Frustrating.

ochemjenn · February 2012

I read an editorial in the university newspaper yesterday. It criticized people for using the Bible to justify opposition to homosexuality. Basically it asks how anyone can use Lev 20:13 to oppose homosexuality when the Old Testament also contains verses like marrying the spouse of a deceased sibling and parents killing disobedient children.

How do you deal with arguments like this? My understanding is that because of Jesus Christ, we aren't held to the old laws, other than the 10 commandments. I'm not well versed in such things, so I thought you ladies could explain how you counter arguments about "contradictions" in the Bible, etc.

BekahL90 · February 2012

I don't think I quite caught what you were referring to as a "contraditction" in the Bible. But if you're looking for places where the Bible addresses the issue of homosexuality, there are several in the New Testament. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 mentions it among other sins worthy of punishment. Romans 1:18-32 also describes God's view on the subject.

RyansBelovedBride · February 2012

Yes, there is Romans 1. I as a teenager saw (and still see) Christians bein gvery unloving to homosexuals. I wasn' t sure where I stood, because Id' only ever heard of the Levitcius passage. But God came along side me in teh form of loving friends, and I had my eyes open to Romans 1 and God helped me form a more Biblical stance on the subject. I still think we should love gay people, but we cant' compromise on the fct that if they choose to act on their dsires they are sinning. At the saem time, with divorce (which is spoken about much more strongly by JEsus himself) and other sins so rampant and even accepted in the church today going on to single out this one sin as a Church without addressing the greater need of our society hurts our witness greatly.

BekahL90 · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_frustrating?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:ddc07838-ecbf-45a8-a6d5-af38e3a030daPost:6086850a-7965-477f-8eba-20273a5fe759">Re: Frustrating.</a>:
[QUOTE]Yes, there is Romans 1. I as a teenager saw (and still see) Christians bein gvery unloving to homosexuals. I wasn' t sure where I stood, because Id' only ever heard of the Levitcius passage. But God came along side me in teh form of loving friends, and I had my eyes open to Romans 1 and God helped me form a more Biblical stance on the subject.<strong> I still think we should love gay people, but we cant' compromise on the fct that if they choose to act on their dsires they are sinning.</strong> At the saem time, with divorce (which is spoken about much more strongly by JEsus himself) and other sins so rampant and even accepted in the church today going on to single out this one sin as a Church without addressing the greater need of our society hurts our witness greatly.
Posted by RyansBelovedBride[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>Yes! You are so right! I absolutely detest the way that many churches and individual Christians have chosen to handle this issue. Yes, homosexuality is wrong, but that is absolutely no excuse for us to treat these people in a less than loving manner. We need to see everyone, through the eyes of Christ. These are people that Jesus loved enough to DIE for! We called to be the hands and feet of Christ. Does this mean that we say that homosexuality is ok? No. But it means that we seek to be a witness and bring the person to Christ just like we would any other person who doesn't know Him.

</div>

GJones27 · February 2012

I think the New Testament, and especially the Gospel, weigh more heavily than some of the things mentioned in the Old Testament. I think this requires some acknowledgment that the Bible was written by men divinely inspired by God, but men are fallible. The central message of the Bible is one based on love towards all, even those who we would consider harlots or tax collectors. I think a parallel notion is a church. What the church embodies and represents is perfect. However, the individual people who make up the church sometimes fail. Humans can make mistakes, and this happened with some of the verses in the Bible, as they were written by men. But that doesn't discredit the essence of what the Bible teaches.

At least in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, we don't believe in a person just reading the Bible by himself with zero guidance. A lot can be misinterpreted that way, especially when troublesome passages are read so literally. We believe in reading the Bible in a greater context. For example, we look to how some of the early church founders interpreted the Bible, as they were particularly holy and divinely inspired. In fact, you will probably not find a Bible study class without a priest for that reason.

Anyways, this is my best attempt. Someone who actually thinks about these issues may do a better job explaining.

fpaemp2011 · February 2012

I believe that the Bible is the inerrant, infallible Word of God, breathed by Him through the authors, and completely agree with Bekah's posts. I believe that homosexuality, any sexual relationship outside of a one man/one woman marriage, and many other things are outside of God's will and are sins.

My SIL is a lesbian, so this is a very real part of our lives. How to have discussions with her (she, DH, and their siblings were raised in a Conservative Christian home by a pastor), how to handle questions from our kids if she brings a girlfriend to family functions. It has completely changed the way I used to handle those discussions.

RebeccaJac · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_frustrating?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:ddc07838-ecbf-45a8-a6d5-af38e3a030daPost:c09a9e6f-316e-43a6-b499-7341931b5462">Re: Frustrating.</a>:
[QUOTE]I believe that the Bible is the inerrant, infallible Word of God, breathed by Him through the authors, and completely agree with Bekah's posts. I believe that homosexuality, any sexual relationship outside of a one man/one woman marriage, and many other things are outside of God's will and are sins.
Posted by fpaemp2011[/QUOTE]

<div>Agree wtih Emily. </div><div>
</div><div> I can't stand how we've elevated this one sin to be greater than the rest. Sex before marriage is a sin, yet you rarely see the uproar that homosexuality causes. The same verses are often used to justify both, many times they come down to what the greek translation for "sexual immorality" is. In my studies of the language and scripture, I've never seen this as a viable translation of the text. </div><div>
</div><div>I think it's important to remember that Biblical standards should ONLY be applied to those in a relationship with Christ. We cannot expect that society will follow our standards without a love relationship. Without the love of Christ, none of the laws mean anything. </div>

mrandmrsbrist · February 2012

Emily and Rebecca have already said everything I was going to say.

ochemjenn · February 2012

Thanks, ladies! Sometimes stuff I read gets me confused, but it makes much more sense now. I think you all brought up a good point about loving others despite their sins. I think maybe a lot of people who criticize Christians for being judgmental don't realize that it's the sin (whatever it is - we're all sinners) that we don't like, but we still love the person.

Frustrating.

Re: Frustrating.

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