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There are big questions about context and intent with those quotes that lead mainline protestants to believe that it was NOT the intent of those passages to condemn homosexuality in general, and it wasn't Jesus saying it--it was Paul
No - actually some people go to a church for reasons other then what the denomination it is affiliated with believes. At the churches I have been to and those that I have been active in - the priority was always on worship and studying the Word - not promoting the denomination - when I began attending. If a church organization becomes bigger then the God that it purports to worship - there are problems - which is one reason why I currently do not attend a church.
Here's a clue. The "logos", or what you seem to refer to as The Word, is NOT referring to the Bible. That's the sort of misinterpretation that happens when people know nothing of the cultures in which the biblical texts were written.
Again - you are cherry-picking OT verses and ignoring the NT. People who have not read the Bible - or willfully misunderstand it cannot speak about it authoritatively. You are a prime example. Open your eyes - and read the entire Counsel of God - as a body of work.
It's you who are cherry-picking and willfully misunderstanding the texts written by men who lived in completely different cultural customs to the 21st century.
OPen you eyes and research those cultural customs and it is glaringly obvious that the men didn't write about "homosexuality".
Any same-gender sexual acts were referred to in the context of idolatry and pagan cult worshipping practices. Or in Genesis 19 and Judges 19 - the practice of raping male strangers to humilate and dominate them (something straight men seem to have done throughout history).It was against the Hebrews laws of hospitality to treat strangers badly. That is NOT homosexuality and is NOT applicable to gay and lesbian people of the 21st century.
It's you who are cherry-picking and willfully misunderstanding the texts written by men who lived in completely different cultural customs to the 21st century.
OPen you eyes and research those cultural customs and it is glaringly obvious that the men didn't write about "homosexuality".
Any same-gender sexual acts were referred to in the context of idolatry and pagan cult worshipping practices. Or in Genesis 19 and Judges 19 - the practice of raping male strangers to humilate and dominate them (something straight men seem to have done throughout history).It was against the Hebrews laws of hospitality to treat strangers badly. That is NOT homosexuality and is NOT applicable to gay and lesbian people of the 21st century.
What utter nonsense. Your revisionist Bible distortions are incredible. The corrupt NIV intentionaly diminishes the divinity of Christ, and the propagator of the "temple prostitite " interpretation of "sodomite" was himself a homosexual. Homosexuality is a sin and an abomination unto God!
Paul wrote that it was against nature and shameful for men to have long hair: (Cor 11:14)
OOPS!!
There is no scripture saying Jesus had long hair. Nazarites were required to have long hair (John the Baptist was one) but Jesus was clearly not a Nazarite because He drank wine.
Considering I've seen some of these posters on the Christian section of this site, I'm certain that what you have stated has already been stated to them, but it comes down to what people want to believe. If they want to believe that the Bible is wrong then they will continue to cherry pick verses to justify their view, but if they really honestly want to know the truth then they would do just as you said and read the whole context of what the word of God is stating by reading the Bible. Only those people can make that decision for themselves.
I've read the Bible completely quite a few times. I've also researched the historical cultures in which the texts were written as well as dabbled a little with Hebrew and Greek. I've read some of the works of Philo and Josephus and the works of the early Church fathers. Fascinating stuff.
It's not the "Bible" which is "wrong". It's that people translate or interpret the texts differently. Those who cherry-pick verses out of context to use against other people, are like the Pharisees that Jesus railed against in Matthew 23.
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