance from the Bible.

Your church sister told you that what you heard your fellow inmates doing is foreplay and that the Bible does not say anything about two women being intimate with each other. Your church sister is wrong. The Bible states clearly that women should not make love with their own sex. You will find that in the book of Romans chapter 1 verses 24-28, "Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator - who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts."

"Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done."

I must hasten to point out that I am not being judgemental. I am only responding to what you have written. I am aware that there are those who are quick to say that anyone who does not support or advocate homosexual lifestyle is homophobic. That's not necessarily true. As a Christian and a counsellor I am here to speak the truth. Your church sister did not tell you the truth and I am declaring what the word of God says. You find it difficult to live according to Christian principles. You talk about the other women who you see in prison who are very sexy etc. I would suggest that you spend more time in prayer and in bible reading and focus on learning and on Christ and learning his word. If you pray and read God's word, your faith will be

strengthened and God can help you not to indulge in homosexual

behaviour.

Pastor