Hi, Thomas —

This is a common question; it's even in our searchable knowledge base.

There are a lot of quick answers there, so give it a try.

I searched the knowledge base for you and found portions of these web postings that should answer your question:

• As a non-religious Christian, will God send me to Hell for being gay and not going to church?
• Were these Christian teachers correct in saying that gay people are going to Hell?
• Are homosexual fantasies, desires, or tendencies, or even masturbation, considered a sin and is Confession necessary?
  

Hope this helps,

Mike

Thomas —

People do not go to Hell for being sexually attracted to members of the same sex — only for deliberately, freely, and willingly committing homosexual acts, knowing that those acts are grave sins in the eyes of God.

A man who believes in Jesus Christ and:

• has same-sex attractions but does not act on them, and
• does not willfully and knowingly commit any grave sin, whether sexual acts with other men or other grave sins

will be saved.

I should hasten to add that there is always room for repentance for those who have committed homosexual acts. We obtain it through the sacrament of Confession or if we don't have access to the sacrament of Confession, a repentance rooted in love for God will suffice in the interim.

If you're Catholic and you've committed such an act, turning away from the behavior with contrition and repentance and confessing it in the sacrament of Reconciliation will restore your relationship with God and set you on the road to salvation.

For those who find themselves in this situation, the organization Courage, (courage.net) is a good support group.

Eric