"Lesbians and gays are the Bible's greatest lovers"

[happyjoe68]

Does anyone agree with the interpretation of the Bible stories mentioned, or is it a little too much wishful thinking? I cant make my mind up.

www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1922480,00.html

[SLIMES]

The bible contradicts itself on a huge range of things. I just wouldn't worry about a book of political ramblings.

[chook]

Its not so much the Bible, its the fanatical biblebashers that have done all the damage over the years........The born again christians for instance...they are the worst offenders.


Cheers Chook :bigrin:

[meteast chick]

I agree with you both, but at the same time, I don't think it very far fetched that it could be true. After all, in the days of the Greeks and Romans it was common for the men in battle to have sex with each other on the battlefield as a show of 'manliness'. Okay, so this was sex and not necessarily love, but I don't see why the next step could be so out of reach, even if it is the world reknowned, much loved, and oft disputed word of the Lord: the Bible.

luv and kisses,
xoxoxoxoxxo
meteast

[Tigerguy193]

The assumption that the Bible contradicts itself on homosexuality is incorrect.

The assumption is made because people believe those who use the Bible to condemn homosexuality. You have to come to terms with the fact that these people are full of crap.

The Bible only specifically mentions homosexuality and abominations in Leviticus.

Leviticus 18 and 20 both mention men lying with other men as they would a woman as an abomination in current English versions of the Bible such a KJV.

Now this could easily be dismissed with the simple fact that Jesus' intent was to reform Judaism and that Christians citing ANYTHING out of the Old Testament is ridiculous. Jesus' whole intent in his preachings was to reform the religion because it was too strict and salvation was hopeless.

But let's just say you can't let go of the OT. One of the passages mentioned in Hebrew is:

V’et zachar lo tishkav mishk’vey eeshah toeyvah hee.

Translated literally it is: "And with a male you shall not lay lyings of a woman."

Unfortunately, this is an incomplete sentence. Certainly, if it were pointing out a clear abomination, God would not allow it to be lost in translation.

However, translated to present English, the phrase probably means that two men should not have sex in a woman's bed. (A woman's bed was sacred).
Not only would this NOT forbid homosexuality, it would condone it.


But as I pointed out before, stick with "WWJD?"

Jesus would use only the NT. If you do this, you find Christianity to be a religion of acceptance with very few contradictions (none of them especially important).

[bigregory]

The assumption that the Bible contradicts itself on homosexuality is incorrect.

The assumption is made because people believe those who use the Bible to condemn homosexuality. You have to come to terms with the fact that these people are full of crap.

The Bible only specifically mentions homosexuality and abominations in Leviticus.

Leviticus 18 and 20 both mention men lying with other men as they would a woman as an abomination in current English versions of the Bible such a KJV.

Now this could easily be dismissed with the simple fact that Jesus' intent was to reform Judaism and that Christians citing ANYTHING out of the Old Testament is ridiculous. Jesus' whole intent in his preachings was to reform the religion because it was too strict and salvation was hopeless.

But let's just say you can't let go of the OT. One of the passages mentioned in Hebrew is:

V’et zachar lo tishkav mishk’vey eeshah toeyvah hee.

Translated literally it is: "And with a male you shall not lay lyings of a woman."

Unfortunately, this is an incomplete sentence. Certainly, if it were pointing out a clear abomination, God would not allow it to be lost in translation.

However, translated to present English, the phrase probably means that two men should not have sex in a woman's bed. (A woman's bed was sacred).
Not only would this NOT forbid homosexuality, it would condone it.


But as I pointed out before, stick with "WWJD?"

Jesus would use only the NT. If you do this, you find Christianity to be a religion of acceptance with very few contradictions (none of them especially important).
You should read the book before you quote it.

[Tigerguy193]

You should read the book before you quote it.


Care to point out anything that was incorrect?

[JohnnyV]

Hahaha, we had a huge discussion about these issues earlier this year and I said the same things about David and Jonathan and Naomi and Ruth! I wonder of the Guardian author is reading our website and stealing our ideas! :) :)

[Doggie_Wood]

I don't feel that your interpetation of the Bible applies to me nor mine does to you. It is strickly how one sees and feels the Bible as it speaks to them.
Which is why I don't discuss religion or politics in public or open forums.
I personally find much solice in reading the Bible.

:doggie:

[izzfan]

I'm an atheist now but I used to be religious (when I was younger) and I think it is great that scholars have finally worked out that the bible isn't homophobic... I'd love to see all the fundamentalists foam at the mouth in shock when they realise that they've been going against the "Word of God" that they have been using to justify their hatred and bigotry .
On a much less melodramatic note, I'm not really that surprised about this as homosexuality/bisexuality has occured in every society and it is a natural part of humanity/ human nature (personally, I believe that everyone is at least very slightly bisexual) and it would be a terrible and inhumane god who banned such a natural and widespread form of love. Most of the 'homophobic' bible passages are often taken out of their historical context ( I did 'A-Level' religious studies and this issue came up a couple of times) and they actually condemn temple prostitution, sex with underage boys and a whole range of practices which have nothing to do with consensual acts of love between two adults who happen to be of the same sex. Most of the real religious homophobia/biphobia was expounded by theologians such as St.Aquinas (who many of the teachings of the Catholic church are still based on.... he believed that the ONLY purpose of sex was reproduction, hence why the pope still doesn't support contraceptives, let alone same-sex activity).

Izzfan

[mannysg]

Religion facinates me. I have my beliefs, as does everyone, but I am open minded to the fact that if someone believes something different then I do, that it's possible that NEITHER of us is correct.

I find the diferences & similarites between different faiths interesting. What's really facinating is the differences between the various christian faiths.

Now for what amazes me... I was raised Catholic (but am no longer catholic) and is amazes me how the Catholic Church condemns homo-sexuality but there are so many priests who are gay. I'm not just going by what's been in the news. I have seen gay porn on priests computers.

And it isn't just Catholic priests who are gay but condem homosexuality ... there are preachers in every faith doing it.

[LoveLion]

I always get so frustrated reading topics like this. not because of the religious nature or the debating, but rather over quoting and interpreting the bible. There have been so many translations and re translations of the original bible that what hasn't been lost in translation has most likely been twisted by the translators to promote their personal and their religions beliefs. No one knows what the bible really meant to say originally b/c its all been lost or warped. further more, anytime any quotes the bible someone always seems to challenge the relevance, interpretation or presence of the quotation. And there is another problem. Even with the mis-translated and twisted words, people choose to interpret the passages anyway they want anyways, often claiming one passage is a poetic metaphor and the next is to be taken literally.

The Bible has just become a pamphlet advertising the beliefs or Christian religion. If you want to find truth about God and your relationship with him you have to look inside yourself and others, not in the pages of the Bible.

There is nothing in the Bible that cant be found by looking inside ourselves, our nature, and each other.