Posted on 11/09/2004 10:46:18 AM PST by Nice50BMG
Tuesday, November 9, 2004
Homosexuality: What would Jesus do?
By Joseph Farah
Patricia Ireland, former president of the National Organization of Women, raised what probably sounded like a good question to some recently.
She asked during a debate on the Fox News Channel: "If ... lesbian and gay rights issues were such a serious kind of value, a core value, why did Jesus never talk about them?"
Of course, the answer is that homosexuals have no special rights that distinguish what they do and who they are. They have only the same rights the rest of humanity has. The question should be more appropriately asked of people like Ireland, who pretend to be Christians, while asserting values that are contrary to the Christian faith and the Judeo-Christian tradition.
That was her question. And that is the appropriate answer to the question she asked. But I'm not sure she was asking the right question. Let me see if I can more properly frame the question to help her out.
If the institution of marriage as we know it between one man and one woman is such an important value, a core value of the Christian faith, why did Jesus never talk about it?
The answer to that question, of course, is that He did. He did so explicitly. He defined it clearly. And His definition leaves no room for same-sex unions.
And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
– Matthew 19:4-6
That's what Jesus Himself said about marriage. It's also a very strong statement about the fact that men and women were made for each other. There's no talk here of civil unions. There's no suggestion here of domestic partnerships. There's no hint here that men should fool around with men and that women should fool around with women.
It's a straightforward statement that alone should clarify any misconceptions about what Jesus thought and believed and commanded insofar as sexual unions.
But the Bible and the Christian faith are based on much more than the words spoken by Jesus, who explained that He did not come to overturn the law but to fulfill it. That means the basic commandments of the Hebrew Scriptures didn't change when Jesus came along. And those laws are crystal clear in condemning homosexuality as an abomination in the sight of God – as they are in the inspired teachings of Paul in the New Testament.
Jesus Himself was referring to the law as laid out in Genesis 2:24: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."
My point is that people like Patricia Ireland, John Kerry and Hillary Clinton like to pretend they are operating under the same value system that led to Western Civilization, the same value system that resulted in the founding of America, the same value system that was taught by Jesus and the Hebrew prophets before Him.
They are not. They are operating under different values. They are only pretending to have a different interpretation of those values. That is why they are so uncomfortable talking about values. Because they are in constant fear you will find them out – that you will discover they are operating under a completely different worldview.
But it's important to recognize what their game is.
It doesn't matter to them what Jesus taught. But they know it still matters to enough Americans. And if enough Americans see through their charade, then they can't win elections. And if they can't win elections, they can't impose their different morality on you.
I don’t agree with the gay lifestyle, I have no idea whether it’s inborn or a choice. Frankly, I don’t really care. But I do know this, by forcing them underground we put heterosexual people in danger. Right now in the black community there are gay men who refuse to face that they're gay and they pretend to be straight and go on to pass AIDS to unsuspecting women. That's just disgusting. Better that these people be out in their perverse leanings than trying to pretend they're normal.
It's not just them, it's their families as well. I have a friend whose 16 year old son "came out" to her and the rest of the family. The dad and the brothers never really talk about it. If it comes up they simply leave the room. His mom (my friend) says that God made him like he made the other children. Why would God make him that way if God didn't love him too? She does not see it as a choice and I see her so often making excuses for him to be the way that he is.
There was a big blow up at a family celebration when my friend's mother - this boy's grandma found out he worked on the Kerry ampaign and voted for Kerry. Grandma told him that he was destined for hell. The kid got upset and left the house until grandma left.
My friend has done nothing to talk him out of this or to get him help. She thinks the best thing she can do for him is to accept him like he is.
The mom doesn't realize that at 16 the twerp's gotta a lotta years that he'll be changing his mind.
The Old Testament was very clear regarding "unnatural affections", Jesus need not clarify:
Leviticus 20:13
If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have commited an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
In the vernacular, it's a no brainer.
GOD has a lot to say about homosexuality - and that very word is used in the Old Testament.
GOD said it is "an abomination", men with men and women with women - is not natural. That about settles it for me.
But .. then it says that because the homosexuals pleaded with GOD, "HE gave them over to their lusts". That would appear to me to say - THIS WAS NOT GOD's CHOICE AT ALL .. BUT THE HOMOXESUALS' CHOICE. But of course that shoots the "it's GOD's punishment" all to hell.
He'd ask them to repent, tell them why they should, and warn those who won't that they're gonna burn in hell for eternity?
He said what he did, and we can either believe or not. The choice is ours, and he left no middle ground. And don't look at me, my life is certainly not sinless, but His was.
..sounds like Dubya: "I meant what I said."
While "pleading" might have been a bad choice of words .. it would appear that in I Cor 1-10 - the whole discussion is about fleshly sins .. in vs. (9) it says, "We should not tempt the Lord [try His patience, become a trial to Him, critically appraise Him, and exploit His goodness] as some of them did - and were killed by poisonous serpents; (10) Nor discontentedly complain as some of them did - and were put out of the way entirely by the destroyer.
It appears it was even more than "pleading" .. they were critical, exploitive, tried His patience, were a trial to Him, and discontentedly complained.
Hmmmm? I guess "pleading" was way too kind!!
All my Bible references came from The Amplified Bible.
"If they had any regard for or even fear of God, they wouldn't be sodomizing each other."
You're correct .. but what's interesting to me is that when I re-read those verses, I have noted how the gay community today is still using the same excuses, and still leveling the same charges at GOD.
I have always believed homosexual behavior (like alcoholism) is a spiritual conflict. What is your assessment?
The "treatment" for having a desire to have sex with someone of your own sex is called "resist the temptation".
Desires to eat too much food, desires to sleep too much, desires to take drugs, desires to get drunk, all these desires have a common treatment program "resist the temptation".
If you don't resist the temptation to do bad things, then the next step in treatment is suffer the consequences.
Adulterers also think they were justified in "falling out" of love with their wives and following their desire to "love" someone else.
There is a big, big group of them too and they are just as vociferous in proclaiming their 'right' to follow their desires of infidelity.
The problem we all have is we are born with bad desires of all kinds - we need to help each other resist these not tolerate each other when we give into the desires.
| What We Can Do To Help Defeat the "Gay" Agenda |
|
|
| Homosexual Agenda: Categorical Index of Links (Version 1.1) |
|
|
| Myth and Reality about Homosexuality--Sexual Orientation Section, Guide to Family Issues" |
Why is it that when our Lord's words are quoted regarding the woman caught in the act of adultery ALL of His words are not quoted? Remember He said "go and sin no more" these too are a part of his words to her. If she went out and sinned some more with the same man and told the Lord Jesus He was wrong for calling her adulterous desires and actions sinful, how then do you think he would have spoken to her?
Grandma sounds very judgmental and dominant...in such an environment and particularly if lacking a strong positive male role model, boys are much more at risk of becoming either sexually promiscuous--or choosing a homosexual lifestyle. Females without a strong father are more at risk than females without a strong mother. Head of household is something God never took lightly. GREAT book: Wild at Heart. AWESOME.
Grandma lives in Nacogdoches and doesn't see the family that much. She was shocked to find out about this boy's sexual preferences. Dad lives at home, but doesn't have much to do with the gay son, he takes the other boys hunting and fishing, but seems to have nothing in common with this boy.
Understand, that the Mom doesn't encourage his gayness, she doesn't know what to do to try to get him some help. They've tried a counselor but she was only interested in reinforcing the kid's gayness and getting the rest of the family to accept him as he is. It was a disaster. The mom is not willing to get into that again.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.