For this same reason he said that it was not necessary for heterosexuals to get married and thereby avoid all sexual activity. His caution against matters of the flesh was secondary to his passionate worship of God.
This belief may not be entirely correct. The comparison in this verse between eunuchs and LGBTs is interesting. Both are sexual minorities. In fact, Jesus is referring to them metaphorically with praise. The Bible is not against sexual preference on a moral basis.
To say otherwise is to read Biblical verses out of context. It is encouraging that more Christian churches now are opening their collective minds and doors to sexual minorities because sexual orientation is irrelevant to the Christian message. We, human beings are very good at many things. Unfortunately, one of the things we are good at is discrimination.
Jesus knew this. That is why he was so passionate in his story of the Good Samaritan. That is why he posited what we call the golden rule of doing onto others as we would have them do onto us. That is why a basic theme throughout the New Testament is that we should love others as we love ourselves.
In Biblical times, and even today, the word, eunuch, is used in many different ways and describes a variety of sexually different men. So, at first, it is difficult to understand the exact meaning of this scripture. However, the context in which it is written helps us understand that Jesus is using eunuchs as an example. To Jesus, eunuchs presumably have less sexual desire than most heterosexuals, are less interested in matters of the flesh, and therefore are better able to serve God.
Back to Articles. Gallery: Mayor Hopewell weds first gay couple at Bronson Park. There are six direct references to homosexuality in the Bible -- three in the Old Testament and three in the New Testament. Some Biblical scholars say the passages needs to be taken at face value.
Other theologians say it's much more complicated. Here are the references and what scholars say, based on Kalamazoo Gazette interviews with theologians from Notre Dame, Western Michigan and Central Michigan universities, Kalamazoo and Calvin colleges.
Genesis The story of Sodom and Gomorrah. This has been held up as a cautionary tale about the sinfulness of homosexuality. However, many scholars point to Ekezial as indicating that the cities were destroyed by God for not helping the poor and needy.
Some also say the sinful sex occurring in Sodom and Gomorrah was rape, which means it doesn't apply to teachings on consensual same-sex relationships. Leviticus and Leviticus The Book of Leviticus in the Old Testament has two references condemning homosexuality: "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable" Leviticus and "If a man lies with a man as one lies with woman, both of them have done what is detestable.
They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads" Leviticus While condemnations of gay sex are unequivocal in Leviticus, it also is part of a long list of Jewish laws, some of which are not followed by Christians today. For instance, Leviticus bans tattoos, pork and shellfish, offers the proper rules for selling a slave and says a "foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born.
It is derived from two Greek words, one meaning, "males" and the other "beds", a euphemism for sexual intercourse. Other Greek words were commonly used to describe homosexual behavior but do not appear here. The larger context of I Corinthians 6 shows Paul extremely concerned with prostitution, so it is very possible he was referring to male prostitutes. But many experts now attempting to translate these words have reached a simple conclusion: their precise meaning is uncertain.
Scripture Study Conclusion…No Law Against Love The rarity with which Paul discusses any form of same-sex behavior and the ambiguity in references attributed to him make it extremely unsound to conclude any sure position in the New Testament on homosexuality, especially in the context of loving, responsible relationships.
Since any arguments must be made from silence, it is much more reliable to turn to great principles of the Gospel taught by Jesus Christ and the Apostles. Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. Do not judge others, lest you be judged. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love. It could refer to the individual pagan, who goes beyond his own sexual appetites in order to indulge in new sexual pleasure. Paul did not deny the existence of a distinction between clean and unclean and even assumed that Jewish Christians would continue to observe the purity code.
He refrained. However, from identifying physical impurity with sin or demanding that Gentiles adhere to that code. The following books are highly recommended for those wishing to carefully study issues of homosexuality as related to the Christian Church:. Boswell, John. Christianity, social tolerance, and homosexuality: gay people in Western Europe from the beginning of the Christian era to the fourteenth century.
Chicago : University of Chicago Press, Countryman, Louis William. Morehouse Publishing, Furnish, Victor Paul The Moral Teaching of Paul. Nashville : Abingdon Press. Pilgrim Press, Hanks, Tom. God So Loved the Third World. Helminiak, Daniel A. San Francisco : Alamo Square Press, Heyward, Carter. Harpercollins Horner, Tom Philadelphia : Westminster Press.
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