This viewpoint would indicate that you are admitting that you are not a Christian. As Christianity is based upon faith - and guidance from the Bible. If the Bible is not 100% truth as inspired by (and some say dictated by) God, then it would be difficult to defend any portion thereof.
Truth is in the eye of the beholder or believer as the case may be. I didn't ask, nor do I require, anyone's help in that regard.
My mother was a Catholic, my father was a Jew. I am neither; rather I am a Deist with very strong leanings toward Buddhism, where the emphasis is on how, as opposed to what, to think.
We cannot pick and choose the parts of the Bible we think are applicable and trash the rest. It's either all right or all wrong. I choose to believe that it is all right and correct.
And that is certainly your right; faith is a strong belief in an ideology or doctrine in spite of sometimes overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
"much of the activity in question occurred long before the Christian Bible." - OH - really? Ancient Hebrews make up the human characters of the Old Testament - part of MY Bible.....
Organized religion hardly started with the Hebrews. The Phoeniacian, Etruscans, Persians, Egyptians etc. all worshipped Gods. As a point in fact, it is thought that monotheism was based upon a Persian God, although to be honest, I can't remember which one.
Exactly how many times does God have to mention something in His Word for it to mean anything? Once should be enough....
Again, you are assuming that the Judeao Christian Bible is the literal word of God which I categorically reject. Excepting for the ten commandments which were handed down from God to Moses, much of the rest is folklore, second and third hand accounts of he said she said, and much of it by mad prophets. If you could reference some Biblical Rosetta Stone that states that the bible is literally the word of God, I would certainly appreciate the reference.
Without a significant knowledge of the Bible (through diligent study and prayerful consideration) you are not qualified to analyze the Bible and if my or anyone else's interpretation is "perversion". And calling a "Spade" a spade is not judgment. I am not convicting anyone and punishing them. That's up to God. But I should not have to "tolerate" such behavior in my presence or in connection with me or my business. But you have already demonstrated a more "Secular Humanist" WorldView - and thus have decided that Christianity is wrong - so I see no further reason to argue with you.
I didn't realize that a discussion was the same as an argument. I am not trying to convince you of anything because faith is faith and that's the name of that tune. You have yours and I mine.
Where I believe you are making a mistake is in your assumption that the world begins and ends with the Judaeo Christian Bible. There is a wide world of global history, especially as it pertains to faith and religion, in which Christianity should be viewed contextually.
I in no way endorse homosexuality in particular or perversion in general other than to say that it has always existed and no doubt, always will. As it turns out, it is a dangerous practice in light of current STD's.
Two other quick points. When men lying with men was first described as sinful, I would be remiss if I didn't point out that it was probably done so because the then world was sparsely populated and this practice would hardly have solved that problem.
As far as hoding out the early Hebrews or Canaanites as some paradigm of absolute virtue, they routinely practiced ritual child sacrifice.
Which was an abomination to God (the God described in the Bible, which you made it a point of saying you "categorically reject" as being the Word of God.)