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Replies to '06/06 "I'm Gay, OK?"'
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October 19, 2005, 1:55 pm PDT
 Quote From: tulseyjoe "bonnieh" wrote: "You people need to go back and read the bible."
Well, I do read the bible every day! I also have the quivalent of a Master of Arts in Theological and Historcial Studies (of the Bible) which I got on a transcript from an accredited university. Since I formally studied theology under university professors, most of whom had doctorates in Bible related studies and all of whom had masters degrees, I can also refer to myself as an "educated theologian." I don't know everything; but, I not only have a number of English translation Bibles in my home library, right next to the computer, I have the Old Testament in Hebrew and two versions of the Greek New Testament close at hand, also.
"Bonnieh," you, and other "Bible-Thumping Proof-texting" people, need to learn how to study the Bible, not just read it, in its historical and culture context and consider the situation in which each book of the Bible was written and attempt to get an understanding of the world-view of each of the authors and the world-view of their readers at that time, too.
In the study of literature (fiction or non-fiction and including the Bible's books), proof-texting is the taking a sentence, a paragraph, or even a chapter, out of its original context and mis-using that to to support one's opinion about something.
The "Canaanites" and their religion, culture and lifestyles which are being discussed in Leviticus chapters 18 through 20 are called "Phoenicians" in most high school and college history books and in most encyclopedias, too.
If "you people" who claim we don't read the Bible would actually read outside-of-the-Bible, aka extra-biblical, sources to understand the various non-Jewish/Hebrew/Israelite cultures and those people, called "Gentiles" in English Bibles, you will see that the scriptures you are using here in this discussion have absolutely no connection with homosexuals nor homosexuality.
No author of the Bible condemned consensual same-gender sexual activity done by those who woud be exclusively homosexual in their sexual orientation, NOT literally; NOT figuratively! Jesus never did that either.
The same-gender sexual activity that is mentioned in Romans chapter 1 takes place in pagan fertility temples. Paul writes that those men who lusted after each other did so after they rejected God as the Creator of all things and worshipped what was created, either by God, or by humans, i.e. false gods, instead.
It was after that, God gave them up to untested/unproved minds (aka "reprobate" in KJV Bibles). Note that they REJECTED GOD FIRST! No I do not have a "theology degree", but if you recall, the common people are the people whe ended up accepting Jesus. It is not a difficult message to understand, clear right and wrong. The educated of Jesus' time did not accept it either, merely another situation where men refuse to believe that God is smarter than we and has given us the entire law. This has not changed. The Bible is all that is really needed (and prayer), but I do agree that there are some good study aids out there, but on the same hand, many of these also merely contain the views of man that have led people astray and given rise to many different views of what the Bible says. Given effective study, one will see that there are no contradictions in the Bible, what is wrong is wrong for everyone, not just christians, not just non-christians. There is only one way to understand the Bible and that's with God's help. As a sidenote, I suppose you are one of those theologians who think that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of merely their lack of hospitality (and not all of their other sins)?
The tone of your email seems to give the impression that you think that I am very judgmental in my views and that I somehow think that I have all the answers. I do not and just because you have your "degrees" you shouldn't either. If any of us proclaim to be christians, we need to ask God to reveal the real truth and then share it with others.
As for the Canaanites, what would be the "symbolic" meaning of this passage if it does not deal with homosexuality?
If homosexuality is accepted by God, then why can't men and men and women and women procreate? No matter how you cut it or discuss it and ponder it, it is not natural and it was not meant to be from the beginning.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 gives us a clue as to those people who will NOT enter heaven. Among those are many types of people, I strive to be unlike those people and challenge all homosexuals to search for the answers themselves, with God's help.
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