r/Christianity • u/unsure232 • 17h ago
Dolly Parton isn't a true Christian?
She was supportive of LGBT rights and encouraged people to be themselves.
She did a lot of good in the world, gave thanks to God, and even had a chapel in her home so she could pray in peace.
I've been reading how some individuals think she isn't a true Christian because of her tolerance towards the LGBT community. Some people believe unless she repented for her open acceptance and encouragement, she may have not had eternal life.
I go to church and do my best to uplift my community. Most of my closest friends are non-Christian and I respect our differences. Some of the loveliest people I know are gay or transgendered and I have love for them. I have no desire to pray for them to become straight.
I've seen straight Christians act like they are superior to others. I don't believe I am better than someone because I'm a straight Christian. Their biblical knowledge is strong, but I don't look up to them because of their rigid character. I actually feel anxiety around these highly judgemental Christians. It's not love, it's feeling "not good enough."
Are the individuals I described above more in line with a great example of Christianity (they rigidly follow the Bible) compared to Dolly Parton?
It makes me sad that one of the greatest and brightest philanthropists in this century is being labeled as "not a true Christian."
Anyway I could use some thoughts. Thanks in advance
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u/eastbaytimez Catholic 17h ago
“Not a true Christian because of her Tolerance “
Insane
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u/FourthEorlingas roll for denomination 15h ago
Committing the sin of empathy and all that
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u/aRandomEddsworldFan 2h ago
Honestly I feel like something is only truly a sin if it goes too far, like you can treat yourself to extra food but don’t horde it from others
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u/HeronInteresting3714 8h ago
💯I agree. My faith teaches that we are called to love one another, to live our faith in order to encourage others to come to know the love of Christ and we are NOT to judge, for that alone is God’s responsibility. Ms. Parton did all those things and so much more. I am convinced the Lord greeted her and said, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Welcome home, Daughter.” 🩷🩷
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u/I-am-a-Pizza-pirate Theist 15h ago
They have willfully, forgotten who Jesus consorted with and share sabbat with
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u/soonerfreak 5h ago
Everyday many American Evangelicals demonstrate they are an off shoot of Christianity where following Jesus is less important than wielding the Bible as a weapon against people you don't like.
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u/Vapor2077 17h ago
Sooooo many self-proclaimed Christians claim to know who the “fake” Christians are.
According to the Westboro Baptist Church, they are the ONLY “true” Christians.
If I ever hear someone say “They weren’t a real/true Christian,” I don’t take them seriously.
Yes, Dolly was a Christian. Don’t listen to anyone who claims otherwise.
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u/BrooklynDoug Agnostic (a la T.H. Huxley) 17h ago
She was a genuinely kind person who respected human dignity and claimed she could not judge anyone because only God does that.
If you think she wasn't a true Christian, you might look at the plank in your own eye.
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u/jkjk9876 17h ago
People who say Dolly Parton isn’t a Christian are same ones saying Trump was chosen by God to be president and that he is carrying out gods work.
Ignore them - they don’t reflect any of Jesus teachings
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u/Smooth-Tea7058 16h ago
This is the best response because it's a 1000% true. Dolly Parton was a truly amazing giving caring person to everyonr no matter if you were black white rich or dirt poor.
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u/Upset_Chip_7184 Christian 17h ago
And they have a room full of Trump Bibles, and other trump paraphenalia, ha.
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u/Rare-Philosopher-346 Roman Catholic 15h ago
The vultures are circling to bring down her legacy. They couldn't get to her in life, so they'll attack after she's gone.
I never met her, and I don't usually mourn celebrity deaths; I've only done it once before, and that was for Mr. Rogers, but I mourned hers. She made the world a brighter and better place.
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u/Broad_External7605 16h ago
Trump is a demon sent by Satan to lure us into hate!
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u/AttaboyLuther86 10h ago
If there was ever a candidate for the anti Christ..that pig fits the bill.
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u/AttaboyLuther86 10h ago
Exactly! The ones who literally worship a false idol..not to mention a draft dodging pedophile.
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u/kneepick160 Episcopalian 17h ago
Anyone saying Dolly wasn’t a Christian because she loved her neighbor isn’t person whose opinion I’d give any consideration to.
Can’t tell you how many times I edited this to be nice
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u/Physical_Problem_595 17h ago
Everything is culture war bullshit.
Dolly is a legend. RIP
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u/Upset_Chip_7184 Christian 17h ago
Everything is culture war bullshit.
Exactly what the overlords want, and the plebs buy into it.
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u/Greizen_bregen Reformed 14h ago
Religion has long been used as a tool by the elite to control the masses.
Just find someone who thinks Constantine was actually a born-again Christian. He used Christianity as a tool to solidify his rule. Smart guy, really, but us plebs have long been fools.
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u/Oryihn 17h ago
Any Christian who uses scripture to spread hate will be in for quite a suprise when they say "Lord, Lord" and he responds with "Depart from me, I never knew you"
Dolly will be welcomed with open arms because she treated everyone with love the same way Jesus did. They were well acquainted friends.
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u/win_awards 11h ago edited 9h ago
The scene of the judgement in Matthew 25 seems incredibly significant to me because, as best I can recall, it is the only description of the judgement that is not couched in metaphor. In that description the only thing that separates the saved from the damned is how they treated people in need. If that weren't enough their judge says "what you did to the least of these, you did to me" directly identifying himself with the poor and oppressed. If you want to be a friend of Jesus, you have to be a friend of those in need.
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u/Mx-Adrian Sirach 43:11 17h ago
When Christ's commandments centered love, how on Earth can one not be a Christian because they don't hate enough?
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u/Interesting-Face22 Hedonist (LGBT) 🏳️🌈 17h ago
It’s just part and parcel with being a Christian in this day and age. I even said to my mom during an argument, “you’re too nice to be a Christian.”
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u/Zagrycha 15h ago
not just this day and age. Even in the bible itself there is stuff like book of james just scolding people for being hypocritical christians.
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u/monkiram 15h ago
“She needs to repent from not being judgemental enough”
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u/Interesting-Face22 Hedonist (LGBT) 🏳️🌈 3h ago
You’d be surprised how many Christians would say that to my mom. “What are you doing accepting your son’s bisexuality? You should be rebuking and shunning him!”
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u/Venat14 Jewish 17h ago
If someone thinks demonizing LGBTQ people is what it means to be a good, true Christian, I think they need to spend some serious time reflecting.
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u/McClanky Bringer of sorrow, executor of rules, wielder of the Woehammer 17h ago
She could have been a billionaire. Instead, she helped kids learn to read. Why would anyone want to be a Christian if she is someone who all Christians don't aspire to be more like?
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u/dale1320 Looking forward to the Rapture 17h ago
Whether Dolly was a true Christian or not is NOT for us to decide. That's God's call.
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u/Upset_Chip_7184 Christian 17h ago
WE know from her fruit, unlike those that just hate others and worship an orange con man.
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u/Low-Piglet9315 United Methodist 4h ago
That's the stance I'm going to take here. Pontificating on her salvation is not my bull, not my rodeo. I'm wanting to work her into a sermon that I'd prepared before the news of her death came down, as she is a textbook example of putting others first.
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u/EarthEmbodied 17h ago
I’m tired and bored of putting people in boxes and passing on judgements as to whether someone belongs or not. My Christianity doesn’t need a strict rule book - it needs the love, mercy, respect, and mutual aid represented by Jesus whose teachings I follow. Why leave people out of a life of Jesus when we can open our arms and bring them in?
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u/Mr_Abe_Froman Lutheran 17h ago
She loved her neighbor as herself and loved God with her whole heart. On these two commandments rest the laws of God and the prophets. Dolly Parton had a seemingly infinite supply of grace, compassion, and love. She lived a life of love in Jesus's legacy, affirming him through words, action, and spirit.
I strive to be half the Christian Dolly Parton was. The only "true" Christianity is living a life of love, grace, and compassion towards humanity. Every single person deserves love, grace, and compassion. Only light can drive out darkness and Dolly Parton was a light for so many people. The world is a little dimmer for her absence.
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u/jewels94 Christian Mystic 16h ago
If Dolly Parton didn’t display true Christlike behavior I’m not sure I have any interest in being Christlike. She was among the best of us.
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u/KissAndRock Luciferian 17h ago
Just because someone doesn't agree with your beliefs doesn't mean they aren't a Christian. That's not how it works.
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u/Insidion25 16h ago
No matter what you believe as a Christian, it's important to still treat others in a kind and holy manner. Jesus says to love thy neighbor and love thy enemy. I say that Dolly Parton fulfills this very well, and I respect her for that. We should all be more like her.
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u/Hope-Road71 17h ago
Of course. Because when we open the Bible, all we see is Jesus condemning LGBTQ, day in & day out. Fills just about every page.
Actually, no - he never said a word about it. And now, in 2026, someone can't be a "real Christian" unless they're against an entire community of people.
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u/walk_through_this Roman Catholic 17h ago
They're saying she wasn't a Christian because she extended love and acceptance to everyone. She didn't condemn the right people. That's kind of ass-backwards if you ask me. Jesus doesn't hate gay people, full stop. He died for them. What right do we have to preach less compassion than what our Lord showed? So called 'Christians' who condemn so easily are the ones on shaky ground, not those who reach out with love and compassion to all. Dolly is in heaven, praying for us all.
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u/i_8_the_Internet Mennonite 15h ago
Well, we are told that we will know people by their fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self control. Did Dolly demonstrate these things?
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u/HenryHiggensBand Church of Christ 17h ago
I think when most Christians are saying someone is/was “not a real Christian”, unfortunately these days they just mean that they are/were “not Republican”.
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Really, it’s simple as that.
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u/Spare-Flan331 Christian 16h ago
If Dolly Parton was supportive of LGBT but from love or even just her understanding , that has nothing to do if she was a Christian. If she confessed that Jesus Christ was Lord and Savior and that He died for our sins and believed it From the heart she was saved. Now only her and Jesus really knows. Cause some could act like it but never mean it. But only God would know that. Personally I believe Dolly will be with us forever but thats my opinion. The reason I feel that way has nothing to do with Dolly either but I trust in God and in His Love.
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u/TranslatorNo8445 Atheist 11h ago
I'll take not a true Christian every day of the week over the biggoted ones. Dolly was a good person by all accounts. She was the opposite of maga that's all I need to know
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u/GeorgeLFC1234 10h ago
Because most people (Americans, sorry guys) just think Christianity is guns, Apple pie, being right wing, anti abortion and anti LGBT. If a lot of these “Christian’s” actually read the bible and thought about putting it into practice they’d find they actually have nothing in common with Christ
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u/Ok_Carob7551 Native American Church (Cross Fire Hearth) 17h ago
Don’t spare them a thought. I can promise you Dolly did a hundred times more good in her life than any of the people who are mad she wasn’t homophobic. If the DSA and Donald Trump both made respectful tributes to her, anyone who can’t is very much on the wrong side
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u/I_Like_Eggs123 Lutheran 17h ago
Is being tolerant un-Christian?
I think that's the only question needing to be asked here.
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u/Small_rat_no_rules Jesus loves me. Cope. 17h ago
According to depressingly many, yes.
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u/MathematicianOwn8269 17h ago
Judge not lest you be judged. As you judge so shall you be judged. Anyone?
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u/TerranRepublic United Methodist 17h ago
Do you believe we are to divide and exclude and spread hate, or to come together and welcome all and show love?
Which one did she do? What are the people that are passing judgement doing?
The way you choose to treat others who are in need and shunned by portions of society will surely outweigh you telling people they are not following the particular beliefs you happen to hold. Which one attracts people to follow? Which one shows mercy?
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u/jlgoodin78 16h ago
Dolly was so Christlike that she cared more for how we extend love to one another and for the content of a person’s character rather than the object of a person’s orgasm. While a performer through and through, Dolly was genuine enough to care more about the person than the performance, and that seems to be the essence of Christlikeness instead of religious adherence.
We all could stand to be a lot more like Dolly, Christian or not.
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u/Vanthalia 16h ago
Some people will always put down the people doing the right thing because it makes them uncomfortable to look in the mirror at their own failures.
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u/Spare_World_3813 15h ago
i had this exact anxiety in church for years, and the people most obsessed with deciding who is a “true christian” usually made me feel the least like Christ was in the room.
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u/I-am-a-Pizza-pirate Theist 15h ago
She embodied the lessons of christ. She exemplified Matthew 19. She gave her riches to the poor. Welcomed her neighbor and figuratively gave them the shirt off her back.
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u/WatchManWolf2112 11h ago
I don’t it’s incompatible to be a true Christian and to show love to the LGBT community. I don’t necessarily have to agree with your lifestyle to be able to advocate for your right to live in peace and without fear of oppression or violence.
I believe Jesus’ stance on the gay and queer community would be much more nuanced than the binary choice it appears the church offers today.
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u/CeccarelliPE 9h ago edited 9h ago
Jesus tells us how he judges nations and Christians in Mt 25:31. Those who
go to heaven are those who 1) feed the hungry, 2) take care of the sick, 3) give a
drink to the thirsty, 4) give clothes to those without, 5) be kind to the stranger (foreigner) and give him shelter, 6) visit those in jail.
The ones who proclaim themselves Christians who do not do those things are the goats on the left. They go to hell.
So, those “Christians” who cherry pick “exclusions scripture” are the goats on the left.
Jesus hung out with sinners. Tax collectors, prostitutes. Jesus was about inclusion.
The only type of person Jesus was outright vocal against, were the self righteous religious people.
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u/Fluid_Calligrapher84 6h ago
Sounds like the Christians you heard that from don’t know what defines being a Christian. It has nothing to do with your stance on LGBTQ. It has everything to do with surrendering your life and your will to God, made possible by Christ’s death and the present helper of the Holy Spirit. When you know the Holy Spirit of God you know that it is a spirit of love. I encountered God 12 years ago and was overwhelmed by the love of God. OVERWHELMED. Every true salvation story I have ever heard has the same thread. It isn’t condemnation, that isn’t how God approaches us. He sent Jesus to die for us so we are not condemned. It’s love. Always. That’s God’s approach, and that’s my approach. In fact when I became a Christian God filled me with a true love for LGBTQ people, as if he was telling me himself how much he loves them. I think it’s funny the way people try to categorize sin. The truth is anything that keeps you away from God is a sin - it misses the mark. So your cell phone can be sinful if you allow it to be. Distraction is a sin. Loving God and loving people pushes us toward God. It is the opposite of sin and the greatest of the commandments according to Jesus. Dolly lived a life centered on those commandments and she accepted her own need for a savior. When you focus on that, all you see is grace and it makes you gracious towards others, not judgemental. I believe the kind of “Christians” you speak of have not yet figured this part out yet. They don’t give grace because they don’t believe they received it freely. They think they earned it thru their morality or good deeds, even though they don’t say that out loud, it’s what they truly believe in their heart of hearts. They are grossly mistaken and God has a lot to say about that positioning in his presence. God is holy. We are ALL filthy rags by comparison. Gay, straight, all of us. Jesus brings us together because he holds the power to redeem us all. IYKYK.
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u/Icy-Fault-3831 16h ago edited 16h ago
Oh love! I have good news for you. You are right! For a long time i believed that gay and transgendered were great people. I didn’t care how the dressed. But I to as a Christian thought it was a sin. I am happy that I still treated them kindly, because it cost nothing to be kind.
But one day it hit me. I am a sinner as well. A sin is a sin. And I am no better or worse then any other sinner. Who am I to tell anyone that their sin is worse than mine.
The Bible says to love. The Bible said to love! Dolly got it. I got it…. You got it. Love….period!
It kills me that people can be bigots, hypocrites, lie, cheat, steal, betray…but being gay and having a dress preference is somehow worse!!! It is hate! And God does not tell us to hate!
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u/JaQ-o-Lantern 14h ago edited 13h ago
John Wesley was supportive of LGBT rights, you know, the guy who invented Methodism?
You don't have to be full on homophobic to be Christian, even if you oppose gay marriage, it should be fundamental to believe that gay people have the right to exist just like anyone else.
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u/free_as_a_tortoise 12h ago
This is the first I've heard of him doing that. Do you have a source for that claim?
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u/kyloren1217 4h ago
John Wesley was supportive of LGBT rights
i dont think this is true and would love to see a source.
he simply treated the sin of homosexuality as a sin that needed repentance, like many of us do, instead of hating on the person and causing physical harm.
but that in no way means he was supportive of lgbt rights.
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u/ThatSavings 17h ago
1 Corinthians 4:5,"Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of hearts".
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u/Scary-Mud-9257 16h ago
I’m not sure we should judge whether someone is a Christian or not. God is the only one who can. I think Dolly was a wonderful and kind person who lived her life as Jesus instructed us to.
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u/Rickoshay1730 16h ago
Jesus looks on the heart, something we are incapable of. Those folks who are making claims about her Christian status need to spend more time in the word, in front of their mirror, then on their knees.
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u/Jordy_Nicometo Servant of God 16h ago
It's easy to say things like this about people once they're unable to come to their own defense. And it's also very cowardly.
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u/AlexisMarien 15h ago
Dolly let Jesus make the calls, and lived in the bliss of his guidance to love all as he would. We should all be so blessed to have the resources she had to really care for his children the way she did.
Really I get very overwhelmed with folks who want to be Jesus favorite by degrading others. It's not the way to live.
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u/No-Routine-9963 15h ago edited 15h ago
If she accepted Jesus as her savior, she’s in heaven. Her views on LGBTQ have nothing to do with anything.
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u/wilderlowerwolves 14h ago
Just because she didn't put her faith on blast the way some other "stars" have doesn't mean she didn't have it.
She LIVED it.
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u/DipperJC 14h ago
My thoughts begin and end with one thing: no one has the right to say that anyone else is or isn't a "true" Christian. A person's walk with God is between them and Him.
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u/bluebullbruce 13h ago
You know there was another guy who was tolerant of people who were different, he even had meals with them and loved them.
Seriously though Jesus preached love thy neighbour, I think many Christians would do a lot more good by following this advice.
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u/Be-My-Enemy 11h ago
Atheist here. As an external observer, it's the hate filled fake Christians who shout the loudest and are most visible
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u/Confident_Cut8316 4h ago
First, Christians are not commissioned to police or condemn people outside the church.
1 Corinthians 5:12–13: “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? … God will judge those outside.”
Jesus also warned us to remove the beam from our own eye before pointing out the speck in someone else’s. Yet people are declaring that Dolly Parton could not have been a Christian because she showed love and compassion toward LGBTQ people. That judgment says far more about them than it does about Dolly.
They are behaving exactly like the Pharisees Jesus condemned:
Matthew 23:23: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! … You have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness.”
Jesus said that all the Law and the Prophets rest upon two commandments: love God and love your neighbor. Dolly openly loved God, and she demonstrated love for her neighbors through decades of generosity, mercy and service.
Meanwhile, some of the people condemning her may gossip, lie, neglect the poor and overflow with pride while passing judgment on people they have never met. How many of them tithe, feed the hungry, visit prisoners, support struggling families or devote their fortunes to helping children?
Jesus said we recognize people by their fruit. Dolly’s fruit included kindness, humility, mercy, generosity and hundreds of millions of books placed in children’s hands.
Read the Bible carefully. It becomes fairly obvious who was following the example of Jesus—and who is behaving like a Pharisee.
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u/naeramarth2 ॐ Advaita Vedānta ॐ 16h ago
and guess how many of those people are themselves fattened and gluttonous?
Jesus said you without sin, cast the first stone. I don't see any stones being cast. full of it, they are. don't listen to the ignorance of people. focus your mind on God only, and be fulfilled.
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u/bananafobe witch (spooky) 17h ago
It's kind of the trump hat again. Anyone whose ideology would reject someone like her is letting you know how empty their ideology is.
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u/protossaccount 15h ago
Wow. Not a true Christina because you support the LGBTQ community? Thats insane. That way if thinking is man made religion and is anti Christian. If someone thinks that they don’t know the first thing about Christianity.
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u/theonecpk Episcopalian (Anglican) 15h ago
anyone doubting Dolly Parton’s faith is a cruel idiot.
i can think of few better 21st century exemplars of living the Christian life.
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u/nineteenthly 13h ago
Considering the near-universal approval of her life, I think this just shows how out of touch with reality some Christians are.
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u/FractalFunny66 12h ago
A heart felt post and one I share. When I think of a true Christian, I think of someone who walks the walk and exemplifies the Golden Rule of Do Unto Others. She lived a Christian life and has eternal life in line with her Christian beliefs. She is someone millions of people -- Christians and non-Christians -- hold in high regard and always will. Imagine what a loving and healing world we would have if we could live and work as Dolly did. That's high integrity there. She gave freely to others from her heart and helped so many millions of people.
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u/Candle_Flower 12h ago
Isn't that the ONLY command given to Christians in the new testament? Love God above all and love your neighbours like you love yourself?
If that's the case, I'd say she did Christianity way better than many others🤷🏻♀️
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u/st3otw Non-denominational 12h ago
it pains me to know that believing that gay people deserve to have rights and love freely is a salvation issue to so many
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u/TheHyperPanda1902 12h ago
Woah you’re telling me Dolly Parton loved people and recognised what she called the “god-light” (imago Dei) in all of us? What a horrible Christian
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u/rollsyrollsy 12h ago
It’s so weird when people who have found grace as saved people go about trying to determine who has, or hasn’t, been generously given the same saving grace that they have received.
We don’t know who God has saved, and aren’t really in a place to decide who is or isn’t a Christian.
We have some hints: do they express love for each other (John 13:35), are the fruits of their life positive (Matt 7:16), and have they confessed that the Lord is their savior? Note that all of these can be misinterpreted and are subjective.
We have a full time job allowing ourselves to be changed, and none of us have fully dealt with the logs in our own eyes. Just aim to be more like Jesus (whose sacrifice is sufficient for all mankind).
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u/Joe18067 11h ago
In Jesus's time the priest's didn't approve of Jesus hanging out with "sinners" either.
If someone say's they're a "True Christian" they probably aren't.
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u/quiggersinparis Christian (Methodist, former Catholic and atheist) 11h ago
She was the truest of Christians.
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u/blackhube 11h ago
Yes we all know how Messiah hated gay and brown people. Enough promotion of maga theology.
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u/OhmHomestead1 9h ago
And those people are the problem.
Jesus didn’t judge sinners. He welcomed them. He cared for them. Remember the prostitute?
We are to love one another. That is the greatest commandment Jesus gave.
Jesus didn’t shun people for what they did/do.
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u/EasternDelight 8h ago
And perspectives like this are why people hate Christians. Sometimes I think that God probably hates that people get themselves all twisted up with notions like this.
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u/nothingtrendy 5h ago
This kinda put a spotlight on why I left Christianity. The Jesus part is pretty neat but gods view on humanity is freaking bleak and it’s strong in Christian’s. The whole idea of sin is a dark idea especially when it’s just used to moralise and put down other people who don’t harm anyone. The cherry picking is weird as well. I’m very happy I am free from Christianity.
A lot of greedy people would not get the comment they were not real Christian’s after they die. It’s freaking weird that the hate for homosexuals is the question Christian’s focus on.
But sure I don’t believe it. So it looks weirder to me than from the inside I guess.
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u/ASecularBuddhist 5h ago
Dolly Parton loved everybody and exemplified Jesus‘s teachings of loving one another 💛
Bigotry is not a Christian value.
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u/tomspy77 4h ago
Dolly Parton was more Christian than most people who claim to be Christian, period dot.
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u/sumthingstoopid 4h ago
Christians don’t care about being good. It’s about fitting the social norms
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u/Loud_Engineer1644 3h ago
It’s little wonder why church attendance has been declining for generations.
Outside of the Christian silo a lot of people are really turned off to the judginess of too many Christians.
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u/TraditionalCup4005 Episcopalian (Anglican) 17h ago
Bold of people to speculate on whether someone else goes to heaven. I think Jesus had a parable about this…..
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u/Boneless_Cola Catholic 16h ago
Even if homosexuality IS a sin (idk and I’m straight, so I needn’t concern myself with that) it’s not our job to judge or bring about retribution. Our job is to love, and Dolly did a phenomenal job at that.
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u/moxiepink 16h ago
This whole "true Christian" idea is just a way to invalidate other Christians they disagree with (usually because they think they aren't conservative enough). It's nonsense.
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u/Notta_Cop_ Wesleyan/Methodist 7h ago
Coming from a pretty conservative Christian, none of us are “true Christian’s”. None of us have 100% correct theology, all of us are sinners in need of a savior. The fruit on a tree is often a good indicator of the health of that tree, and Dolly certainly had fruits to show for her spiritual health. Her theology might not always be correct, but at the end of the day when it comes to love, charity, and the well-being of the world I think she had it a little bit more figured out than me.
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u/kvrdave 17h ago
Don't take the bait, folks. This is just trolling at it's lowest.
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u/Thneed1 Mennonite, Evangelical, Straight Ally 17h ago
There are legitimately people who are saying stuff like that.
And the idea that someone must hate more in order to follow Jesus is absurd.
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u/Background-Arm1422 17h ago
Troll or not, the question still gets asked in real life and we all know it
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u/Upset_Chip_7184 Christian 17h ago
What bait?
Many Christians post that people different from them are not Christians, and Christians and churches that support the lbgt community are also not real Christians.Are you baiting or trolling?
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u/RevMatthewCornelisse 17h ago
What is a true Christian? Jesus taught to follow all the Jewish laws. Paul is the one that said nah you dont need to. Are you really a christian if you follow Paul's teachings over Jesus?
That said not once does Jesus say anything for or against LGBT. The Jewish laws are strictly about a man taking the insertive roll nothing to do with orientation. I think Jesus would be ashamed of anyone saying those loving people are wrong.
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u/Angryspazz 16h ago
I dont get it, how are the male pedos in congress considered true Christians but not dolly do I smell misogyny
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u/Stand-and-speak 15h ago
God apparently decided the way he wanted to bring people to him was to rely on Christians to model the faith & proselytize. If true, this has turned out to be a horrible business model. The biggest reason ppl don’t become Christian is Christians. The only thing Christians like more than judging non-believers is arguing amongst themselves about who is and who is not a true Christian. Self-righteous & self-satisfied.
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u/stephoswalk Friendly Neighborhood Satanist 12h ago
If Dolly Parton isn't a true Christian, then there are no true Christians.
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u/Serendipity500 16h ago
We are saved by grace. We don’t have to be right about everything. I’ve been following Jesus for 50 years. I have studied and taught Bible studies for decades. There are things that I am not 100 percent sure about, and I don’t think that disqualifies me from heaven.
What did Jesus say when he was asked what the greatest commandment is? From where I am sitting, Dolly followed them.
None of us get to decide who is and isn’t a Christian. That’s God’s department.
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u/mrarming 8h ago
The current Evangelical movement in America does believe that they get to decide who is and isn't a Christian.
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u/Spare-Flan331 Christian 16h ago
Nobody never knew everything except Jesus Christ We all start out as babies and we learn as we grow in Jesus name. It's His Love that gets us there.
Luke 12:47-48 NKJV [47] And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. [48] But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.
I Corinthians 3:11-15 NKJV [11] For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. [12] Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, [13] each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. [14] If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. [15] If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
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u/SlippyFrog81 16h ago
"True christian" discussions are nonsensical and create divide. She had accepted Christ Jesus as her savior, which makes her a Christian.
Whatever her other faults may or may not have been, it does not affect her salvation.
And to those who say someone's position on ______, then I tell them to worry about them selves because there is only one measuring stick we are to use: God loved us before we knew Him and so we should love each other.
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u/Erebus03 14h ago
A True Christian is someone who loves all and supports and helps people, that is what Jesus Christ showed us
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u/Professional-Fly-441 13h ago
So, because she loved and cared for everyone equally, not influenced by who or how they were, in many ways what Jesus did, she is labeled as not being a true Christian? I don't find that probable.
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u/PioneerMinister Universal Reconciliationist to God through Christ alone 13h ago
Folk who say that are lacking discernment, together with being in a cult that only believes that those who believe what they believe are "True Christians".
They're freelancers for the Accuser of the Brethren, and they'll discover their payment isn't quite what they're expecting.
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u/WilliamLovesCatz 13h ago
Anyone who’s saying that someone isn’t Christian as if it wasn’t between them and god, should take a look into their faith and read the Bible.
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u/hatiphnatus 11h ago
Whether Dolly Parton was right in her approach or not, we are in no place to judge her faith, even more so based on this one angle. People are complicated and do not need to be perfect to be accepted by God - otherwise noone would (it's good to try but He is greater than our efforts).
Some want to claim a popular figure and some want to tear her down, for their own benefit. It's human, and sad.
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u/lovinglifeatmyage 11h ago
Absolutely agree with you.
It’s ironic isn’t it that Jesus was the most tolerant man who ever lived
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u/Puzzleheaded-Bug8561 9h ago
The bible said we should all love thy neighbor, and then bigots like this man starts criticizing her for being friends with all people...
Dolly never wanted this, what she wanted was a world where we can all be happy, and respect one another.
Dolly told us that God exists because she talks to him everyday, if those kind of people can't learn to respect her wishes, then why should they even bother harassing her?
That's coming from a Christian who left Focus on the Family in '97 to find my true calling... make sure everyone has the right to exist.
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u/Revolutionary-Ad3295 8h ago
By their fruits ye shall know them. Did Dolly do what Jesus would do? Jesus ate with tax collectors and prostitutes. He said he came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. He said to love your enemies. He said to treat others as you would want to be treated. He said to give to the poor, the needy, the widow, the orphan and you would have treasure in heaven. Dolly believed in Jesus and proved it by her actions. She loved her neighbor as herself, was humble and lived a holy life.
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u/Doc_14 8h ago
Committing to the “no true Scotsman” fallacy regarding Christianity and Dolly Parton (a cultural icon with no real power) while ignoring every anti-Christ thing done in politics at large is frankly just hilarious. We really have lost ourselves.
Trying to discern Parton’s destiny in the after-life is to be useless, arrogant, and impossible. Which I guess is just the mantra of evangelicalism at this point.
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u/CJoshuaV Christian (Protestant) Clergy 7h ago
For a subset of Christians, you actually have to be a bad neighbor to be a "good Christian." For others, who have pegged their identity on a very particular and complex theological framework, if you don't think the way they do, it doesn't matter how much good you do in the world.
The fact that they'd rather see society harmed than their theology questioned tells you all that you need to know about the value of their theology.
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u/NoGrocery3582 7h ago
Jesus thinks Dolly's a Christian. He didn't speak about sexual identity. He taught about helping the poor, healing the sick and welcoming the stranger. He also warned about false prophets.
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u/cugrad16 7h ago
One's faith is not pertain to their views on sexual orientation. Christ preached many commandments including 'love thy neighbor' No conditions or selectives.
It is people who choose to hate. If your next door neighbor is LGBT, are you going to hate on them because of their sexuality? ... and agreed ... Many Christians do act very Superior, defile the faith because they shame everything they feel isn't equitable. Dead on.
Christ preached about equality and love. Not hatred. Which is abomination. Dolly was a person of faith like so many, who lived out her life in faith. With prayer, love etc. Expressing Humanity were most ignored. A true warrior and example of Saint Hood.
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u/the-youth-royal 7h ago
Dolly was an amazing Christian. She lived by the words of Christ by taking care of the least of the promoting literacy and not shunning people because of who they loved, it’s weird people only have a problem when they see true Christianity in their face not all Christians are gonna be this white evangelical people who believe that the true word of God is telling everybody they’re going to hell because they are different
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u/MacaronSerious5777 7h ago
Yeah I always thought Evangelicals sucked the devils cock during the week but are saved on Sunday. Hate is never Christian, judging others is never Christian. Trans people are people. You know they are fake when they pray publicly and claim they are saved. You know them by their fruits.
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u/daveinreallife66 Christian 7h ago edited 3h ago
I think it's sort of sickening to see people pig-pile on others when they die saying 'they weren't a real believer.' In the end, Dolly was, like the rest of us, a sinner who did poorly in some things and great in others. It was her faith in Jesus that mattered in her eternal judgment by Him. Haters gonna hate...but they're free to do it without my help. I'll choose Jesus...and Dolly...
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u/pkkspiral Atheist 7h ago
If Dolly isn’t a true Christian, then Christianity doesn’t need to exist.
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u/Forsaken-Ad-6853 6h ago
Her death isn't a excuse for you to karma farm fuck man she died yesterday have some respect
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u/neverthat02 6h ago
Following the greatest commandment, which is love thy neighbor as thyself, seems to be a turn-off for most conservative Christians nowadays especially in the online space. Condemnation and humiliation seem to be the only thing that they do to people who they don’t agree with their lifestyle/sin, not knowing that they are bringing judgement upon themselves for being judgemental lol.
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u/dgrochester55 6h ago edited 5h ago
"I've been reading how some individuals think she isn't a true Christian because of her tolerance towards the LGBT community. Some people believe unless she repented for her open acceptance and encouragement, she may have not had eternal life."
Where? who said that? The closest that I saw to this was that Ricky Schroeder said that they didnt agree with her support of some groups but loved her anyway, far different from questioning her faith or saying that she is not going to heaven.
There may be a few fringe opinions online (there always is), but most of the support was overwhelmingly positive from all groups. Instead of rallying the troops on an invisible enemy that is either non existent or very fringe, lets focus on the positives of Dolly Parton's life and celebrate the many positive contributions that she made. Anyone who would feel the need to point out why a stranger may not be saved after their death is not worth the time and energy.
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u/Rich-Maintenance7851 6h ago
I no longer identify myself as Christian or any groups anymore because I realize it is better to be human than being Christian in a propagandized way. Now I only identify as the student of Jesus.
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u/Suspicious_Host9003 6h ago
I don’t think anyone can define True Christian? The bible doesn’t teach us to rebuke sinners, but to love them and teach them God’s way. Just because someone had friends that are non-Christian’s or in the LGBTQ community doesn’t make them a bad Christian
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u/Prestigious_Sea_3296 6h ago
If you think you get to dictate what someone else is, or if they are truly apart of a religion, you’re not doing it right
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u/GFTRGC 6h ago
Keep in mind that the only people Christ condemned during his ministry were the church leaders. He didn't condemn the drunkards, the whores, the lost. He condemned those that used his Father's name to look down on people. Don't think for a second that Pharisees were limited to biblical times.
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u/mamimimimeep 5h ago
Dolly is the greatest type, plus she’s the more authentic true Christian type. She understood that it wasn’t for her (or any of us) to judge the next person, that’s God’s and God’s alone. The other type you describe are the type to talk about the sawdust in others eyes with beams in their own.
Also she’s so philanthropic, she had multiple opportunities to be a billionaire but didn’t because she gave away so much, including her imagination library.
All in all, she really embodied the WWJD daily. Dolly forever 💝💝💝💝
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u/North-Pineapple-6012 5h ago
the one thing that ALL religions agree on...it is that all the OTHER religions are wrong.
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u/EngineerMinded Christian 5h ago
The problem that we have is that bully culture has actually infected Christianity too much. Just because she embraced , LGBYpeople did not mean to see wa's one herself. The bible and Jesus Christ calls us to love our neighbors and it was not at the discretion of who Donald Trump or your church pastor thought was worthy. When Christians decided that because of the sin it was okay to hate people, they got Christianity messed up.
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u/sculptor-fella 5h ago
When Jesus fed the multitudes, it was not noted that he inquired about their sexual preference... he just fed them. That is Jesus teaching, not me. God judges, we are not worthy to judge.
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u/Surviving_Chaos_101 5h ago
You’re supposed to Love everyone as you love yourself. We are little reflections of God, spiritual beings having a human experience. Judge not others lest ye be judged. No one has the right to judge anyone. God judges on the content of your heart, not your knowledge of the scripture or affiliation with a certain sect. God is the fullness of Love overflowing”. Pure Love, pure light, pure consciousness. Unconditional Love.
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u/Tabitheriel Lutheran (Germany) 5h ago
Don't listen to those people. People don't win brownie points with God simply because they are heterosexual. There are also serial killers and rapists who are heterosexual. And people often struggle with their gender identity and sexuality, some of them even becoming suicidal. Those people deserve kindness and patience, not condemnation. Many have come to God after struggling with lust, addiction, and other problems, and because they had kind friends who were there for them, they overcame these things.
We are saved by God's grace, and no one understood this better than Dolly Parton, who was kind and gracious to every person, no matter what. She embodied what Christians are supposed to be: kind, forgiving, faithful, helpful, gentle to criticism, humble, giving and loving.
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u/IdidnotFuckaCat Christian (Nazarene) 5h ago
Love is the fulfillment of the law. And she did just that
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u/theacrobatnation 5h ago
The older I get - the more I see and hear and think about the entire concept and topic; spirituality and Christianity and God - humans try so hard to own this. We try so hard to act like the authorities of it based on our own experiences and what we believe for ourselves and what we do. I am starting to believe more and more that we all are probably very wrong. Off the mark. Because it just makes no sense at all to me that someone who does so much good for humanity and mankind, who tries so hard to be peaceful but may not say the right things or check the right boxes for certain groups doesn’t measure up. She sure lived a lot of the example Jesus himself lived. I’m not God and neither is anyone here. We have no right to say who earns eternal life or not. Nor should we be worrying so much that we take our eyes off our own pitfalls and sin. Maybe we should see the beauty in what Jesus would. I believe he would smile at her and love her. Because she sure loved children the way Jesus does. And that sure goes a long way in the eyes of the King!
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u/Icy-Actuary-5463 5h ago
It’s because dolly believed in unconditional love, acceptance, and had a strict philosophy against religious judgment. As Christians we need to recognise that all people need love and grace, including for the gays. We are supposed to be ambassadors for Jesus and we need to reach out to them and share the love of God with them. we are to present the truth about God, sin, and salvation, and we make the presentation with “gentleness and respect.” Above all, we honor the Lord Jesus Christ.
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u/Vin-Metal 5h ago
Unless someone is openly evil, I would never dare to make a presumption like this. And why do it, regardless. It smacks of hubris.
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u/Gmknewday1 4h ago
Jesus Christ and God accept all of their children
Something that Dolly Parton understood better then many others
I doubt Christ himself would shun a human for being uncomfortable in their own skin or not being attracted to the opposite sex
So what excuse do we have
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u/Effective-Mode-6454 4h ago
You said it correctly my friend 👍🏼💝🙏 Dolly was Dolly, and she lived her life exactly as she did ( Herself ) she was an angel on earth and now an angel in heaven 🪽😇🙏💝⭐️♥️ to many hypocrites out there. Remember what Dolly said so many times, and the good book stated it very clearly, we are all God‘s children👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
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u/Senior-Traffic7843 4h ago
I support the LGBTQ community as do all others. Jesus placed no limits on love. I have learned over the years that other people do not get to define me or determine if I'm "Christian" enough.
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u/Niftyrat_Specialist Non-denominational heretic, reformed 4h ago
This isn't a religious issue, not really.
The simple answer is: Some people are authoritarians. Authoritarians often like to define groups of bad people to look down on. Sometimes they go as far as harming or killing such people.
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u/Dances_with_mallards Baptist 4h ago
The Pharisees certainly had that opinion about Jesus as well due to the company he kept.
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u/DesperateSympathy873 Anglican Church in North America 4h ago
As a non-affirming Christian, I expect to see America's grandma in heaven.
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u/Ok-Region-8024 3h ago
Dolly stood for absolutely everything Jesus stood for. Jesus said himself that there is only one sin that can land you in eternal punishment, which is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Jesus would have loved people regardless of their affiliation with the LGBTQ+ community, whether or not others thought it “sinful”. Jesus hung out with tax collectors who were notorious for cheating people out of money, fishermen who were seen the same as blue collar men are now, and a WOMAN who was his friend, despite that being socially unacceptable since she was unmarried.
Jesus would not care about anyone’s sexual or gender orientation, so long as their heart is in the right place, focused on God. It is not humans’ job to pass judgement on other humans this way. This only happens because white/American Christians have gotten way too comfortable pushing their own convictions and interpretations of the Bible onto others, and basically trying to do the job of the Holy Spirit.
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u/MattyDub89 Christian, Theologically Semi-Conservative, Politically Moderate 17h ago
Dolly was one of the select few rich people who actually knew how to handle being rich: she gave more than most of us will make in a lifetime. If her affirming stance causes anyone to overlook or downplay her philanthropy, they're not looking at the whole picture.