Which verses in Leviticus do you interpret literally?

Question

Serious question to the fundamentalists.

You quote Leviticus as it relates to homosexuality, and say we should interpret the verses literally.

However, when Leviticus says that a woman shouldn't enter the church during her menstrual period, or that you shouldn't wear a cloth of more than one fibers, or that you shouldn't eat certain meats...the fundies say this is no longer to be interpreted literal.

So, how do you pick and choose?

Some will say not to pay attention to the old testament, that the old was abolished by Jesus, blah, blah blah.

But even in the New Testament...again, you will point at what the Apostle Paul writes in Corinthians about homosexuality and say to follow that literally...but, when he talks about the subjective role of women, that they shouldn't speak at church...you say, we should not interpret that literally.

It seems you select the "sins" that don't affect you as literal...and explain away the others.

Answer 1

You know what I think. Certain fundies hate gayness so much, that if undisputible evidence and scholarship surfaced indicating the Bible does not condemn homosexuality (some say the new testament speaks only against male prostitutes), then they would resort to 'personal revalation' or something to justify their disdain.

They only use the Bible because it is convinient.

Answer 2

You make a good point about women preaching in the church its a sin, and before 1988 very few women preached now that the church age is over however and Satan rules in churches they have abandoned the law of God and make up their own. women preaching in churches is one of the best evidences to the end of the church age.


I Peter 4:17

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

Matthew 24:15-16

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains.

and dont worry about what sins you commit thats why Jesus came because we all fall short of the glory of God

Romans 3:10-12

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

so instead of tryin to wonder whats a sin and what isnt just hope that God will save you and read the King James bible
because God can save you if your a homosexual or a murderer or a thief or any kind of sinner,

Romans 9:15

....I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

so hope that he decides to have compassion on you thats all u can do is hope.

but if u still want to wonder why homosexuality is a sin its because God made you a man or a woman and you can have babies with the opposite sex, but some men and women think that God is wrong and they are gonna have sex like a woman does if they are a man. you see they just want to rebel against God which is the reason its a sin. take for example murder its a sin to choose whether someone dies or not but if your a soldier in a war its not a sin to kill someone or if u are the man who injects a condemned man you are not sinning because God wants that.

Answer 3

That is such a good question. It will be interesting on how many different answers you get. But that is so true, there are parts of the Bible that they use to support their stance, but then other ones they explain away. And they explain those away without even a second thought. It is the word of God, except in certain places, where you must interpret, but then other places do not apply at all, but it is perfect because God wrote it, but then only the parts that support their belief God wrote, blah, blah, blah. That is so tiresome to hear that ramble all the time.

Answer 4

hmmm, that is certainly food for thought!

I guess that I interpret it all in this way:
I am a Pentecostal Christian
I love Jesus
I have asked him to forgive me for my sins
and asked that he be my savior
I know I will continue to sin and will continually have to ask for forgiveness
I think everything applies in the old and new testament and that you just have to try your best to be as obedient as possible
I know it makes God happy when we love and give and share and are compassionate and understanding
I know that if people are punished by God for being gay people will also be punished for cheating on their wives, for lying, for doing drugs, for having hate in their hearts, etc

ok I may be rambling a little but my final answer is I dont pick and choose. I am who I am. Guilty of what I am guilty of. I am born a sinner but I try my best not to sin....does that make sense?

I wish people would stop criticizing the homosexual community

Answer 5

those verses can basically be taken actually. there's no different way. what's a "figurative" stoning? Like fairly some verses of the bible, they could in basic terms be observed and rejected. there is a lot it incredibly is horrifyingly incorrect interior the bible. Take Deuteronomy 23 - "no one whose testicles are overwhelmed or whose penis is decrease off would be admitted to the assembly of the Lord." truly?!? Do they examine earlier? we are able to correctly reject maximum of the "morality" of the bible.

Answer 6

These crazy fundies on here LOVE to pick and choose the verses they believe.

Answer 7

Cafeteria Christianity is as old as the religion itself....as is Cafeteria Islam, Cafeteria Judaism, etc.

Answer 8

It is true that many professed Christians treat the scriptures like a salad bar, picking what they want and leaving the rest behind. But that is not the way true Christians conduct themsleves. Indeed, true worshipers of God accept God's word the Bible in its entirety.

Those laws found in the Hebrew scriptures – all 613 statutes and regulations – are no longer in effect. This is made plain in the Christian Greek scriptures. How do we know this? Galatians 3:24 plainly teaches that the Law (all 613) was a tutor to lead the Jews to the Messiah. Then the apostle Paul very plainly says in verse 25 that the Jews are no longer under law. Why? Because Christ fulfilled the law. That is why Paul explains at Ephesians 2:15 that Christ – at his sacrifice- abolished the law. At Colossians 2:14, the apostle Paul again makes it plain to the congregation at Colossae that the law (all 613) was nailed to the torture stake along with Christ. That there is no longer any Mosaic law covenant in force, there can be no doubt.

As for intimate sexual relations between persons of the same gender (commonly referred to as homosexuality), it is everywhere commanded against in scripture. Not just in the law covenant. But also before the law covenant came into being. Why do we say so? Consider, please, the account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. These cities were destroyed by holy angels long before the law covenant came into being. Now some say the destruction was because of their lack of hospitality. Still others say it was for their gross sins of rape. But what does God's word the Bible say? At Jude verses 6 and 7, Jude, under divine inspiration, makes it plain that the angels that forsook their heavenly abode to come to earth and have immoral sexual relations with women (before the flood) are now reserved in eternal bonds for their future destruction. Notice verse 7: according to the NAS Bible: " just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example . . . " Here the Bible says that those of Sodom and Gomorrah committed the same sort of gross immorality as the angels. The Greek word is porneia. It is an umbrella term that is translated as fornication. It includes many different sexual acts but fornication is always condemned in scripture. Always. And sexual intimacy between two people of the same gender is described as fornication here and elsewhere. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, according to Jude, is set before us a warning example.

I know that this is a hot button topic and a sensitive issue. People fall in love – people want to be together. People want to express that love intimately. That includes people of the same gender. It sometimes even includes people who are fleshly brother and sister. But every expression of love and every intimate act is NOT acceptable to God. He determines what is and what is not acceptable. And a consideration of all scriptures – only a few of which have been considered above – shows that intimate sexual relations between people of the same gender is condemned by God as fornication. Those who wish to be acceptable to God must make changes in their lives and conform their behavior to meet his high standards.

As for women teaching in the congregation, it is forbidden, just as you say. It is not forbidden for them to speak but to take the lead in teaching. True Christian women do not teach in the congregation. They do not attempt to take the lead and usurp the position that Christ gave to the men as respects teaching and shepherding the congregation. There are over 97,000 congregations of Jehovah's Christian Witnesses worldwide - not one woman teaches in any one of these congregations. Not one woman attempts to take the lead and usurp the position of qualified men. There are Christians who accept the word of God in its entirety and try very hard to conduct themselves in accord with God's standards.

Hannah J Paul

Answer 9

don't listen to the ones that change with the world to agree with the world...The church is sepearte from the world......we should follow all the bible...if not we get questions like yours and disorder follows.

plus sex is a greater crime toward God......you can not put talking in church to sex...or eating to sex.

Answer 10

None of them.

The whole book (old and new testaments) is mythology and historical fiction.