Church's rejection can fuel hatred ("Excluding homosexuals does not reflect God's way")

Sydney Morning Herald ^ | July 18 2003

[dead]

She announces her lesbianism, retires from the ministry, divorces her husband, then seeks comfort from her daughter for her “wounding” from the church.

[Support Free Republic]

See that good looking dude on the left? He's got FAR BETTER THINGS to do than conduct Freepathons! Come on, let's get this thing over with.

[Prof Engineer]

"Excluding homosexuals does not reflect God's way"

Must not have read the Bible.

[Rodney King]

"By their fruits you will know them."

Uh, I don't think he meant those fruits.

[RISU]

"Excluding homosexuals does not reflect God's way"

The wages of sin are death.

One does not need to be a rocket scientist to figutre out that homosexual behavior, apart from being totally "unproductive' (literally) leads to sickness, societal corruption, and degraded conditions.

Just look at them. You don't need to ask "authorities" for their views!

[jboot]

He said, "By their fruits you will know them."

Indeed. And this person's fruits are speaking loud and clear.

Matthew 7
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

[Buffalo Bob]

Jesus came into the world to forgive sin, not to tolerate it.

[madprof98]

. . . the truth is that many people do commit suicide

She evidenty forgot that liberals are in FAVOR of suicide.

[NYer]

I work for many churches in New Zealand and around Australia

Major sex abuse uncovered in Anglican Church Australia

As the good reverend points out - "by their fruits you shall know them".

[Sangria]

Why don't they just use the "don't ask, don't tell" system and just go to church and shut the hell up? Or start their own church? That is not their purpose. They want to destroy the church and the Boy Scouts and any other organization that rejects their lifestyles.

[eastsider]

It takes little reading to discover that understandings on many issues, and particularly on human relationships, changed over the centuries, even in biblical times. We do not now have slaves and masters. We do not in our church believe that men are morally superior to women and thus are the only ones suitable for leadership. We do not believe that women are unclean when they menstruate.

It is an unchanged natural fact that it takes a man and woman to propagate.

We often discuss homosexuality as though it is primarily about sex. I want to say that is primarily about love - the freedom of two people who happen to be of the same sex to love each other, body, mind, heart and soul, with delight and tenderness.

Get a grip, Dorothy. It's primarily about disordered affection.

[CaptainJustice]

Excluding homosexuals is commanded in I Corinthians 5-6. So I'd say it's God's way.

[WestPacSailor]

God obliterated the entire city of Sodom (and neighboring Gomorah) with fire and brimstone because of the sins of the Sodomites. He turned Lot's wife into a pillar of salt just for LOOKING at the destroyed city. I think that makes God's feelings on the matter pretty clear! It's no accident that gay sex is called "sodomy".

(Incidentally, why is it that we have 'sodomy' but no 'gomorahy'?)

[Alouette]

Excluding homosexuals does not reflect God's way

I guess that her "Gay and Lesbian Friendly Compassionate Condensed New Version" of the Bible does not contain Leviticus Chapter 18.

[dead]

This is one-side of the argument, presented in today’s Sydney Morning Herald.

For the other side, see:

Gospel truths lost amid the malaise (church in decline because “liberals have taken control”)

[ArGee]

He was trained to search for the truth in the Bible, rather than assume that every word came from the mouth of God.

Ok, let me get this straight. He was trained to search for truth in a source that comes from someplace other than the author of all truth?

Something's out of whack, and this isn't the only indication, but it sure is a hum-dinger.

Shalom.

[wideawake]

He was trained to search for the truth in the Bible, rather than assume that every word came from the mouth of God.

That's the first mistake.

[AnalogReigns]

The interpretive argument is bogus. God's laws about sexuality have ALWAYS been accepted as valid by Christians--from New Testament times forward to today. Leviticus chapter 18 is one place where they are outlined--all of our current moral strictures about incest, beastiality, and yes, all forms of homosexuality, are, in the strongest language, condemned.

The laws of a woman's ceremonial impurity due to menstration--since the temple and ceremonial sacrificial system have been superceded by Christ's life and work on the cross--have contrarily never been understood--from the New Testament forward, to apply to Christians.

Slavery, even in New Testament times while tolerated, was clearly seen as not a good thing (the New Testament epistle of Philimon for example was written to a master, telling him to recieve his runaway slave back--as a brother, not a slave).

New Testament treatment of homosexual behavior is very similar to the Old Testament--seen as a real ABOMINATION to God, some of the most severe language in the Bible. In Romans 1 homosexual behavior is seen as the lowest stage of corruption in gentile society...clearly condemned. In several other places the Apostle Paul lists homosexuality as sins Christians are delivered from....which illustrate the wickedness of the surrounding pagan world.

In sum, unless one is blind to honesty, the Bible clearly condemns homosexual behavior in both Old and New Testaments. While never mentioning "orientation," consistantly it would treat desires which are contrary to God's way as perverse, something the Holy Spirit can deliver a Christian from--not allowing them to wallow in such, nor certainly not to celebrate. Its not an interpretive matter--rather one of obedience and faithfulness to God's word.