Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!uwm.edu!lll-winken!sun-barr!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: tblake@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu (Thomas Blake) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Biblical Sexual Morality Message-ID: Date: 20 Mar 91 08:48:37 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: State University of New York at Binghamton Lines: 119 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu >> *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 > Ken replies in part... >Tom, I think the reason this sin is singled out as "special" is because >those committing it are teaching others (by example) that it is OK to >do so. There are certain qualifications to be an elder (or overseer) >in a church. Read Titus 1. Listed in there is "blameless, the husband >of one wife, just, holy..." That being the case we wouldn't want >to ordinate a professing thief (who continues to promote thievery by >example) would we? >[...] But you see, I think we are all in agreement that theivery is a sin. I honestly do not know if Homosexuality is a sin. I'll grant that it is clearly spoken against in the Bible. Leviticus 19:19 "Obey my commands. Do not crossbreed domestic animals. Do not plant two kinds of seed in the same field. Do not wear clothes made of two kinds of material." (TEV) Leviticus 19:26:28 "Do not eat any meat with blood still in it. Do not practice any kind of magic. 27 Do not cut the hair on the sides of your head or trim your beard 28 or tattoo yourselves or cut gashes in your body to mourn for the dead. I am the Lord." (TEV) The Bible is full of injuctions that we choose to ignore. Even though many of us know it by heart, let me cite Matthew 22:34-40 34 When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees; they came together, 35 and one of them, a teacher of the Law, tried to trap him with a question. 36 "Teacher", he asked, "which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 Jesus answered, "`Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the greatest and the most important commandment. 39 The second most important commandment is like it: `Love your neighbor as you love yourself.' 40 The whole Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets depend on these two commandments." (TEV) Given these two commandments, I believe theivery is obviously a sin. (If I love my neighbor, I won't steal my neighbor's property.) Similarly, all of the "10 Commandments" I feel can be logically derived from these two. *Is* homosexuality a sin? I *personally* find male homosexuality distasteful. But I don't know if it is a sin. If love is to be the guide to Christian behaviour, some of the most "Christian" people I know are homosexuals. Indeed, of the people I know with faith in Jesus Christ, some of those with the strongest faith are homosexuals. I find myself dwelling on Romans 14. Paul is mostly speaking about the question of unclean food, (this must have been a topic of some division in the church of Rome, [imagine the Jews and Gentiles on *this* one!]). These were important laws to the Jews! Just to get the flavor of 14: Romans 14:1-4 Welcome the person who is weak in faith, but do not argue with him about his personal opinions. 2 One person's faith allows him to eat anything, bu the person who is weak in the faith eats only vegetables. 3 The person who will eat anything is not to despise the one who doesn't; while the one who eats only vegetables is not to pass judgement on the one who will eat anything; for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge the servant of someone else? It is his own Master who will decide whether he succeeds or fails. And he will succeed, because the Lord is able to make him succeed. (TEV) Romans 14:19-23 So then, we must always aim* at those things that bring peace and that help strengthen one another. 20 Do not, because of food, destroy what God has done. All foods may be eaten, but it is wrong to eat anything that will cause someone else to fall into sin. 21 The right thing to do is to keep from eating meat, drinking wine, or doing anything else that will make your brother fall. 22 Keep what you believe about this matter, then, between yourself and God. Happy is the person who does not feel guilty when he does something he judges is right! 23 But if he has doubts about what he eats, God condemns him when he eats it, because his action is not based on faith. And anything that is not based on faith is sin. * we must always aim; some manuscripts have we always aim (TEV) It seems to me that Paul's guidance is that whether the eating of certain foods is a sin or not depends on the eater's faith, and is a matter between them and God. The eater must however not cause another to sin by their actions. If we were to extend this to homosexuality, it seems to me... If the homosexual's conscience is not bothered by their homosexuality then it is not for us to judge. But, the homosexual must also respect the beliefs of those who feel that homosexuality is a sin. Certainly if a homosexual were to seduce another who believed homosexuality to be a sin then they both sin. (Certainly causing a neighbor to commit what they consider a sin is not loving that neighbor.) Your citing of Titus is well taken. Keeping Paul in mind it might be best not to ordain a homosexual to serve parishioners who considered homosexuality a sin, but if the parishioners *did not* consider homosexuality a sin, would it still be impropper? I still *do not know* if homosexuality is a sin, but I am not willing to dismiss out-of-hand those very good people I know who are homosexuals. Tom Blake SUNY-Binghamton