From: John W Burgeson (jwburgeson@juno.com)
Date: Tue Aug 12 2003 - 18:44:49 EDT
>>What is the difference between my opinion and the Word of God? >>
If you are CERTAIN that your opinion is identical with God's will, then
preach it!
You cited five scriptures. All are, of course, a translation from the
originals. And good committed Christian scholars debate exactly how to
translate all of them. All these people wish to be true to the original,
but they cannot agree.
If you pick one as "right," you ought to be able to understand your
grounds for rejection of all others.
>>1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit
the
kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor
idolaters
nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves
nor
the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the
kingdom
of God.>>
On my website is an essay by John Shannonhouse which addresses this part
of the scriptures. In part, John writes: "these verses refers to boys or
young men who were kept as prostitutes and the men who engaged in sex
with them. *NOT* homosexuals in general. Someone has rewritten these
verses to try and turn them into a condemnation of homosexual acts.
Fortunately there was a scholar with sufficient integrity to point out
the original meaning of the words. That meaning is right there in the
Bible.
In other words, Corinthians mentions prostitution. Just as elsewhere the
Bible refers to heterosexual prostitution. However, this is no more a
blanket condemnation of homosexuality than the other verses are a blanket
condemnation of heterosexuality. The fact that they specify only a small
part of homosexuality implies that homosexuality in general is *NOT*
sinful. ... Adultery is a sin Adultery is a heterosexual act.
Prostitution is a sin. Prostitution is a heterosexual act. Rape is a sin.
Rape is a heterosexual act. But heterosexuality and heterosexual acts in
general are not a sin. If God had meant to say that all heterosexual acts
are sins he would not have wasted all the bandwidth specifying specific
*types* of heterosexual acts that are sins. He is setting limits to an
acceptable action, not banning it completely. The same reasoning applies
to homosexual acts."
The full text is at www.burgy.50megs.com\corinth.htm
Leviticus 18:22 Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is
detestable.
Leviticus 20:13 If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both
of them
have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will
be on
their own heads.
The word "detestable" means "taboo." The injunction was apparently put in
place to encourage the ancient Hebrews to multiply as fast as possible
and to distinguish them from the pagans around them.
Now if you decide, as some have, that these verses necessarily are
operative today, to be consistent you must do two things. (1) You must
lobby for the death penalty to be applied in every known case of
homosexual behavior and (2) you must, yourself, be prepared to obey the
many other Leviticus laws. This includes, among other things, a husband
must not touch his wife, even to give her a kiss or a hug, for two weeks
after childbirth. Public stoning of one's rebellious teenager is also one
of the Levitical injunctions. There are a bunch of these. Most
Christians, however, see them as superceded long ago. See Acts 15:20 and
29.
>>1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man
commits
are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own
body.>>
This verse is operative, but does not, of course, define what "sexual
immorality" is.
>>Galatians 5:19-20 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual
immorality,
impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord,
jealousy,
fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions . . .>>
Likewise.
John Burgeson (Burgy)
www.burgy.50megs.com
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