Post by Cerb on May 14, 2012 11:29:02 GMT -5
I'll say for the record that the bible only explicitly forbids homosexuality in leviticus, and it is one of the 613 mitzvahs.
The NT doesn't mention homosexuality much at all and the only direct mention of same sex that springs to mind is in Romans, where Paul speaks about a pagan fertility ceremony. You also have to consider that Paul was a pharisee and had lived under the Jewish laws all of his life.
Nowhere in the NT have I ever found a single reference by Jesus on the subject.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
Again, a letter written by Paul. Again, Jesus didn't speak out against it.
You've got leviticus and you've got Paul, but that's it.
I'm speaking as a Christian here. I've studied the bible specifically looking for justification of treating homosexuals differently.
I agree, it's a sin in the eyes of God according to leviticus. No arguments, but by the same book so is eating shellfish. I'm not saying they aren't still sins. Certainly they are.
What I am saying is that Jesus, in my mind at least, came back to address the issues humans were having with living according to the Jewish law.
More to the point though Jesus seemed pretty fond of treating sinners with kindness, respect, and love. He might warn them of their sinful path but he never treated them differently.
We now come to the point of judgment. I for one am not qualified to look on anyone's behavior and say "Yep, he's a sinner.". That job is already filled and it is in no way a Christian's job to try and replace the present incumbent.
The bottom line is the rule of law in a constitutional republic.
1. The constitution is intended to preserve freedom, it is not intended to preserve freedom for some people, but all people.
2. The constitution in no way defines who can have a civil union. Perhaps if the people who originally wrote it had forseen this situation they might have put something in. Nobody knows.
Finally, we should not be putting in laws that restrict freedom. It's against everything that I consider to be American.