The Bible clearly says homosexuality is a sin and an abomination What then?

Question

If this is so (Corinthians 6.9), how is it that the Protestant church in America has ordained a homosexual bishop, with the full support of the archbishop of Canterbury in England? Aparently only he African protestants are objecting !

I have no strong views on this as it is only one of many other teachings in the Bible we have quietly droped. But if we are not going to adhere to certain teachings, because we consider them to be out of date, or against the spirit of love, which is the basis of Christianity, fine. But then let us stop this hypocrisy and delete them from the text.

Answer 1

I think the Bible and the writings of God taught us to love each other. Isn't that what it is really about? People have been trying to pick apart and understand nuances of the Bible forever. Quite generally speaking I believe that God wishes for us to love everyone, no matter what. Try it, it feels pretty good.

Answer 2

The bible is full of discrepancies. In the very first teachings we learn that Adam and eve have three sons. Cain,Able, and Seth. Cain kills Able and then marries Enoch. Where did Enoch come from? Contradictions occur all the time in the bible so to take it as a literal sense is really silly. The basic rules of procreation are very simple It takes a man and a women to populate the earth. That is why we have reproductive organs, so life can exist, and in that sense makes homosexuality wrong. Because it is soley a basis of lust. People who are gay are really a selfish lot when you think about it. Thinking only for their own well being and not the ultimate survival of the human race. Now many would argue the necessity of more populous and of coarse what about love and how could that be wrong. And in this day and age we don't need to worry about running out of people, Short of a nuclear fallout but back when the bible was written I am sure that these were things they considered. So would it be so horrid to imagine an amendment to the good book to catch it up with the times. But I don't think we need to delete them entirely. It is important to remember the way things were. We just realize that we don't live in a stone age any more. And some of the "teachings" don't apply.

Answer 3

It is becoming a consensus that the bible is not only NOT "inerrant" (without error) but is to be taken with a grain of salt because it is full of contradictions and falsehoods based upon a first century Middle Eastern point of view.
Even the sayings of Jesus are suspect since they were altered to fit the type of religion that Paul spread many years after Jesus’ death.
If someone is homosexual there is apparently not much that can be done about it, nor would that person necessarily want to change.
In my book "The Plain Truth About God-101”, we show how Jesus only preached concern for one's personal spiritual awakening and did not make statements on issues such as homosexuality and other areas that many lay-people use as a justification for their own prejudices and biases.
Ultimately, the Jesus who emerges from the gospels is concerned with preparing the Jews for the last event in history.
It is someone who actively preaches that human beings can enter individually into a correct relationship with God.
They can do this through faith and trust in God and through an active, ethical concern with both the material well-being and the suffering of others.
The Christian religion was at first, obviously, a Jewish religion. It was a movement amongst the population in the immediate area of the land Jesus lived in. Its message aimed directly at a Jewish audience by Jews.
However, with the advent of the Prophet Paul the message changed and was geared towards a Gentile population that was eager for the “Word” as well. This is where "The Word" started to be altered and changed to fit different circumstances.
Onto this template, Paul of Tarsus would add a new emphasis - Jesus as a dead and risen God co-extensive with God. This developed into two branches, which we could call a Jewish Christian and a Pauline (Gentile) Christian.
They not only lived side by side, but also competed for the same converts. It was not until the Romans suppressed an uprising by the Jews in c A.D. 66-74 and again A.D. 132-135 that led to the destruction of Massada that the Pauline Christians gradually won out and the scripture took a decidedly apolyptical turn.
The Gentiles became the defenders of the faith while the Jewish Christians were left by the wayside.
(Actually in the ashes of Massada!)
Your faithful scribe
Allan W Janssen

Answer 4

I think the prevailing theory among may churches is that we are born with an inclination one way or the other, so its not a choice. there was never a tie when I said I am a male so I will like females.
I like the idea that denominations like the UCC are "accepting" which means homosexuals are doctrinally welcomed. I am sure that individuals in every church can still have dislike for someone's sexual preference (if they are dumb enough to be scared of it or allow it to somehow threaten their masculinity in the case of males). I like the acceptance because God is saying through the church, that we all have faults. IF the denomination is calling homosexuality a sin, then it is being considered equal to other sins in The Bible. If a denomination says we are born with the preference, then it is saying we should NOT BLAME our "brothers/sisters" as the verbiage goes for a "choice" that was made for them before their birth depending on your view of when life begins. Skeptics might say that the denominations who are accepting homosexuals are doing it to get more membership ($).
I personally know a gay man who has been appointed to some high place in the Episcopal denomination. I also know that their denomination is having a debate about their stance on homosexuality. I am related to a Methodist minister who HATES gays. I talked with him recently and he said science has not proved that "they are born that way." If you are gay, the best reception you will get (In my opinion) is in United Church of Christ churches, Pres USA DEPENDING on the church. I have attended both denominations alot and seen the treatment. If you are not so much religious, but spiritual, loosely Christian, Ethical and so on, the UCC is VERY okay with homosexuals. It the Unitarian Universalist Church. Their doctrine is wonderful. You should read it. Personally I believe all religions (not only denominations) lead to the same God.
AVOID fundamentalism at all costs, for your mental health especially. People who take The Bible literally TWIST EVERYTHING to say whatever they agree they want it to say, when every individual should have their personal relationship with God and get whatever GOD wants them to get from the Bible. I once belonged to a group called Fundamentalist Anonymous for "recovering fundamentalists." That should help.

Answer 5

The Episcopalian Church has stayed from the Word of God and as a result some Churches under their Banner are either calling themselves Anglican or have gone completely Independent because of no longer wanting to be tied to a Church that violates God's teachings.

By the way many Protestant Churches are still opposed to Homosexuality including my own which is Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS).

The Wisconsin Synod of the Lutheran Church also opposes Homosexuality whereas ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) supports Homosexuality (making me glad im with LCMS and not ELCA).

Answer 6

Just my opinion. Like Darby said about shellfish. There alot of things in the Bible that we should and shouldn't do. I think we should just use the Bible as a guide to find ways to lead our lives, rather than following it word for word. People will always find a way to get by something they don't agree with. ( Hence why there are so many religions ). Whats the difference between Adventists and Baptists?
All of the Bible was written by humanity. Words written from dreams, visions, and people who had been touched by God. If you went today and burned down a building and told everyone you did it because God told you so....Yeah....wouldn't really work nowadays. Back then countries were punished ( Sodom and Gomorrah ) for doing things they weren't supposed to. If it's bad...God will render punishment.
Sodomy is bad. LOTS of people do that. Do you know how many people don't fast when they are supposed to? I guess society is just changing. As long as people wake up the next day, they believe they have done nothing wrong and continue to live their lives. Sounds simple enough. Especially in todays age of technology and advancement.

Answer 7

The common homosexual appeal to OT dietary rules misses the point entirely.

God progressively revealed His will regarding salvation and His covenants over time. In the New Covenant, God specifically repealed the dietary laws in the book of Acts. But in both OT and NT, God is clear that homosexuality is an abomination...a sin He hates.

Mind you, that does NOT mean He hates homosexuals! They are lost sinners just the same as murderers, liars, thieves, the selfish, prideful, etc. We are ALL bound for eternal separation from Him except for His merciful grace. Living a homosexual lifestyle does not make one a "different" kind of sinner than me or anyone else.

The way of salvation, mercifully, is the same - to turn to Jesus Christ with repentance and faith.

Regarding the question about contemporary denominations, the answer is clear - they have chosen in full knowledge to disregard and disobey the clear teaching of the Bible. For that they will be held accountable by the Lord of glory.

But simply because men choose to disobey the word of God does NOT give man license to play fast and loose with the Bible, cutting out those portions he deems impractical, parochial or "out of step" with society.

Answer 8

The Protestant Church of America does NOT, as a whole, condone the ordaining of homosexuals as leaders in the church. Scripture clearly states that doing so is an abomination to the Lord, as you pointed out. The very small minority of liberals who support it get all the coverage in the media, whereas the vast majority who goes against it gets no attention whatsoever.

Answer 9

There's much truth in this 'joke':

"The Bible contains 6 admonishments to homosexuals
and 362 admonishments to heterosexuals.That
doesn't mean that G-d doesn't love heterosexuals. It's
just that they need more supervision."

Instead of deleting the text try understanding it in its proper perspective.

From a site on Judaism (you know, the people who wrote all the original admonishments against homosexuality) http://urj.org/ask/homosexuality/:


Although the sin of Sodom and Gemmorah is apparently homosexuality, later Jewish tradition, including the Biblical prophets, makes no reference to homosexuality and see the sins of Sodom and Gemmorah as cruelty and lack of hospitality to the "stranger" - xenophobia, as it were.

Reform Judaism, for the most part, seems to view the traditional prohibitions against homosexuality as mores from a bygone age.

Many, if not most, Reform Jews seem to be willing to make no great distinction between homosexual and heterosexual relationships ... both the "lay people" and the rabbis have come out very strongly in favor of civil rights for gays and lesbians. >

Answer 10

The bible clearly states that for heterosexuals to engage in homosexual behavior is an abomination.

The Bible NEVER mentions homosexuality as it is known and understood in our modern day and age. Doesn't address it once in all 66 books.

As for deleting the "unused portions of the Bible" you might want to start with about 89% of the old testament and about 60% of the new testament

When you get done, please foward me a copy. I'd be interested in the finished work.