The 'gay vs the Bible' debate......

Most 'Christians' believe that homosexuals chose to be gay; therefore can change into a heterosexual if they want to and pray about it enough.

And trying to rationalize with them doesn't work because "The Bible says....."

 

I've read everything i could get my hands on about the topic. One theory is that it's a difference in the hypothalmus (a gland in the brain.) Another theory is that male children exposed to surges of estrogen in the womb during pregnancy become gay. And women who have emotional pregnancies tend to have a lot of estrogen released. Who knows.

All I know is that I had crushes on boys in early childhood well before I even knew what being gay was or had heard the term.

I believe in God and believe that He made each of us just the way He wanted us. I don't give a shit what the Bible says.

 

I'm not reposting the extensive discussion of how specific words were incorrectly translated, or purposefully changed to influence church policy/definitions of morality. Suffice to say, the "homosexuality is outlawed" argument is built on a very shakey foundation. It's pretty much just a step above bunk. The only part I believe is that the Church didn't like the promiscuity and homosexuality in the Roman Empire, and chose to scapegoat it rather than looking at the greater spread of corruption in the political infrastructure.

There is a good bit of revisionist history in modern interpretations of the Bible - especially the King James version, as hasbeen pointed out. What really turns me off is when groups or individuals pick out a few passages like this and then use them to beat people down. That just doesn't strike me as Christian at all.

 

Here's some notes I wrote to someone in response to this article:

 

Sex during menstruation produced no offspring. Ditto for same-sex sexual activity. Thus, the priests deemed these practices to be an “abomination.”


We know people are born without the ability to have children, various medical reason's but all result in no offspring.

If sex during menstruation is an 'abomination' because it produces no offspring. Is sex with infertile (heterosexual) people also an 'abomination'? AND do these people who are born sterile need to ask forgiveness or just forever abstain from sex?




(sorry if you think my questions are stupid but I'm confused)

 

yeah, don't get me wrong. i think it's ridiculous that people give a rat's ass what other people do with each other. i was just thinking about what makes the average sin different from the egregious sin of homosexuality.

of course, superbowl sunday is practically a national holiday and we celebrate the players to no end. they touch pig skin and make no bones about it. that's the really silly part of the whole biblical take on homosexuality -- it lives in the pages of leviticus with all the other strange prohibitions that might have made sense to a group of people living 3000 years ago.

 

Technically most of them don't touch the "skin."

Maybe if gay people wear condoms, then they are OK.

 

Three things. Until recently, no one knew whether or not someone was not physically able to have babies or simply had not had one from bad timing, bad luck, whatever. Second, you can't change the fact that you are not physically able to have a baby by changing your behavior. Lastly, sex is not a sin.

 

i doubt people at the time really knew anything about this sort of stuff. and today it's not an abomination because of the fertility angle -- it is because the bible says so.


what i DO find interesting is that this article actually delves into the whys of the biblical teachings. isn't that a bit strange? i mean, it makes perfect sense if you think people of the time came up with these laws on their own. but if they were the word of god, there is no reason to rationalize why these laws existed. they existed because that's what god said.

 

I think homosexuality is forbidden by both the portion of the OT law that is still valid and by passages in the new testament. If one however wanted to dismiss the whole OT they still could not condone homosexuality and accept the NT.

I agree a homosexual is forgiven if he accepts Christ. You can not however ask forgiveness for your sins unless you admit them. Those who are "gay and proud" do not admit that it is a sin and therefore have no way to obtain forgiveness.