reply to post by manna2
Thanks for that scripture, and for not giving me more than Jude 1:7. 1 verse out of context does not a whole picture make:
Jude 1:1-7
For instance:
4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the
grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
It's not just the licentiousness. They also deny God.
Part and parcel.
Or:
5 Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt,
subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.
Oho! So now, it's about a lack of belief? This supports the verses I already put up.
Look, by the time homosexuality is brought into the picture, every time, there's a lack of belief in the things God does, says, or is. Then comes in
the homosexuality--and other things.
Same thing in
Romans1:19-32
Which state:
1. God is blatant.
2. They knew Him, then they chose not to honor Him.
3. They gave in to foolish thinking practices, and started making the creation their gods.
4. So God gives them over to the end result of their behavior.
5. Then the unnatural sexual practices.
6. Then God gives them up further, to a fully depraved mind.
7. Then comes the comments about them being worthy of death.
Things you get from this, that Christianity rarely teaches:
1. Homosexuality is not the lowest evil on the totem pole. Generally, the Christian Right treats homosexuality as worse than abortion. I never got
that, although I was raised in groups that thinks like this. (Seriously, I can count on 1 hand the number of anti-abortion sermons vs. the countless
Homosexuality is EVIL sermons.)
2. The cause is not Homosexuality. It's no where near the beginning. It comes after giving up on God, and God reciprocating the behavior.
3. there's rarely any moment in time where the issue is only about 1 sin that we must all focus on. To focus on 1 sin is to be misdirected.
Look, even the link I put up mentions the homosexuality, after the main cause, so it's not like the verse I pulled up was even inconsistent with your
reference.
Ok, so back to Sodom:
In the Middle East, hospitality is still a dominant force in their culture. When you are a stranger, not coming in with the might of an army behind
you, you are in danger of being subjugated by the society that you are traveling through. This is still true in 3rd world countries, and sometimes
even in our own. There's some parts of nearly every town you don't go through if you want to 1. come out alive, 2. not be harassed by the police.
What the men of Sodom did was use "homosexuality" as the tool to not take care of a stranger who passes through. And if you won't take care of a
stranger, what do you do to those in your own society who are defenseless?
So, God's hearing people cry out against Sodom, and sent someone to investigate. Why He did it this way in the story, I'll never know, but He did.
It's nice to note at this point that after the men of that town were struck blind, they still continued to search for the door. Think about it:
something has the ability to strike me blind, I'm getting the heck out of there before it does more damage to me. That is sane reasoning. Getting
even cannot happen when you can't exist on the same level as the creature you face. Yet they tired themselves out, looking for that door. That's
more than merely liking man on man action. This is full blown depraved mind, that attempts to prey on the weak in society, without stopping to take a
glimpse at sane. This is what we try to lock up in our jails, at the very least.
Now, does this change the fact that, Biblically speaking, Homosexuality is a sin? No, not one bit, and all sin is what makes us worthy of death. But
when we focus only on the homosexuality, we're missing the big picture.
Besides, my point with the original scripture I pointed out was why the Jews of that particular time were equal or worse to Sodom. And they were
getting berated by that prophet for not taking care of those in need--not for Homosexuality.
edit on 22-5-2012 by CynicalDrivel because:
added K, dropped ' to thanks, and changed link to scripture. Nothing else.