To that I would say that I would repeat what I said in my last post. Catholics rely on their “church” or their “magisterium, Mormons and Muslims rely on their “prophets”. But if we rely on scripture alone we find the real answers. All that deny the sufficiency of scripture alone with guidance by the Holy Spirit ignore portions of scripture. I give an example below.
Leviticus 18:22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
Leviticus 20:13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Romans 1:26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless ...
1 Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
Now here is a verse that homosexuals and those that try to justify their lifestyle use as “proof” that Sodom and Gomorrah were not destroyed for sodomy but for other sins.
Ezekiel 16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
I have highlighted the words they use to justify their belief that Sodom and Gamorrah were destroyed for those sins but not for homosexuality. They never include the following verses in the same chapter.
Ezekeil 16:50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. 16:51 Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done. 16:52 Thou also, which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.
God never called pride, gluttony, or idleness abominations. He did call homosexuality and abomination.
So you see. I have found that EVERY time someone has disagreed with Sola Scriptura on any subject they have ignored another portion of scripture to justify their interpretation.
I understand your point, CynicalBear, and---I have to repeat this, lest somebody misunderstand---I completely agree that the so-called "Gay Theologians" are in error. However, here's some typical comment on those Scriptures, in the manner of the self-described Evangelical "Gay Christian":
| Leviticus 18:22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. Leviticus 20:13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. |
Gay Christian: The judgments against “abominations” in the Old Testament do not apply in the New Testament. Here are examples of things called ”abominations” in the OT:
Leviticus 11:10 Eating shellfish (“all that have not fins or scales, which move in the waters,they are an abomination”)
Leviticus 11:13 Eating birds of prey (“They shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray”)
Leviticus 11:42 Eating creeping things (“things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.”)
Deuteronomy 22:5 Women wearing pants (“The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God’).
Deuteronomy 24:4 A husband re-marrying a wife he had previously divorced (“Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD.”)
Deuteronomy 25:16 Anyone who violates anything in chapter 25, e.g. refusal to sire children by your brother’s widow: (“For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD thy God.”)
Ezekiel 18:13 Requiring interest to be paid on a loan (“He hath loaned at interest and taken a profit: shall he then live? He shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.”)
Ezekiel 44:7 Allowing uncircumcised people into the sanctuary ”In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations.”)
All these practices, called ”abominations” in the Old Law, are no longer forbidden in the New.
Gay Christian: The words mistranslate here as “men who practice homosexuality” actually mean “temple prostitutes and pedophiles”.It does not refer at all to "nice" "married" "Gay" "Christians". Read all about it here ”Malakoi does not mean all homosexuals” (Link)