Posted on 12/08/2008 8:51:51 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Leading social conservatives blasted Newsweek for its current cover story, "The Religious Case for Gay Marriage," which they said misinterprets both biblical scripture and their own political movement.
“It doesn’t surprise me. Newsweek has been so far in the tank on the homosexual issue, for so long, they need scuba gear and breathing apparatus,” said Richard Land, who heads the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. “I don’t think it’s going to change the minds of anyone who takes biblical teachings seriously.”
Tony Perkins, president of the socially conservative Family Research Council, agreed, calling Newsweek’s cover story “yet another attack on orthodox Christianity.”
“I hardly think that Newsweek is a credible venue for theological discussion,” said Perkins. “I mean, I thought it was just full of holes.”
In a note at the front of the magazine this week, editor Jon Meacham predicted a backlash and struck a preemptively defiant note.
“Religious conservatives will say that the liberal media are once again seeking to impose their values (or their ‘agenda,’ a favorite term to describe the views of those who disagree with you) on a God-fearing nation,” he wrote. “Let the letters and emails come. History and demographics are on the side of those who favor inclusion over exclusion.”
And in an email to Politico, Newsweek managing editor Dan Klaidman invited further responses, writing: “The piece speaks for itself and we welcome the debate.”
Lisa Miller’s cover story argues that the Bible’s lessons on marriage are ambiguous and lack the prescriptive clarity some ascribe to them.
“Religious objections to gay marriage are rooted not in the Bible at all, then, but in custom and tradition,” Miller writes. “The Bible was written for a world so unlike our own, it’s impossible to apply its rules, at face value, to ours.”
Perkins doubts that social conservatives will find this case persuasive.
“If they think they’re going to cause Evangelical Christians or Bible-believing Christians of different stripes to somehow say, oh, the Bible doesn’t matter on marriage, I think they’re mistaken,” Perkins said. “I don’t think too many in the Evangelical world are too concerned about what Newsweek has to say.”
What’s more, Perkins, Land and other religious conservative leaders cited textual evidence to counter Newsweek’s contentions.
Quoting chapter and verse, Land argued that the Bible lays out a very clear prescription for opposite-sex marriage, starting with the passage in Genesis where God pairs Adam and Eve and proceeding through Ephesians, in the New Testament, when the apostle Paul compares the relationship between husband and wife to the relationship between Jesus and the Church.
“How can you address the subject of marriage from a religious perspective and utterly ignore the two foundational texts that deal with marriage: Genesis 2 and Ephesians 5?” Land asked. “If a student turned a paper in to me on a religious argument for or against gay marriage and neglected to reference the two foundational texts, I would give them a pretty poor grade based on that alone.”
In addition to contesting Newsweek’s specific scriptural arguments, some social conservatives took issue with the basic premise of the magazine’s story: that conservative opposition to same-sex marriage is based on specific biblical instructions.
“I see it as an attempt to caricature and reduce to a cartoon the social conservative belief in the efficacy of traditional marriage, and try to reduce it to some formulaic, scriptural literalism,” said Ralph Reed, the former executive director of the Christian Coalition. “There’s more of a practical, sociological foundation for why we seek to affirm marriage as an institution than I think is generally understood by those who want to legalize same-sex marriage.”
Though Reed said he had respect for Newsweek, he said this week’s cover story was based on a “false assumption”: “We’re not trying to take the Bible and put a bill number on it and legislate it.”
Land pointed to campaigns for anti-same-sex marriage referenda around the country as evidence that biblical instructions were not necessarily the main impetus behind social conservative opposition to same-sex marriage.
“The arguments that are used are often not biblical arguments. They are secular arguments, arguing about marriage as being a civic and a social institution, and that societies have a right to define marriage,” Land said. Broadening the definition of marriage could “shatter” the social role married couples have traditionally played, he said.
In an e-mail to Politico, Maggie Gallagher, the president of the National Organization for Marriage, took a similar line, calling marriage “the one necessary adult relation in society – the way we bring together male and female to bring the next generation to life in a way that connects those children in love to their own mother and father.”
Personally, I’d rather they sank beneath the waves of their own sleaze. The sooner the better.
Yeah, A-holes.
Translation: "We are desperate for any attention. Please complain about us!"
And only a very sick mind could imagine the friendships between David and Jonathan as sexual.
". The Torah discouraged the ancient Hebrews from marrying outside the tribe, yet Moses himself is married to a foreigner, Zipporah."
Obviously Ms. Miller has not read Exodus. Tzipporah and Moses wed before Moses returned to Egypt, well before he recieve the Law. The Torah had not been given or written.
Queen Esther is married to a non-Jew and, according to legend, saves the Jewish people.
Esther married a Persian King to save the Jews. This was an emergency act.
Rabbi Arthur Waskow, of the Shalom Center in Philadelphia, believes that Judaism thrives through diversity and inclusion.
If the heretic wishes to imagine a religion, that is his perogative. But to call it Judaism, is a declaration of war. Where is a Beit Din when you need one to excommunicate him?
She should be forced to read Isaiah 5.
20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
When your salvation lies in exploring depravity, you mistakenly think that stink dies of it’s own accord. Much later you are astonished to find that accomodation is not confined to the olfactory sense.
I don't even feel humorous anymore. People that have never read the Bible and worship Britney Spears have no business saying anything about religion. I gotta admit, I'm getting tired. Lord give me strength to endure the next few years.
Nah, this is a triple flusher, minimum!!
Bring on the giant sized Lysol spray, posthaste!
Then they should be concerned, because all sinners are welcome to come to Christ in repentance of their sins...can't be more inclusive than that...and yet they choose to reject Christ and take the path of exclusion. I'm rather certain they haven't considered this line of thinking, however.
Then they should be concerned, because all sinners are welcome to come to Christ in repentance of their sins...can't be more inclusive than that...and yet they choose to reject Christ and take the path of exclusion. I'm rather certain they haven't considered this line of thinking, however.
I guess they figure that God is pretty hip and is gonna be cool with a lot of things...
Aside from that, "History and Demographics" do not equal God's will...
Or someone who was sexually abused as a child by an older boy or a father figure. And I think that could explain a lot of they way "they" look at things vs the way "we" look at things. Different life experiences.
They wouldn't view that as "sexual abuse." To them and the Hollywood Left, that would be what is known as a "coming of age story."
“Religious objections to gay marriage are rooted not in the Bible at all, then, but in custom and tradition,” Miller writes. “The Bible was written for a world so unlike our own, it’s impossible to apply its rules, at face value, to ours.”
I suppose biology never figures into the argument at all for NewsWeak.
The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the power of Satan. He will use every kind of power, including miraculous signs, lying wonders, and every type of evil to deceive those who are dying, those who refused to love the truth that would save them.
For this reason, God will send them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie. Then all who have not believed the truth but have taken pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned.
There is no case to be made for sick, immoral, disgusting homosexual behavior.
Send them to re-education or work camps in North Korea.
Let the perverts see for themselves what it is like in the real world.
The last act of a dying business is to do ANYTHING to get attention. Few people care about Newsweak as their sales suggest. Newsweak is just trying to get people to talk about it. Kind of free advertising.
Just ignore them and let them die in peace.
This issue would be a fitting swan song for this rag.
I couldn’t get past the first paragraph without laughing.
“The Bible was written for a world so unlike our own, it’s impossible to apply its rules, at face value, to ours.”
What a lame statement. As if we humans today have progressed so much emotionally and intellectually that we are all such marvelous creatures now. What rubbish. Sorry...we still walk a thin line between decency and depravity.
Since Newsweak has become a theological publication with this story, will the ACLU be fighting to get Newsweak out of public school libraries and other publicly funded places?
The Sodomites of Sodom and Gomorrah thought the same way.
Don't email or send Newsweak anything. This is what they want: Publicity.
Here is the salient passage, from the Old Testament, regarding what is sexual immorality. From what is known of the peoples that lived in Canaan before Israel, these were direct prohibitions to their common everyday “lifestyle:”
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the LORD your God. 3 You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. 4 You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God. 5 Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD.
6 “ ‘No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD.
7 “ ‘Do not dishonor your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her.
8 “ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; that would dishonor your father.
9 “ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.
10 “ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; that would dishonor you.
11 “ ‘Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.
12 “ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative.
13 “ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s close relative.
14 “ ‘Do not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.
15 “ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; do not have relations with her.
16 “ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would dishonor your brother.
17 “ ‘Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.
18 “ ‘Do not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living.
19 “ ‘Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period.
20 “ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife and defile yourself with her.
21 “ ‘Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed [a] to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
22 “ ‘Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.
23 “ ‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.
24 “ ‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. 25 Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. 26 But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the aliens living among you must not do any of these detestable things, 27 for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. 28 And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.
29 “ ‘Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people. 30 Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the LORD your God.’ “ (Leviticus 18, whole chapter)
With the exception of the menstrual regulation (v. 21), which had to do with a general reverence for blood...and so respect for blood sacrifices, and ultimately Jesus’ blood shed on the cross, and the allowance of polygamy (v.18) since the collapse of Rome, Western civilization as a whole has had these laws as a basis for all personal sexual morality, and in law, sexual crime.
The homosexual mob wants to thoroughly blot out all memory of vs. 22, however, logically if 22 is to be rejected than all can be....
And isn’t it interesting that the ancient equivalent of surgical abortion (child sacrifice to Molech) is prohibited right in the middle of these sexual regulations. Strange how abortion, murder and sexual perversity are linked, eh?
I tremble for my country when I reach the end....about the land vomiting them out....
The idea that somehow the Old Testament either A)Doesn't apply or B)has been applied arbitrarily--and we know so much better now... are both SUB-CHRISTIAN doctrines. Obeying God's law does not save us, it is true....God's mercy in Jesus does that 100%. However, once such mercy is received, God's children love Him, and they show that love by following the whole bible's, Old Testament and New, Moral Law.
Aside from that, "History and Demographics" do not equal God's will...That would be the Holy Quran, to hear Muslims tell it.
The last time I got offered a Newsweek subscription, I believe the price was around 40 cents an issue - overpriced.
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