If the Bible is indeed the Word of God, perfect and without error, then the issue is settled. Homosexuality is a sin and we must condemn it's practice. However, if the Bible is the writings of men who were only capable of seeing dimly, as if in a mirror, the way Paul described it, then we have a long way to go before we settle the question.
John's teaching concerning the third person of the trinity, God's Holy Spirit, has that person leading us into truth, and not a book...even if that book is called "the Holy Bible."
I maintain that the conservative doctrine that the Bible is the express Word of God, perfect and without error, is a heresy. This doctrine is a heresy as the ancient Greeks used the word, a teaching or attitude which us used to cause divisiveness in the community. It is used by the conservatives to separate out those who do not accept a divinely inspired Bible, in the same manner as Jesus describes the shepherd separating out the sheep from the goats. It is also a heresy in the manner that the church uses the word, a false doctrine which might lead to the worship of a false God. It elevates the book into the status of God.
If, as I believe, God is leading us to openly accept and affirm those with differing sexual orientations and gender identities that the "norm," the doctrine of an inerrant Bible must be destroyed. Not only must we object to this doctrine when we find it among the conservatives, the Fundamentalists, the Orthodox, the Pentecostal and the Charismatic, but we must also object to this doctrine when we find it in those Churches and believers which do support the claim of the gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgendered and transvestite, that God accepts them on equal status with the straight.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 3:28 the following words, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” As we consider these words, there are those who argue that this passage is the authority to approve homosexuals. Anyone who arrives at this conclusion has failed to examine carefully the context of the passage under consideration. The Apostle Paul is not providing permission or approval for homosexual activities or relationships. He is indeed, providing information about the subject of salvation. In the previous verses, vv. 26-27, Paul discussed the subject of salvation in Christ. He argued that we are all sons of God through obedient faith in Christ Jesus, and that all those who obey the gospel being baptized into Christ, have put on Christ (v. 27). The message of Galatians 3:28 is one in which Paul emphasizes the fact that concerning the salvation of man, we can all be recipients of it, so long as we are obedient to God. In the book of Acts, Peter made the following comment, “Then Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘In truth I perceived that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him” (Acts
Christian Fundamentalists translate verse 22 of Leviticus 18 to say, “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.” This makes it clear that Christian fundamentalists are against homosexuality. The commentary states, “Homosexuality is absolutely forbidden, for it is an enormous sin.” Fundamentalist Christians view the Bible as the word of God in plain sense. They believe that the Bible is the closest and truest version of God’s actual words, since they believe that God spoke
People, specifically in the U.S., have gone from viewing the bible as “The absolute, unchanging word of God,” to, “A collection of guidelines, allegories, myths, and stories useful for good living. Offensive versus must be igno...
Fag. Poof. Fairy. Homo. Dyke. Those are all words that are used on a daily basis to put down those who do not fit into the Bible’s supposed cookie-cutter, straight sexual orientation label. Homophobia has been around since the eleven hundreds, but before then homosexuality was viewed as healthy, normal, and at times it was even worshipped. However, society’s view of homosexuality has somehow been warped into a violently negative opinion. How did this happen? The main perpetrators of homophobia are the Bible and those who preach its word, or at least their version of its word. Which brings up the translation issues scattered throughout the Bible. The New Testament was written in Greek and there are not always direct translations of each word in English. The messages in the Bible that are said to condemn homosexuality can be interpreted in a more accepting way than they are usually preached.
Even though humans wrote the text, translating it and passing it down from generations to generations, God’s truth is unchanging. Debates of the inerrancy of the bible cannot usurp God as the King of grace. Instead of focusing on the inerrancy of the Bible, individuals who wish to seek a life of faith should focus on the inspiration God is showing them in his word. These revelations should move them into applicable, daily life changing implications from what they have learned. God shows revelations of himself through the Bible, and his character is revealed time and time again throughout scripture. Any faulty facts or discrepancies in grammar or data, should not take away from the value that scripture holds. When we read scripture we bring new meaning of interpretations of the truths God shows us, since new eras and environmental factors will be influential on how we process information. The bible is not just a fact book, telling humans stories of the past, but instead the bible is inspired instructions for how we can deal with spiritual and ethical encounters we
According to The Bible, homosexuality is a sin in Romans 1:26-27 and Corinthians 6:9. In Romans 1: 26-27, The Bible clearly states homosexuality as being a sin by saying, “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty of their error.” (New International Version). Corinthians 6:9 also states homosexuality as being wrong by stating, “Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men.” (New International Version). Even though homosexuality is “classified” as a sin, there is no specific methodology to overcoming any sin, and with no specific methodology from The Bible, Conversion Therapy can not be solely biblically based
The Holy Bible and its various renditions is the most common religious book that many religions have founded from. The first collection of writings of the bible can be dated back as far as 1500 years, which is 3500 years after homosexuality existed. The bible looks at homosexuality as an abomination and sinful, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination” (Leviticus 18:22), “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality . . .” (1 Corinthians 1:26-28). There are nearly eighty bible verses about homosexuality being sinful and sacrilegious (Open Bible). Not all religions had the same view on homosexuals,
The most highly referenced and revered as sacred are The King James Version, considered a masterpiece of English literature, The Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, The Aprocrypha, the books believed left out of some bibles, The Vulgate, the Latin Bible used for centuries by the Roman Catholic religion, and The Septuagint, the first ancient Greek translation of the Tanakh (Geisler and Nix 15, McCallum 4). The Bible is considered a sacred text by three major world religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Many believers consider it to be the literal truth. Others treat it with great respect, but believe that it was written by human beings and, thus is often contradictory in its tenets.
Indeed, as we have already observed, it is contrary to God’s law. God’s love for homosexuals is no less than His love for the liar, the thief, and the pedophile. He sent Jesus into the world and then revealed his life and teaching and the purpose of his death and resurrection through the gospel, in order that you and I might be saved from our sin. The conditions for ALL sinners are the same: You must believe in the Lord Jesus, repent of your sins and be baptized (immersed) in water for the forgiveness of your sins (Acts 2:36-38). After which, you are raised to walk in the newness of life (Romans 6:1-14).
For centuries now Christians have claimed to possess the special revelation of an omnipotent, loving Deity who is sovereign over all of His creation. This special revelation is in written form and is what has come to be known as The Bible which consists of two books. The first book is the Hebrew Scriptures, written by prophets in a time that was before Christ, and the second book is the New Testament, which was written by Apostles and disciples of the risen Lord after His ascension. It is well documented that Christians in the context of the early first century were used to viewing a set of writings as being not only authoritative, but divinely inspired. The fact that there were certain books out in the public that were written by followers of Jesus and recognized as being just as authoritative as the Hebrew Scriptures was never under debate. The disagreement between some groups of Christians and Gnostics centered on which exact group of books were divinely inspired and which were not. The debate also took place over the way we can know for sure what God would have us include in a book of divinely inspired writings. This ultimately led to the formation of the Biblical canon in the next centuries. Some may ask, “Isn’t Jesus really the only thing that we can and should call God’s Word?” and “Isn’t the Bible just a man made collection of writings all centered on the same thing, Jesus Christ?” This paper summarizes some of the evidences for the Old and New Testament canon’s accuracy in choosing God breathed, authoritative writings and then reflects on the wide ranging
... God’s word, and it provides humanity with his truth and revelation. His word is a guide to live by, and through his word, all is made clear. No doctrine or faith in Christianity should stray from the word of God. His word is pure and holy, and it reveals his plans and love for all.
The topic of homosexuality in religion has many sides. There are those who believe that it is a sin in God’s eyes and according to the Bible, and there are those who believe the God and the Bible are not specific to homosexuals. It is a tough debate based on whether you are a religious person, how you were raised, and where your morals and ethics stand. You cannot truly believe one way without taking into account the other side and have valid proof to back it up.
Homosexuality dates back to times when even before the bible was being written. Some examples of homosexuality references in the bible are in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, and Romans 1:26-27. The bible, however, does not state anything about 2 women being together. The reason for this is because at the time, men usually married more than one woman (this is still happening, as it is a cultural normal for some cultures). In many cultures it is unacceptable to be gay.
God wrote the Bible. Who can give a better explanation of who God is than God
Many Christians have never fully read the bible and base their understanding of it on word of mouth. Looking at it closer, one would notice that many parts of the bible are not of any use or are mostly rejected in today’s society, which is why we should reevaluate its teachings and revoke any that are no longer needed. Even the Pope has gone against scripture that is unacceptable in our world today. “If they accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to judge them?” This is a quote from Pope Francis, stating that as long as a person does good, who is anyone to judge them. In the Old Testament it says, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.” (NKJ, Leviticus 18:22) and “If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.” (NKJ, Leviticus 20:13) Not only do these quotes condemn homosexuality they illustrate the lack of equality due to the lack of representation of women in the law. In the New Testament, Jesus never directly mentions homosexuality, but instead condemns all forms of sexual immoral behavior. “What comes out of