Theology Article on Homosexuality...Very Interesting!
Theology Article on Homosexuality...Very Interesting!
bernadette88
Broadway Star Joined: 5/28/03
#0Theology Article on Homosexuality...Very Interesting!
Posted: 10/1/05 at 6:01pm
Thought you guys mind find this interesting, I know I did!
Church Tradition Only Condemn Homosexuality Not The Bible
Overview
How does the Bible address homosexuality - the word didn't even exist until 1869? The word first appeared in Germany to describe the theory that from birth some people are predisposed toward persons of the same sex. Since the biblical languages (Hebrew and Greek) had no words for heterosexual or homosexual, it is anachronistic and misleading when homosexual is used to translate a biblical text. It is wrong to proclaim the biblical view of homosexuality since there is none. This violates the integrity of the individual texts and the biblical witness as a whole. Each reference to what is today homosexuality must be read in the light of the particular literary, cultural, and historic contexts of any particular passage.
If Jesus ever said anything about homosexuality, it is not recorded in the Bible, even mistranslated. He did, however, speak extensively on God's unconditional love. Yet instead of dwelling on biblical love, Christians have historically been more concerned with obscure passages of Levitical cleanliness codes and Paul's misunderstood comments in Romans. Instead of focusing on the incredible injustice and hatred demonstrated by Christians and others, tying to deny homosexuals even basic civil rights, people appear more concerned with the specific homosexual acts between consenting adults who are naturally have a homosexual orientation. As James B. Nelson notes, the Bible more clearly advocates a "love ethic" rather than a "sex ethic."
Detailed Biblical Study Of Homosexuality
Traditional Church teaching falsely misuses the Bible to judge the homosexual lifestyle. True Biblical theology begins not with Church tradition and dogma but with the biblical texts themselves. Biblical theology seeks to understand how the biblical authors expressed themselves in the Koine Greek of the time (not expanded by later modern greek meanings), in terms of their culture. Only with this understanding is it legitimate to define biblical sexual ethics of the NT and find implications for today.
There is little said in the bible about homosexuality because it was no big deal! It occupied a prominent and respected position in most Greek and Roman cities at all levels of society and among a substantial part of the population. There are only 4 scriptures that are taken to say anything about homosexuality; the Leviticus laws, I Cor 6:9, Romans 1:26-27, and the story of Sodom and Gomorrah - and none address loving, consenting homosexual acts as we know them today.
There are over 600 individual "laws" in the Levitical code, the breaking of anyone of which would make the sinner unclean and unacceptable to God. It is an abomination to eat pork, etc. The law is no longer in effect and its purpose was to show that man could never follow it. The sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, likewise have nothing to do with homosexuality.
I Cor 6:9, no way refers to homosexuality. The original Greek word often quoted as sexual immorality, Paul used was "porneia" which means "a harlot for hire". In Corinth in the temples of Venus, the principal deity of Corinth, where Christians went to worship, a thousand public prostitutes were kept at public expense to glorify and act as surrogates for the fertility Gods. This sex with the pagan Gods is what Paul was talking about - fornication is an admitted mistranslation and has nothing to do with gays or singles sex. This rendering reflected the bias of the translators rather than an accurate translation of Paul's words to a culture of 2000 years ago worshipping pagan sex gods.
Romans 1:26-27 mentions homosexual acts performed by people who are clearly described as heterosexual. The men in the NT patriarchal culture exerted dominance not only over women, but over younger males as well. The nature of homosexual acts in the Bible are so very different from what we know as homosexuality today that the passages have no application to today's homosexuality. Such practices as in NT times simply no longer exist. Alleged references to homosexuality in I Corinthians and I Timothy are the inventions of anti-gay translators. They are not in the original Greek texts.
#1re: Theology Article on Homosexuality...Very Interesting!
Posted: 10/1/05 at 7:30pm
Interesting...
"It is an abomination to eat pork, etc. The law is no longer in effect and its purpose was to show that man could never follow it."
Uh, that is a serious problem in the article. I'm Jewish, I don't eat pork -- that law has obviously been followed by Jews for thousands of years. How does that act as a suitable example? I realize that this has been written in light of Christianity, but still. Christianity didn't exist when the Torah was written.
Plum
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/4/04
#2re: Theology Article on Homosexuality...Very Interesting!
Posted: 10/1/05 at 7:44pmChristians don't need to follow all the Leviticus rules. Something about Jesus giving them a new covenant or something.
#3re: Theology Article on Homosexuality...Very Interesting!
Posted: 10/1/05 at 9:12pm
Right. Supposedly, Jesus was the new covenant so the old testament was overwritten. But wasn't the story of Sodam and Gomorrah in the old testament?
#4re: Theology Article on Homosexuality...Very Interesting!
Posted: 10/1/05 at 9:14pmThat's Sodom. Saddam is a completely different entity.
#5re: Theology Article on Homosexuality...Very Interesting!
Posted: 10/1/05 at 9:16pmSaddam is the former ruler of Iraq. Sodom is a Biblical city.
#6re: Theology Article on Homosexuality...Very Interesting!
Posted: 10/1/05 at 9:19pmThat's what I get for using spellcheck. I was in the city all day. My brain is mud.
Dollypop
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
#7re: Theology Article on Homosexuality...Very Interesting!
Posted: 10/1/05 at 9:21pmYou were in the city of Sodom? Oh, my!
The Grovers Corners Yenta
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/3/04
#8re: Theology Article on Homosexuality...Very Interesting!
Posted: 10/1/05 at 9:23pmReminds me of that song from FINIAN'S RAINBOW. " How Are Things In Sodom and Gommorah? "
#9re: Theology Article on Homosexuality...Very Interesting!
Posted: 10/1/05 at 9:25pmShe must have been, Dolly, because most of us are in the city all day every day, and we know the difference...
#10re: Theology Article on Homosexuality...Very Interesting!
Posted: 10/1/05 at 9:33pmI know the difference. I was actually checking Gomorrah. I spellchecked and then didn't check...lol. Yeah, you may be in the city all day every day, but I was an absolute country Tennessee girl this time last week. I had a 9 hour conference and then tried get some shopping done, pick up dinner and back to meet with friends. Eh, no excuse for stupidity, I s'pose.
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