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Re: The Debbil made me do it!

On Tue, 24 Jul 2001, Sweet & Tender Hooligan wrote:

> > What I am objecting to is the automatic grouping of lgb
> > people in the same category as adulterers, alcoholics,
> > liars, thieves, recidivists, criminals, child molesters,
> > sheep-shaggers, etc., etc., etc..
> 
> Sin is sin is sin is sin. And to the traditional Christian, homosexual
> activity is sin. Like it or lump it. You don't have to agree, but you can't
> very well expect someone to change their definition of sin simply because
> you don't agree with it.
> 

Homosexual activity is sin.  Sure.  Fine.  Of course, what folks tend to
forget when they make a statement like that is so is heterosexual
'activity'.  According to the Bible, the Lord does not seem to be too
terribly big on 'activity' of any kind outside of the marriage of two
people.  From what the Bible shows, God is pretty bullish on sex within
marriage (see the customs that Moses imparted to the Israelites on
behalf of God in Exodus, as well as the erotic love-poetry that comes
right after the book of Ecclesiastes), but it seems that He really
desires for sex to be something that happens between two really
committed folks - people that go before God and say they want each
other for the rest of their lives.  

To be honest, it kind of annoys me when people omit that little detail,
perhaps because gay-bashers often have a tendency to be the kind of loud,
annoying types that are constantly searching for some tail.  I'm not that
The Hooligan is one of these people (or anyone else that is making
statements about homosexuality and sin), but I think the homosexuality and
sin argument really misses the point.  If you believe what is in the
Bible, it does seem to point to sticking it out until you get married for
forms of sexual intimacy as The Thing To Do in regard to 'activity'.  
What point is it at which 'it' gets to be too much in God's eyes?  Only
God knows, frankly, and it's a bit beyond the scope of this
discussion.  That's one of those things in which some prayer (and perhaps
some fasting or such) might be appropriate...

Now, the interesting question is this:  can two gay folks be married
before God?  I'm not talking about state statutes and what various
denominations say - I'm asking whether God delights in such a union.  
When I see the rate of divorce between het couples, and I have gay friends
who have been together longer than many of those same married couples,
committed to each other and each other's well-being - well, it gives me
pause to think God can be pleased by such.  

Sin is a weird thing, you know?  We tend to say that sin is sin, like it
was a simple topic, but even that iconoclastic apostle Paul himself says
that sin can be relative - that sin for one person is not neccessarily sin
for another.  Occasionally, I wish Paul could see the world as it is
today.  I wonder what he would write.

"To the church at 920 W Wilson, Chicago, IL, I send you greetings in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ..."

And what's the  point of calling someone a sinner if they don't even
believe in your conception of right and wrong in the eyes of God?  I don't
mean that it might not be important - but yelling 'Sinner!  Sinner!' gets
you nowhere when you're talking to complete strangers across the web (it
rarely gets you anywhere when talking to your best friend - why should it
be any better when you talk to someone who you've never actually met?).

Regards,
-Drew J

O ^ ^   Drew Johnson - djohnson at snowplow_org - Ld Robert Bartholomew       )
O(_|_)       Heading back to the Pres House after all these years          X
O Check out splat.melm.org (monkey at melm_org) & goats.com (drew at goats_com)  |

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