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The bible rejects homosexual people?

Discussion in 'General Support and Advice' started by Rice and Pepper, Jul 30, 2013.

  1. Rice and Pepper

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    I was watching the news on television with my friends and there was a reportage about the pope stating that gay priest lobbies in the catholic church must be eliminated. So my friends started a conversation about gay people and whether homosexuality is something acceptable. Only one of them knows I am gay, so I didn't take much part in the conversation, and pretended to be just as ignorant about homosexuality as they are. It even turned out that most of them supported gay marriage, which was an unexpected surprise. But one of them, who is a bit conservative, said that homosexuality is not natural, that it is a choice, that it is induced mainly by role models presented on tv and that even in the new testament Jesus discriminates gay people as unnatural.

    Seriously, I couldn't care less about his opinion. I mean, some people don't know but are irresponsible enough to jump to conclusions and have a strict adamant opinion, and he is one of them. However, it really got me thinking, is there such a statement in the new testament? He said that there is a specific chapter, whose number he couldn't remember at that moment but that he would easily find if we gave him a bible. As if it was an evident statement "Homosexuality is an abnormality". Again, I couldn't care less about the content of the new testament. For me it's almost like any other book, I have never read it, and I don't intend to in the near future.

    So does the new testament openly reject gay people? Is there a specific paragraph where it does so? Because if it does, I am ready to break the last, already lose bond that connects me to whatever religious.
     
  2. srslywtf

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    Doesn't matter really, the book has been rewritten/translated/modified so many times you could never prove that it wasn't a later human addition to the bible, even IF you accept the premise that the bible was at one time in the beginning, 'the word of god'.
     
  3. Lexington

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    The New Testament has nothing to say about gay people...mainly because the whole concept of "gay people" wasn't really a thing back in Jesus's day. It says nothing about online messageboards and flash mobs, either. :slight_smile:

    Jesus most certainly had nothing to say on the matter of homosexuality. He in fact had next-to-nothing to say about sex at all. He was pretty on point about "the kingdom of heaven is at hand", and did his best not to get sidetracked by other issues. When the elders dragged an adulterous woman in front of him, he pulled out his "let he without sin cast the first stone" line. And when the elders all wandered off, he told her "Neither do I judge you."

    Is there anything in the non-gospel New Testament against homosexuality? Anything in the Acts of the Apostles or the letters section? Again, certainly not directly. There's talk against fornication, for instance, but that's mainly directed towards unmarried straight folks. "Better to marry than to burn", as Peter said, suggesting people deal with their sexual urges by getting married and staying monogamous. I don't see any reason why this couldn't apply to gay couples, too - certainly nothing is said that directly contradicts it.

    When people discuss the Bible's stance against homosexuality, it's nearly always revolves around a passage in the Old Testament. Specifically, Leviticus 18:22. "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." (King James version translation there.) Some people consider that cut and dried - Leviticus 18:22 means God hates fags. But there's a LOT of context here. First off, Leviticus means "concerning priestly things". In short, this is a book of do's and don't's for the priests. It's like taking a McDonald's training manual, and saying it applies to everybody. (God doesn't hate you for not wearing your McDonald's uniform every day.) Secondly, that section of the book of Leviticus appears to be talking about a specific group of priests or religious figures. These folks MAY have been practicing homosexuality as a form of religious rite, and the Bible may be telling them "Hey, that's not how God wants things done". And lastly, there's the word "abomination". The translation is a bit squirrely, but it certainly doesn't seem to mean "something that deserves the death penalty". The closest translation seems to be "spiritually unclean". Catholics are supposed to go to confession, and abstain from eating an hour before mass, and whatever else, so they can attend mass "spiritually clean" - and it's THAT sense that seems to be meant here.

    A little late for this, but short answer - no. :slight_smile:

    Lex
     
  4. castle walls

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    This is false. Jesus never said anything about gay people. Not one word. Are they trying to reference Romans 1? If so, that verse would be from Paul not Jesus. Also, there are several people (some bible scholars included) that don't believe that verse is referring to gay people.

    This video is a bit long but it covers all the verses in the bible that are used against homosexuals and explains how the verses are being used incorrectly. The speaker is named Matthew Vines and he took a year off from Harvard to study the bible and came to the conclusion that it does not condemn gay people. He is currently working on The Reformation Project in an attempt to rid the church of homophobia. I believe that they are also fighting transphobia.

    You can find the transcript of the video here, if you'd rather read it. I recommend the video though. Don't forget that there are plenty of gay Christians out there. There are even some here on EC

    [YOUTUBE]4OiDrbipW34[/YOUTUBE]
     
  5. Jinkies

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    Most of the Old Testament stories that conservatives like to use are the following:

    Genesis 19:4-5 - The story of Sodom and Gomorrah.

    Research shows that Sodom and Gomorrah WERE actual cities that are now sulfuric rock, the same exact rock described in the bible. However, there is an active volcano on the Dead Sea around where Sodom and Gomorrah were that had debatably the most powerful eruption in the history of Earth. This same eruption has been speculated to be a connection to the legendary sinking of Atlantis.

    Genesis 19:1 - Lot and the Angels

    This story is always mentioned to be a direct connection to homosexuality, when it is completely false. First off, angels have no sex whatsoever. So neither heterosexuality, homosexuality, etc. can be equated to this.

    The story itself is a story about the RAPING of ANGELS, not 2 consenting people having sex.
     
    #5 Jinkies, Jul 30, 2013
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2013