There has been no shortage of controversy as gay people assume increased roles as parents and married couples in our society, but almost nowhere has this conflict been more intense than in the church. Many religious leaders have condemned homosexuality, calling it a sin or even an abomination, but for millions of gay people around the world, there is nothing inherently sinful about their sexual preferences.
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Original Intent
- From Exodus International
By Exodus International - Addressing Homosexual Issues
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"Original Intent", indeed.
To get at the original intent of why the Bible appears to condemn homosexuality, we must take a dive into the Middle Ages.
According to William N. Eskridge, Jr. (writing under the Virginia Law Review), "The early church fathers – most notably Clement, Jerome, Origen, and Augustine – developed a philosophy of sexual abstinency that problematized any sexual activity done for pleasure itself. But other, non-Christian traditions in Roman society – Stoicism, Neo-Platonism, Manicheanism – similarly urged that 'intercourse was supposed to take place only so as to produce children. The couple must not make love for the sake of pleasure alone.'"
The last sentence is crucial, here. The couple must not make love for the sake of pleasure alone. Why? Because it is selfish and serves no productive purpose for society. The ideas behind homosexual acts being a sin are the same as heterosexual acts with contraceptives being a sin, or the same as masturbation being a sin. Pure, selfish pleasure is bad because it is unproductive and turns the focus from helping society to helping one's self.
When the Bible condemns homosexuality, it condemns selfishness. Homosexual love isn't selfish. Homosexual love is no different from heterosexual love. Homosexual love represents devotion, affection, trust, respect, all of the same ideals that heterosexual love represents. True homosexual love is selfless.
Don't hate homosexuality. Hate selfish acts.
- QuinceyQuick
January 26, 2009 5:09PM
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Regarding G-d's commandment to be fruitful and multiply
Does his command to one person apply to all people? If so, should I be worried about my father trying to sacrifice me?
- quantummechanik
April 1, 2009 11:17PM
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Side: Yes
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