--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We can’t have a God of love who makes…" description: "\"“We can’t have a God of love who makes everything that is good, who wants us to be happy, wants us to live a fulfilled life, and at the same time, cond..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/charles-benedict-3426_condemns_we-can-t-have-a-god-of-love-who-makes-ev_600954.jpg" --- # We can’t have a God of love who makes everything that is… ![“We can’t have a God of love who makes everything that is good, who wants us to be happy, wants us to live a fulfilled life, and at the same time, condemns LGBTQ persons for how they love—the way he made us.” quote by Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/charles-benedict-3426_condemns_we-can-t-have-a-god-of-love-who-makes-ev_600954.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/charles-benedict-3426_condemns_we-can-t-have-a-god-of-love-who-makes-ev_600954.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/charles-benedict-3426_condemns_we-can-t-have-a-god-of-love-who-makes-ev_600954.jpg) > ““We can’t have a God of love who makes everything that is good, who wants us to be happy, wants us to live a fulfilled life, and at the same time, condemns LGBTQ persons for how they love—the way he made us.”” [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote challenges the idea of a loving deity who simultaneously condemns LGBTQ people, highlighting a moral inconsistency. **In simple terms:** It questions how a loving God can condemn LGBTQ love. Key Takeaway Reflect on reconciling faith with inclusivity. Themes faith morality LGBTQ rights theology Mood thoughtful conflicted Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - personal belief - community dialogue - activism - interfaith discussions Key Concepts ethical paradox religious doctrine human rights Questions to Reflect On - How do you define love in a religious context? - Can faith evolve to embrace all? A Different Perspective Some argue that divine love is unconditional and does not condemn any group. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Condemns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/condemns/) [Condemns Lgbtq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/condemns-lgbtq-4899963/) [Fulfilled life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfilled-life/) [God love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-love/) [Lgbtq Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lgbtq-persons-4899964/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Persons love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons-love/) ## Related quotes > [When I say this, I don't mean that if you can love more people you will not go into marriage. As far as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/when-i-say-this-i-don-t-mean-that-if-you-can-love-more-people-you/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Bad thing about betrayal is it comes from the persons whom we love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/bad-thing-about-betrayal-is-it-comes-from-the-persons-whom-we-love/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [The fact that a person loves one particular person is what is important; the life lesson, whether you are homosexual or heterosexual, is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-devine/the-fact-that-a-person-loves-one-particular-person-is-what-is/) [Loretta Devine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-devine/) > [You would easily find the persons who love you, but not who understand your love. Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/you-would-easily-find-the-persons-who-love-you-but-not-who-understand/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [The fear of punishment, the desire of reward, the sense of duty, are all useful arguments, in their way, to persuade people to holiness.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/the-fear-of-punishment-the-desire-of-reward-the-sense-of-duty-are-all/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [“Now he discovered that secret from which one never quite recovers, that even in the most perfect love one person loves less profoundly than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/now-he-discovered-that-secret-from-which-one-never-quite-recovers/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) > [It is very natural for a young friend and a young lover to think the persons they love have nothing to do but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/it-is-very-natural-for-a-young-friend-and-a-young-lover-to-think-the/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [“A mature person has the integrity to be alone. And when a mature person gives love, he gives without any strings attached to it:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/a-mature-person-has-the-integrity-to-be-alone-and-when-a-mature/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [A silence is needed before death, before life, before love. If you love a person you sit silently with the person. You would not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/a-silence-is-needed-before-death-before-life-before-love-if-you-love/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Two persons who love each other are in a place more holy than the interior of a church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/two-persons-who-love-each-other-are-in-a-place-more-holy-than-the/) [William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) > [“EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES, EVEN THE PERSONS WE LOVE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/everyone-makes-mistakes-even-the-persons-we-love/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [You know what's the most terrifying thing about admitting that you're in love? You're just naked. You put yourself in harm's way and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-doria-russell/you-know-what-s-the-most-terrifying-thing-about-admitting-that-you-re/) [Mary Doria Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-doria-russell/) > [A person loves to talk about his illnesses although that is the least interesting part of his life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/a-person-loves-to-talk-about-his-illnesses-although-that-is-the-least/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [Care and responsibility are constituent elements of love, but without respect for and knowledge of the beloved person, love deteriorates into domination and possessiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/care-and-responsibility-are-constituent-elements-of-love-but-without/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [We Imposes many things on persons we Love the most; either by Manipulating words or Mysterious actions, Just to force them to live a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santanu-mishra/we-imposes-many-things-on-persons-we-love-the-most-either-by/) [Santanu Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santanu-mishra/) ## More by Charles Benedict > [“Am I really going to hell for being gay?” Or, “I think I was born a woman in a man’s body. Does that make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/am-i-really-going-to-hell-for-being-gay-or-i-think-i-was-born-a-woman/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“When we reconnected, he was there to guide me as I navigated the uncharted waters of dating”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/when-we-reconnected-he-was-there-to-guide-me-as-i-navigated-the/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“Clearly, my grandfather had paved the way for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/clearly-my-grandfather-had-paved-the-way-for-me/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“Could I survive in the world as an ex-priest that no one wanted anything to do with?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/could-i-survive-in-the-world-as-an-ex-priest-that-no-one-wanted/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“As a teenager, his teachers recognized his academic prowess and brilliant intelligence. They suggested he move into monastic life in order to further his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/as-a-teenager-his-teachers-recognized-his-academic-prowess-and/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“She could not handle telling people I had left priesthood, that I was gay, and she refused to use words associated with my sexuality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/she-could-not-handle-telling-people-i-had-left-priesthood-that-i-was/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“I found the courage to admit I was gay. This is when I said the words in my head and said them out loud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/i-found-the-courage-to-admit-i-was-gay-this-is-when-i-said-the-words/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“I finally left Ministry in mid-March 2009.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/i-finally-left-ministry-in-mid-march-2009/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“They were astute enough to know that I needed someone to share my life with…and they were right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/they-were-astute-enough-to-know-that-i-needed-someone-to-share-my/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“The particular rectory I moved in to was attached to the church. This was arguably one of the worst setups possible because living above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/the-particular-rectory-i-moved-in-to-was-attached-to-the-church-this/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“We did, however, deliver and expel many homosexual and sodomitic demons from my body, mind, heart, mouth, soul, penis, and anus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/we-did-however-deliver-and-expel-many-homosexual-and-sodomitic-demons/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“Every so often, Zach would say things like, “I like you,” or, “We think a lot alike.” I naively agreed with him because even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/every-so-often-zach-would-say-things-like-i-like-you-or-we-think-a/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“From that moment on, I never had another heated argument or conversation about my sexuality because my mother could not understand how anyone could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/from-that-moment-on-i-never-had-another-heated-argument-or/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“Though I wholeheartedly supported celibacy at the start of my seminary career, my opinion changed as I made my way toward and through priesthood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/though-i-wholeheartedly-supported-celibacy-at-the-start-of-my/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) > [“I am not meant to be alone in life, and that the type of committed, indissoluble partnership in which I am engaged presently is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/i-am-not-meant-to-be-alone-in-life-and-that-the-type-of-committed/) [Charles Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) [Explore all 131 Charles Benedict quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/) ## More Condemns quotes > [The Bible is not God, nor is it a substitute for God, and to treat it as if it were God or a surrogate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-gomes/the-bible-is-not-god-nor-is-it-a-substitute-for-god-and-to-treat-it/) [Peter J. Gomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-gomes/) > [“The Christian religion alone has been able to cure these twin vices, not by using one to expel the other according to worldly wisdom,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-christian-religion-alone-has-been-able-to-cure-these-twin-vices/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [He who will have no judge but himself condemns himself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/proverb/he-who-will-have-no-judge-but-himself-condemns-himself/) [Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/proverb/) > [Always moved by religious motives, the Church has condemned the various forms of Marxist Socialism; and she condemns them today, because it is her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-xi/always-moved-by-religious-motives-the-church-has-condemned-the/) [Pope Pius XI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-xi/) > [True penitence condemns to silence. What a man is ready to recall he would be willing to repeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-h-bradley/true-penitence-condemns-to-silence-what-a-man-is-ready-to-recall-he/) [F. H. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-h-bradley/) > [The law condemns and punishes only actions within certain definite and narrow limits; it thereby justifies, in a way, all similar actions that lie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-law-condemns-and-punishes-only-actions-within-certain-definite/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [I am not the only one that condemns the idle; for once when I was going to give our minister a pretty long list…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/i-am-not-the-only-one-that-condemns-the-idle-for-once-when-i-was/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [“There's a good reason why the Catholic Church has never declared that any individual person has gone to Hell—the Vatican condemns certain behaviors, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-finn/there-s-a-good-reason-why-the-catholic-church-has-never-declared-that/) [Declan Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-finn/) > [The whole enterprise of teaching managers is steeped in the ethic of data-driven analytical support. The problem is, the data is only available about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/the-whole-enterprise-of-teaching-managers-is-steeped-in-the-ethic-of/) [Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/) > [Youth condemns; maturity condones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-lowell/youth-condemns-maturity-condones/) [Amy Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-lowell/) > [“One must repeat one’s confession of faith from time to time, actually state what one condones, what one condemns; for the opposing camp isn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goetheolfgang-von-goethe/one-must-repeat-one-s-confession-of-faith-from-time-to-time-actually/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goetheolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goetheolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“My calling ties me to no office, makes me no man's slave, compels me to no action which my soul condemns. It sets me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-h-b-peel/my-calling-ties-me-to-no-office-makes-me-no-man-s-slave-compels-me-to/) [J.H.B Peel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-h-b-peel/) > [Whatever the world condemns you for, make it your own. It is yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/whatever-the-world-condemns-you-for-make-it-your-own-it-is-yourself/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [An artist would not rise above the mediocrity if he condemns it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/an-artist-would-not-rise-above-the-mediocrity-if-he-condemns-it/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [There are people who say that you can't experiment... That condemns you to failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-mujica/there-are-people-who-say-that-you-can-t-experiment-that-condemns-you/) [Jose Mujica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-mujica/) [Browse all 57 Condemns quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/condemns/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We can’t have a God of love who makes everything that is good, who wants us to be happy, wants us to live a fulfilled life, and at the same time, condemns LGBTQ persons for how they love—the way he made us.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Benedict" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/we-can-t-have-a-god-of-love-who-makes-everything-that-is-good-who/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Condemns" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/we-can-t-have-a-god-of-love-who-makes-everything-that-is-good-who/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/charles-benedict-3426_condemns_we-can-t-have-a-god-of-love-who-makes-ev_600954.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/charles-benedict-3426_condemns_we-can-t-have-a-god-of-love-who-makes-ev_600954.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/charles-benedict-3426_condemns_we-can-t-have-a-god-of-love-who-makes-ev_600954.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We can’t have a God of love who makes everything that is good, who wants us to be happy, wants us to live a…” — Charles Benedict", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Charles Benedict", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benedict/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We can’t have a God of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/we-can-t-have-a-god-of-love-who-makes-everything-that-is-good-who/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benedict/we-can-t-have-a-god-of-love-who-makes-everything-that-is-good-who/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```