Homosexuallity

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Homosexuality

I was asked this question:

"The last time I talked to Daddy he commented about homosexuality. He said the Bible said they should be killed or something like that. I was in shock, and didn't say, "show me"! I don't think he feels that way, as my best friend is gay, and Daddy really likes him too. Does the Bible really say that?"

You asked for it.... Get out your Bible, here is Jo's sermon on, "Homosexuality":

Yep, the Bible is one of people's favorite places to justify hatred. Homosexuality is just one of many issues ripped out of context and overemphasized. It is first mentioned in the story of Sodom & Gomorrah where Lot offers his daughters to the men of the city to keep his guests (angels) from being taken - Genesis 19 - These sister cities were a "fun" place where way too much was going on. I suspect we don't have the full story of why these cities were permanently zapped. Homosexuality was only one part of the problem.

Interestingly, homosexuality is NOT mentioned in the Ten Commandments (or some say 22 commandments) - Exodus 20:1-17 or the repeat in Deuteronomy 5:11-21 and the variation in Exodus 34:12-26. Jesus condenses all these into two (Matthew 22:36-40).

A great deal of the first 5 books (attributed to Moses) have lists of rules/laws given by God, they count 365. Many are just hints at practices that were understood at the time (like how to do sacrifices). There are laws covering how to dress and cut your hair; kinds of food one can eat and how to eat them; how to treat fellow Jews or foreigners living in the land; tattoos; farming and ranching; charging interest; etc. Most people are shocked at how detailed the rules are on some subjects and how vague they are on others. Many of these laws are not practiced by current Jews or Christians.

Homosexuality is listed as an abomination and occasionally condemned by death - Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13. Some verses combine homosexuality with prostitution within pagan temples - Deuteronomy 23:17; 1 Kings 14:24, 15:12, 22:46.

Research:

Scholars say it is difficult to translate these passages. After 3000 plus years we no longer know exactly what was meant by certain words or phrases. Add to the problem, personal beliefs held by the translators influencing their wording. The Hebrew words are often translated "sodomite", which is a vague old English word that means "unnatural sex" and is often misinterpreted as meaning only homosexual.

Paul mentions homosexuality in the New Testament. (One must remember that his letters are often in response to questions we can only guess at.) Many of his readers were once pagans. They needed reminding to not return to the ways of their family and neighbors.

Romans 1:26-27 is often quoted as the main anti-homosexual scripture. But like all the Old Testament texts this practice is just one of many symptoms stemming from the much larger social problem. Translation here is also difficult. Paul uses the same word that is translated "unnatural" to later describe long hair on a man which has cultural bias - 1 Corinthians 11:14 - and how God is trying to graft Jews and Gentiles together, which turns out to be a good thing - Romans 11:24.

1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:10 are lists of unrighteous actions that keep one from inheriting the Kingdom of God. They list an act that is often translated homosexual, effeminate, or male prostitutes. Some think it actually refers to the Roman's ritual use of young slave boys in sexual acts. Something a good Jew would have big problems with.

So, what does all this mean?

Many Christians want to have a defendant answer to everything. Most preachers give them what they want. I am not a conservative, literalist, or fundamentalist. I don't believe we are given all the answers. I believe we are given a lot of guidelines. We will be judged on how we inflict them on others.

Moses wrote his books after bringing the "children of Israel" out of bondage in Egypt. They had lots of influence from the jumble of races living in the Nile valley. The rest of the Old Testament deals with idolatry being introduced from neighboring countries. The New Testament happened during the Roman occupation. Staying away from idolatry was a day to day issue. We, in general, don't have this problem. -- Sort of. -- Influences come from all sides and we must choose what to hold and what to toss.

Sexuality is not an easy subject. It ties into many other aspects of being human and current culture. Homosexuality and the like subject of pornography are not as cut and dry as Fundamentalists present them. Both are symptoms of a bigger problem. The history books of the Old Testament gives us insight. A society that produces generations that do not make basic emotional commitments to each other destroys itself internally. Histories of other cultures support this.

Sex is a part of being a mammal. Bonding with another person is a natural way to stabilize a society and quiet wander-lust. Children raised by multiple generations of adults pass on social behaviors and moral standards. If there is love in the family group, and its neighborhood, then generally another good generation is produced. If hatred and distrust are prominent then that is what the children learn.

Heterosexual marriage does not solve the problem. Divorce was allowed by Moses for a short list of specific cases. The rules governing divorce were quickly expanded, even to include burning the toast. Adulterers were condemned to death. Simple. Jesus said that divorce was allowed because of "hardness of the heart" - Matthew 19:8; lust by a married person for anyone but their spouse is adultery - Matt 5:27,28; and even a divorced person is committing adultery when they remarry - Matthew 5:31-32. His point is that "the letter of the law" is very hard to follow by the best and impossible by the rest.

If it is true that there are some who are born homosexual then God understands. This is a very small portion of the population and does not refer to the majority of people who engage in homosexual intercourse. Of these, I believe many choose homosexuality as an alternative to the multiple bad heterosexual relationships they have chosen in their lives. Sometimes this is a good choice. More often they are still choosing bad relationships. "Free Sex" has degraded sex to a casual drug. It is only for immediate pleasure without any binding between the people involved. This works for a few, for a while. The rest are left confused, frustrated, abused, and alone. Widespread STD's are the prize for repeated encounters.

disease

Our society sexually confused, and God understands.

"Love the person. Hate the action," is one way, but it doesn't quite work in this case for me. "Love the person and pray God guides them," works better, but it still doesn't end my debate.

There is a very interesting, and almost never quoted, statement in Matthew 19:3-12 about how a person must choose the rules that fit their situation. Doesn't quite match the subject but still interesting concept. Read it.

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