Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu (Chuck Hedrick) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Biblical Sexual Morality Message-ID: Date: 14 Mar 91 09:06:56 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Lines: 68 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article ALLEN@mscf.med.upenn.edu writes: > >Note that female homosexuality is not a sin because the woman makes no >contribution to the fetus and therefore she is not committing murder >by engaging in homosexual activity. This is why the Bible condemns >male homosexuality but not female homosexuality. Ah ... (I actually have a Bible today!) Romans 1:26-27 (TEV a.k.a. Good News Bible) 26 Because they do this, God has given them over to shameful passions. Even the women pervert the natural use of their sex by unnatural acts. 27 In the same way the men give up natural sexual relations with women and burn with passion for each other. Men do shameful things with each other, and as a result they bring upong themselves the punishment they deserve for their wrongdoing. So, I think we'll have to say there is Biblical condemnation of female homosexuality, but let me continue... (As Paul does) 28 Because those peope refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, he has given them over to corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not do. 29 They are filled with all kinds of wickedness, evil, greed, and vice; they are full of jealousy, murder fighting, deceit and malice. They gossip 30 and speak evil of one another; they are hateful to God, insolent, proud and boastful; they think of more ways to do evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no conscience; they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or pity for others. 32 They know that God's law says that people who live in this way deserve death. Yet, not only do they continue to do these very things, but they even approve of others who do them. Now that we're all feeling righteous, Paul comes in with his second chapter! *2* Do you, my friend, pass judgement on others? You have no excuse at all, whoever you are. For when you judge others and then do the same things which they do, you condemn yourself. 2 We know that God is right when he judges the people who do such things as these. 3 But you, my friend, do those very things for which you pass judgement on others! Do you think you will escape God's judgement? 4 Or perhaps you despise his great kindness, tolerance, and patience. Surely you know that God is kind, because he is trying to lead you to repent. 5 But you have a hard and stubborn heart, and so you are making your own punishment even greater on the Day when God's anger and righteous judgements will be revealed. 6 For God will reward every person according to what he has done. 7 Some people keep on doing good, and seek glory, honor and immortal life; to them God will give eternal life. 8 Other people are selfish and reject what is right, in order to follow what is wrong; on them God will pour out his anger and fury. 9 There will be suffering and pain for all those who do what is evil, for the Jews first and also for the Gentiles. 10 But God will give glory, honor, and peace to all who do what is good, to the Jews first and also to the Gentiles. 11 For God judges everyone by the same standard. *Is* Homosexuality a sin? There are certainly Biblical injunctions against it. But we all commit sins. We all do things which we *know* are wrong. What right have you or I to criticize another's sins when we commit so may ourselves. How many of us can even truthfully claim to obey just the 10 commandments faithfully, (let alone the many other injunctions, [among them homosexuality]). Yet we have singled out this sin as special. *This* sin is the one over which we divide congregations. Tom Blake SUNY-Binghamton