It’s all [NOT] good
It’s all [NOT] good: It’s worse to murder than to lie, right? Wrong. Romans 1:18-32 clearly says that murder, homosexuality, lieing/deceit, gossip, envy/jealously and God-hating are all on the same level, and all who do these things deserve death.
I’ve never murdered, and I’m not homosexual, but I’ve done other things on that list. Since these things are so repulsive to God, how can I get on good terms with Him? Is it possible? Yes! There is a way to get straight with God. Follow that link for a very short explanation of what the Bible says.
So do you let your children go unpunished when they break the rules? Death came into the world the moment the first people disobeyed God. It is a fact of life that everyone one of us has broken the rules (God’s rules that is) and that everyone of us will die.
In human terms, breaking the rules doesn’t mean instant death, it means eventual death, and unless other provisions are made, that death will involve permanent separation from God in the afterlife.
It most assuredly is *not* the Christian way to kill people who go against God’s will. Anyone who does so is a lunatic. This includes the crusades, suicide pacts and bombing abortion clinics.
Like seeing the world realize that a benevolent God, if one exists, would surely not wish death upon any person. Especially not because of their sexual desires.
Surely you have met many nice people through the internet, through your interaction with other software developers, etc. How many do you think are gay? Do you really agree with the bible on this one?
I know this is not the point of your post, but I can’t help but think you are an intelligent person who may not yet have the courage to disagree at least in part with an authority you respect so much.
“…lieing/deceit, gossip, envy/jealously and God-hating are all on the same level, and all who do these things deserve death.”
Yep, that’s what I’d tell my children… and if they didn’t apologize I’d kill ‘em, for that’s the Christian way.
If your goal is to get me to say that homosexuality is not called a sin in the Bible that you will not find satisfaction here. The Bible clearly says it is a sin (see verse quoted above). Unlike an encyclopaedia that occassionally goes out of date and needs to be revised, the Bible is God’s immutable word and should not be changed.
That being said, there are some people who feel that homosexuality is a special sin, more evil than other sins. These people are wrong (see verse quoted above). In God’s eyes, sin is sin. And all people, even Christians, sin on a daily basis. As we mature we strive in our life to turn away from it, but as long as we’re here we’ll fail at least occasionally.
I get very upset when a person criticises another person’s sin and excuses their own. If you are a Christian and you are a homosexual two things: a: You do need to resist the urge to sin, including your sexual urges, b: If you feel you are being condemned by the church because of some perceived “super sin” that you’re committing then the church is failing to do its job. Meet with the pastor and talk to them about the verses and points I’m making.
I’m actually working on a longer article discussing the Bible’s view on sex which will contribute a little more to this topic. It’s a very delicate subject and one that is not often talked about. Check back (or subscribe to the site’s RSS feed – see sidebar).
In the meantime, I meet very few people who have a passionate view on the subject who have taken the time to understand what exactly the Bible says about the matter. A lot of people from the gay community simply have this view that “God hates gays so I hate God (or don’t believe he exists because he couldn’t have made me this way and then reject me for being this way).” Please realize this is not an accurate view of God and only reading the Bible _for your self_ to see what it says will clear it up. Get a Bible, start reading it (try the book of John) and set your goal to understand who the bible says God really is.
There are natural consequences for sins (natural as opposed to “God smiting you for your sin”) and the Bible does say that sexual sins of all types are special because their consequences tend to linger longer. For this reason some people say that sexual sins hurt both God and us more. For example, if a husband is unfaithful to his wife the effects of this will cause a wound to the relationship that will take a long time to heal.