Posted on 07/15/2002 10:58:55 PM PDT by scripter
Something about "squeeky wheels getting the grease" and "all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing" comes to mind.
King David in Pasalm 22:16, when inspired to reveal Christ's thoughts on the cross wrote, "For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked enclose me".
The term "dogs" as revealed in the Strongs is 3611: keh'-leb: a euphemism for a male prostitute-a dog.
I would think, given that these dogs taunted him on the cross, that this would clear up any doubts about Christ's thoughts on the subject.
FACT: Homosexuality does not lead to procreation of the species! Therefore homosexuality goes against God's stated intent, and plan for his creation. Homosexuality is just flat out wrong. Hate the sin, but love the sinner!
Very good point. I realize that many people here are very angry over the original post, but after reading that sentence, it's pretty clear to me that this author is just making this sh-t up. I also realize that alot of people have inherent problems with homosexuality and Christianity, which is fine. The problems begin when they base their beliefs on (what I suspect are) lies like this original article.
If you don't hear this in services, that isn't surprising. I had a similar argument with a Unitarian recently regarding communism. He never heard it in his church either, and refused to believe that the UUA church near me (a veritable nest of Stalinists) was anything but a rogue, wildcat element. They don't preach communist doctrine from the pulpit there, either. The stuff for public consumption has to be more innocuous in nature.
Great point! He railed against them more than any of the sinners, maybe because then the sinners knew they were bad and under judgement. The religious gave themselves pats on the back.
Jesus came along and informed them just how much they had missed it.
Apparently you haven't been paying attention. The ranks of the ex-gay are expanding greatly as more and more people realize that Same-sex Attraction Disorder (SAD) is simply a curable mental illness similar to all the other sexual addictions. Treat the underlying problem (molestation or a lacking relationship with one's father) and the problem is as easily cured as any other abberant behavior.
There is no such thing as sexual orientation. We are all oriented by genetics to reproduce. Two men cannot reproduce. No genetic evidence supporting homosexual behavior exists. Some people however have become damaged (or if you prefer injured or sick) and cling to a false lifestyle to fill internal needs that haven't been dealt with properly. Fill these needs and the need for the false lifestyle evaporates.
We had a few members of a MCC come to our church a while back for a revival service. They witnessed healings and deliverances and the presence of the Holy Spirit. After the service one of them asked the pastor "why don't we see a move of God like this in our church?" He replied "You already know why". Unfortunately they did know, but they refused to let loose of their sin in order to grab onto God and they will stay 'lost' until they do.
God Save America (Please)
Unless, of course, you want to tell me that these are quotes from a 'good Christian'.
I'm not sure you know what Deism is. Deism is not simply a non-Catholic view of religion. Deism was the entire rejection of the supernatural arising from Enlightenment rationalism. It gave credit to God as Creator, but not as Sustainer, looking to Newtonian Physics and Natural Law to account for both nature and human nature. God was absent as it were, by definition. The "Watchmaker God."
Of your 4 "Deists" I see only one. Franklin was very likely a Deist.
Jefferson was not a Christian, certainly, but neither was he a Deist, as this quote of Jefferson on slavery shows: "Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice can not sleep forever..." This is not the statement of a man who thought God was absent. He has been called really essentially Unitarian.
As to Adams' and Madison's anti-ecclesiastical statements--not unusual for orthodox Protestants at the time... Adams especially is well known for his strong Christian beliefs.
While I don't accept the idea that most of the founding fathers were strong evangelical Christians (most were simply conventional 18th Century Christians)...the idea that most were Deists is also equally false.
Have a nice day at the carwash Shakespeare. Obviously not an English professor OR Americn History scholar, eh?
(You had to make me go and post this stuff, didn't you?)
Jesus Lived an Alternate Lifestyle
Relationships of Jesus in the gospels differ greatly from the contemporary so-called nuclear family. Jesus loved Lazarus, Mary and Martha. What drew Jesus to this very non-traditional family group of a bachelor brother living with two spinster sisters? Two barren women and a eunuch are Jesus' adult family of choice. Are we to assume they were all celibate heterosexuals? What if Mary and Martha were not sisters but called each other "sister" as did most lesbian couples throughout recorded history?
Ruth and Naomi
The Book of Ruth is a romantic novel but not about romance between Ruth and Boaz. Naomi is actually the central character, and Ruth is the "redeemer/hero." Boaz' relationship with Ruth, far from being romantic, is a matter of family duty and property.
This story contains the most moving promise of relational fidelity between two persons in all of the bible: "And Ruth said, 'Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whether thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God". (Ruth 1:16)
Although used in heterosexual marriage ceremonies for years, this is a vow between two women! When their husbands die in battle, Ruth makes this vow to Naomi, her mother-in-law. Ruth marries Boaz, a close relative, and redeems Naomi's place in her own family, also bearing a child for Naomi. Did Ruth and Naomi have a lesbian relationship? There's no way to know, but it is clear the two women had a lifelong, passionate, committed relationship celebrated in Scripture.
Homosexuality and the Bible: Some Important Questions
Is that all there is? A few prophecies about barrenness and eunuchs and only two same-sex couples? There is more, and scholars need to explore the possibilities:
Are the eunuchs in the Joseph story (Genesis 39-45) and the Book of Esther also gay, residing in royal courts, and rescuing God's leaders?
In the parable of the woman who has lost a coin (Luke 15), she had ten and lost one. Are gays and lesbians a lost coin joyfully rediscovered in our day? Gays and lesbians are now estimated to be ten percent of the population.
Are they a tithe of humanity? Are they the leaven in the loaf of every culture?
A centurion petitions Jesus for the healing of a servant who is dear to him (Luke 7). The Greek word in Matthew 8 is pais meaning "slave boy", which commonly described a homosexual relationship in those times. Why did Jesus praise the faith of the centurion but not condemn his lifestyle? [sometimes a slave is just a slave, that's why]
Paul, the apostle, had no sympathy for heterosexuals who couldn't control their sexual desires. At the same time, his stormy relational life was centered around men, such as Timothy, Barnabas and Silas. Were his tirades against co-workers and churches, and his tireless missionary zeal partly a way to suppress his homosexuality?
In the story of the rich young ruler (Mark 10), "Jesus looking upon him loved him." What is the connection of embodied spirituality and this "love" for a needy stranger? What studies have been done about the eight times Jesus was said to "love" someone? How was Jesus' particular "love for individuals related to his sexuality?
What of Lydia (Acts 16), the independent, Gentile businesswoman, seller of purple and the first European Christian? There is no mention of her husband, or children, yet she is noted to have led a women's group to whom Paul preached. Was Lydia a lesbian? [no doubt about it, these people have very dirty minds. Is there nothing that isn't about sex with them?]
the color purple is often used in connection with royalty, or suffering and passion, or transformation and magic. It is the color which Jesus wore to the cross. Does the color purple also have gay and lesbian connotations in the bible and in Christian liturgical tradition?
What a bunch of garbage.
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