God and Homosexuality? Part 2?

Question

OK, some of the answers to my question "God and Homosexuality?" have avoided my question altogether by pointing the finger at me and saying that I'm judging people. Regardless if I'm being judgmental, I really would like some honest, intelligent answers to my question, if possible. I don't see how contrasting what the bible says with how people live their lives makes me judgmental. No one would call me that if I pointed out that an unrepentant career thief or murderer could not possibly be in good standing with God, yet He condemns these things the same as he does the practice of homosexuality. If the kettle's black, then dog- gonnit it's black, OK! Anyway, call me what you will but please answer the question seriously without dodging it. Acts 26:20 says people need to repent AND do works worthy of repentance. Let's apply that to homosexuality the same as we would murder. In order to repent and be worthy of it, wouldn't you have to STOP the wrongdoing? Change is a must- COL 3:9, 10.

Answer 1

Well part of the reason you won't get an answer that satisfies you is because everyone has very different viewpoints on the origins and veracity of the Bible. There are those who believe that we must take what the Bible says literally, that every single word in there as it is right now has been written directly by God Himself. There will never be any argument that satisfies people who believe this about the Bible. I could be wrong, but I'm guessing you are one of the Christians who believes this particular view of the Bible.

Now, other Christian denominations that have just as much legitimacy as the denominations referred to above have a very different view of the Bible. These branches of Christianity believe that the Bible is God's word as written down by man. God is infallible, but man isn't. Man constantly makes mistakes, and he's had 2000 years to keep making mistakes with the message in the Good Book. If you keep that viewpoint in mind then the Bible is more like a 2000-year-old game of Telephone like you played when you were a kid.

So in those denominations there is no problem with accepting and loving homosexual people just the way they are. Because they realize that since there are many other rules in the Bible that don't apply anymore, it's possible that the Bible was wrong about this thing, too. For example some things that are allowed according to the Bible include slavery and denying a woman's right to vote. Some things that were forbidden in the Bible are: eating shellfish, being clean-shaven, getting a tattoo, laying in the same bed with a woman when she's on her period, and the list goes on.

Now I don't know about you but I know many good heterosexual Christian men who got a tattoo when serving in the military, shave every day before going to work, and might take their families out to eat at a seafood restaurant and order the lobster. Then they go home and crawl into bed with their wife who happened to start her period that day. I don't believe that these men are sinning by doing these things, do you? Are these everyday behaviors things that they need to repent about?

In my opinion it is impossible for the Bible to be the un-diluted Word of God. Men have had a hold of the written version of the Word for way too long for it to be without mistakes anymore. But the things is we don't know which things are the mistakes and which things aren't. If you're more interested in why I feel that way then go ahead and read my little telephone-timeline below. If not that's okay, too.

I hope this helps! :)

Oh, and P.S. I've also come across Christian denominations that would say your use of the phrase doggonit would count as taking the Lord's name in vain. See, it's a replacement phrase but everyone knows what you really mean. Dog is backwards for God, and gonnit is really damnit. Now I don't believe that and I don't believe you have to repent for that. But other Christians might. See how messy interpreting messages can be??

So let's follow that telephone line for a bit:

!. God hands down his Word to man.

2. This bunch of men write some documents about God's Word. Some of these men knew Jesus, others didn't. Some of these men knew one another, others didn't. Some of these men wrote in Arameic, some in Hebrew, some in Latin. These men add their own flavor to their writings, making it no longer the pure Word of God.

3. The Romans decided that Christianity would be the official religion and all of this stuff about Christ's life needed to be gathered together to make it easier to give it to the people in the empire.

4. A group of people got together and decided which documents written by the original batch of men would make the cut. Many documents were discarded in the process and never made it into the Bible. In this step the Word, written down by fallible men in step 2, is cut shorter than the original version, thereby losing some of His Message.

5. The Book needs to be translated into one language before it's officially the Bible. It was translated into Latin. Languages do not always translate well, as some phrases can be translated in more than one way and it's not always easy to tell which translation is appropriate. So in this step the Word written down by fallible men in step 2, and cut short in step 4, is translated by yet another batch of fallible men. So by this point the Word has already been translated twice!

6. The Word spread through the empire quickly. Eventually there came a high demand for the Bible to be translated into other languages, including English. Now, it would be bad enough if this meant that the Bible was translated yet another time by fallible men, bringing the count up to three translations. But it gets worse than that. There are many English translations of the Bible: King James, New International, American Standard, New Living, Revised Standard, and the list goes on. And the English Bibles don't all agree with one another. So at this point the Bible has been translated many many times, and there are many many versions out there.

***If the Bible were truly God's unadulturated Word then each version of the Bible from every language, if it were read by a man who knew every world language fluently, would read as exactly the same to him. And they don't read as exactly the same, even when just comparing Bibles within the same language.***

Answer 2

I feel I have the experience to give you a thorough answer. I myself have had sexual excitement toward other women. I have had an initial sexual lesbian experience and found it to be not what i enjoyed. I seem to find observing women now that what i truly enjoy is the thought that i want to look like her. It's not sexual. I did these things and I find I no longer have the desire yet i have dreams about it. Well not so much now but ten years ago. I believe because we are so far from perfection that indeed a person with the mind and desire of a woman could be born into a man's body. I believe that if you are single it is not difficult to say no if you love Jehovah more than yourself. As to the continued desire that is homosexual for a brother is to say he must fight it. As i have fought it. Jehovah can help you win your fight and there is no doubt that if you draw close to Jehovah you won't have a lot of free time to ponder such desires, always having plenty to do in the work of the lord. be steadfast ands persistant in prayer to head off wrong desires and pray every time it comes up into your heart. Agape { my daughter is gay and not in the truth}

Answer 3

My new american standard points every reference to the word homosexual to a phrase "those who commit the sins of the sodomites". I looked this up in an exaustive concordance. Everyplace in the bible, both old and new testament, that is translated homosexual, comes back to this same phrase. When I read the stroy of Lotts exodus from Sodom, I don't see a story about what 2 men might have done behind closed doors. I see a story about an angry mob of gang rapists using terror to get what they want. To me, the fact that they are gang rapists Faaaar outweighs whether they gay or straight gang rapists. I think every time the word Homosexual appears in the bible, it should have read "gang rapist" or "rapist" at least. The mistaken idea that their sins had to be homosexual seems to come from the definition of the word "Sodom" which means "to enter thru the rear". This may be where we got the word Sodomy, but Sodom, the city wasn't named because it had a gay reputation. The city was arranged up against a mountain and you had to walk around the city all the way to the back to enter. So the city was named Sodom because that meant, to enter thru the rear. Now, I'm not saying it wasn't a vile place. Obviously it was or God wouldnt have done what he did. But I am saying that if Sodom is synonamous with any particular sin, it would have to be gang rape. Meaning that most of the churches teaching about homosexuality is probably wrong or at least way overzealous.

Answer 4

How can you really tell if those writings were the opinions of God or someone else who didn't have basic knowledge or education about human sexuality?
There were three documented homosexual relationships in the bible, but people seem to disregard this and quote the bible with sayings that somehow can't be translated and are in black and white about homosexuality. But, when it comes to other things that are quoted as sins we can determine that they don't apply to this day and age?
Regardless, I do believe in God and I am gay and I will never let anyone make me feel like my prayers will never get answered because i choose to have a healthy mentality about myself.
I believe you are not disregarding the fact that homosexuality is about being yourself and loving yourself the way you are and that is what the Jesus has taught us to do and live everyday.
You are using the Bible as a form of idoltry and not education.

Answer 5

From a true Christian perspective, yes, you are right. Also, Jesus gave a command to us all to not be doing certain things and He also clearly let us know that, adulterers, thieves, fornicators, liars..... would not be allowed into Heaven. He commands more than lip service and by the way, homosexuality is more than just a sin, God calls it an abomination and is classified along with witchcraft and bestiality. That is in the Bible and is not just from my own opinion. So, no hate mail people. I am not "homophobic." But I do my best to follow what God and Christ Jesus command us to do. Jesus commanded repentance, NOT tolerance.
To the female below me. As far as homosexual relationships in the Bible, you don't know what you are talking about. If you are referring to David and his love for Jonathon, that was not in a homosexual way. There is more than one kind of love. By the way, Jesus would NOT condone homosexuality and He did and does regard it as something to repent from. He made it quite clear as well as Paul did in his writings. You claim to be a Christian and then turn around and say the Bible is wrong? That is an oxymoron. You are either a Christian and believe in the Bible and that what Jesus said and commanded was by the authority of God the Father Jehovah, or you are just into some "new age" religion that is a false Christianity and you are fooling yourself. How can you be a "Christian and say Jesus was and is a liar?

Answer 6

I read and believe in the bible but you have to realize and respect that not everybody does. Why would somebody repent when they don't think it's wrong?

Answer 7

I really don't understand what your question is exactly but YES homosexuality is WRONG and if you go by the bible then you would have to stop that act. That also goes back to Genesis when God destroyed Sodem and Gamora. He destroyed that city because of homosexuality. It's wrong plain and simple. Now I'm not saying to turn your back on those people because they need to know the truth even that of murders. A sin is a sin nomatter what it is or how big or small it is, If you turn away from that sin and repent then you will be forgiven.

Answer 8

I don't know if I'm getting it right, but in the bible it's written that all the commandments summarise in "love your neighbor like yourself", which means love the others. And when you love people, you don't kill them, you don't steal their properties, you don't lie to them, you don't do anything that can hurt them... it's written in the bible, right? well, how can you compare love between 2 persons and a murder? it's like comparing apple and dirt! nothin in common... and it's so easy for you to say "In order to repent and be worthy of it, wouldn't you have to STOP the wrongdoing?" you're heterosexual, naturally attracted to the opposite sex. try to put yourself in others' place, and I think you'll stop askin such questions

Answer 9

Homosexuality doesn't cause victims... it's not the same as murder.

And the Bible doesn't condemn homosexuality. If you knew what the Bible really said then you wouldn't even be asking this question.

Answer 10

Sorry, not only are you being judgmental but considering the fact that you are breaking the very "laws" that you are attempting to judge others by, you have no credibility to deserve an answer.