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 The author argues that the meaning of the Bible's passages on homosexuality have been lost in translation.
May 15th, 2012
05:39 PM ET
My Take: What the Bible really says about homosexuality
By Daniel A. Helminiak, Special to CNN President Barack Obama’s support of same-sex marriage, like blood in the water, has conservative sharks circling for a kill. In a nation that touts separation of religion and government, religious-based arguments command this battle. Lurking beneath anti-gay forays, you inevitably find religion and, above all, the Bible. We now face religious jingoism, the imposition of personal beliefs on the whole pluralistic society. Worse still, these beliefs are irrational, just a fiction of blind conviction. Nowhere does the Bible actually oppose homosexuality. In the past 60 years, we have learned more about sex, by far, than in preceding millennia. Is it likely that an ancient people, who thought the male was the basic biological model and the world flat, understood homosexuality as we do today? Could they have even addressed the questions about homosexuality that we grapple with today? Of course not. CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories Hard evidence supports this commonsensical expectation. Taken on its own terms, read in the original languages, placed back into its historical context, the Bible is ho-hum on homosexuality, unless – as with heterosexuality – injustice and abuse are involved. That, in fact, was the case among the Sodomites (Genesis 19), whose experience is frequently cited by modern anti-gay critics. The Sodomites wanted to rape the visitors whom Lot, the one just man in the city, welcomed in hospitality for the night. The Bible itself is lucid on the sin of Sodom: pride, lack of concern for the poor and needy (Ezekiel 16:48-49); hatred of strangers and cruelty to guests (Wisdom 19:13); arrogance (Sirach/Ecclesiaticus 16:8); evildoing, injustice, oppression of the widow and orphan (Isaiah 1:17); adultery (in those days, the use of another man’s property), and lying (Jeremiah 23:12). But nowhere are same-sex acts named as the sin of Sodom. That intended gang rape only expressed the greater sin, condemned in the Bible from cover to cover: hatred, injustice, cruelty, lack of concern for others. Hence, Jesus says “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 19:19; Mark 12:31); and “By this will they know you are my disciples” (John 13:35). How inverted these values have become! In the name of Jesus, evangelicals and Catholic bishops make sex the Christian litmus test and are willing to sacrifice the social safety net in return. The longest biblical passage on male-male sex is Romans 1:26-27: "Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another." The Greek term para physin has been translated unnatural; it should read atypical or unusual. In the technical sense, yes, the Stoic philosophers did use para physin to mean unnatural, but this term also had a widespread popular meaning. It is this latter meaning that informs Paul's writing. It carries no ethical condemnation. Compare the passage on male-male sex to Romans 11:24. There, Paul applies the term para physin to God. God grafted the Gentiles into the Jewish people, a wild branch into a cultivated vine. Not your standard practice! An unusual thing to do — atypical, nothing more. The anti-gay "unnatural" hullabaloo rests on a mistranslation. Besides, Paul used two other words to describe male-male sex: dishonorable (1:24, 26) and unseemly (1:27). But for Paul, neither carried ethical weight. In 2 Corinthians 6:8 and 11:21, Paul says that even he was held in dishonor — for preaching Christ. Clearly, these words merely indicate social disrepute, not truly unethical behavior. In this passage Paul is referring to the ancient Jewish Law: Leviticus 18:22, the “abomination” of a man’s lying with another man. Paul sees male-male sex as an impurity, a taboo, uncleanness — in other words, “abomination.” Introducing this discussion in 1:24, he says so outright: "God gave them up … to impurity." But Jesus taught lucidly that Jewish requirements for purity — varied cultural traditions — do not matter before God. What matters is purity of heart. “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles,” reads Matthew 15. “What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.” Or again, Jesus taught, “Everyone who looks at a women with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Jesus rejected the purity requirements of the Jewish Law. In calling it unclean, Paul was not condemning male-male sex. He had terms to express condemnation. Before and after his section on sex, he used truly condemnatory terms: godless, evil, wicked or unjust, not to be done. But he never used ethical terms around that issue of sex. As for marriage, again, the Bible is more liberal than we hear today. The Jewish patriarchs had many wives and concubines. David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi, and Daniel and the palace master were probably lovers. The Bible’s Song of Songs is a paean to romantic love with no mention of children or a married couple. Jesus never mentioned same-sex behaviors, although he did heal the “servant” — pais, a Greek term for male lover — of the Roman Centurion. Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter Paul discouraged marriage because he believed the world would soon end. Still, he encouraged people with sexual needs to marry, and he never linked sex and procreation. Were God-given reason to prevail, rather than knee-jerk religion, we would not be having a heated debate over gay marriage. “Liberty and justice for all,” marvel at the diversity of creation, welcome for one another: these, alas, are true biblical values. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Daniel A. Helminiak. soundoff (8,832 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 Next » |
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Editor's note:
If being gay is a sin like so many other sins, why is it that people who all sin make such a big deal out of it? Mind your own business and let others be. If being gay is an abomination, then by all means let the creator do the job. Just remember he/she will do the job to you for your sins as well.
Top Ten Signs You're a Christian
10 – You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.
9 – You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.
8 – You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.
7 – Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" including women, children, and trees!
6 – You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.
5 – You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth (few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is a few generations old.
4 – You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs – though excluding those in all rival sects – will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering. And yet consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."
3 – While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in "tongues" may be all the evidence you need to "prove" Christianity.
2 – You define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.
1 – You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history – but still call yourself a Christian.
Get a life...
You are NOT David Letterman...
The clasic copy and paste.
Martog: This never gets boring...the religitards just can't handle the truth. Enjoy the day. 🙂
That shut them up. That's what happens when they are confronted with the truth.
Yep, I see the Truth has yet again found a few marks. Surprised none of the good christians called me names.....yet! But I did get the 'copy and paste' bs. I guess I should type it over and over again. Yea, that would make sense. KInda like praying and beleiving in fairy tales. Notice that NO ONE has even attempted to refute my post with ANYTHING resembling facts.
Soo many wanna be mes.
Very good. I'm gonna steal this! Thanks, it's right on the mark.
It's a paper tiger that you would say that people haven't tried to refute you with anything resembling facts when you did not provide any facts. How confident can you if you must use such tactics?
I am a Christian and I am not described above. It's easy for you to put Christians in a box and make fun because you have the attributes that you mock above. I believe in evolution, do not mock other religions, actually understand prayer, and believe in science / facts. Believing in God and believing in science are not mutually exclusive.
Why are you so threatened?
You can tell from his picture even before reading this article. He looks like a pagan.
Kind of like the ring took hold of him and he stepped out of the cave just to take a picture for CNN
Who cares what an old archaic book of ancient mythology says about ANYTHING??? Only ignorant people believe in that nonsense.
Only ignorant people believe there are more stars than grains of sand on earth.oops astronomers and nasa you must be stupid because that's what the Bible says
Actually the Bible only states that there are lots of stars and lots of grains of sand. No comparison between the two is given and nowhere does it say which is greater. It's stars by a good margin by the way.
Those of you that keep arguing that the bible calls h0mos3xuality an abomination, what translation of the Bible are you reading? That is your error. You are reading a translation of the Bible which inherently carries the bias and prejudices of the translator(s). The author of this article has gone back to the original languages and is making a pretty good case.
So many vs. misquoted. God has turned them over to a mind void of understanding. Don't try and make it what you want. It is a sin and unnatural act. Do you really thing that a thrice holy God would except such an act of impurity and immorality. It is written that "man LEFT the natural use of the woman and BURN in there LUST one toward another doing that which is unseemly. This is a willing act against all that is natural. Why do you think our world is in such a state, because we have started to do just what the Bible says: "calling good evil and evil good." God loves the sinner, but not the SIN.
So do you cover your head every time you pray? If not, you are dishonoring your head according to 1 Corinthians 11:6.
Also, did it ever occur to you that what the verse you quoted is stating is that when heteros3xuals leave the natural use of a woman, and lust after other men it is a sin? Your problem is you reject science over your interpretation of the Bible. Science identifies truth as we can best understand it. Therefore, as things are discovered with science we should adapt our view of the Bible to fit what is found. When you study h0mos3xuality without bias, it becomes clear that certain people are born g@y, just like certain animals are born g@y.
Greek original ha ha ha ever heard of aramic dummy .Greeks added their words and beliefs Hebrewa didn't call Egypt Egypt that's a Greek word so when you see it in OT no that's an incorrect version
What animals born gay whales walruses vampire bats google science and Bible see what you might surprise you .PS big science fan but most of it's theories are as much myth as the Bible ask the archeologist who can't get their work recognized because of science dogma
@leslie thomas: You're just another bigot incapable of thinking for yourself.
leslie: you have no authority to speak for god. now, get back on your knees
@sam stone
@sam stone..
If I'll become a President. I would impose Blasphemy Law.
Let's just see!
Being gay has never been an issue (as far as God or the Bible is concerned) but the act thereof. Leviticus 20:13.
Gay marriage would definitely lead to commiting the act (granting that it has not bee already commited). Thus, abomination to God and to those who BELIEVE in Him.
Utter absurdity. I am hardly the first to point out all the OTHER things in leviticus that are considered 'abominations' to god, such as eating shellfish, wearing clothing made of multiple fibres, working on saturday. All of which Christians happily ignore without a single thought, yet decide to pay attention to the one rule regarding gays simply because it fits their pre-existing bigotry. The hypocricy of such a stance is repellant.
OR..
Those acts (such as eating shellfish, wearing clothing made of multiple fibres, working on saturday.) just happened to be NOT the main topic of the article that we are commenting on.
Nice try, but you fail. No, you cannot try and justify your bigotry by citing a 'rule' of the Bible when yiou openly, flagrantly and gleefully violate 80% of the other 'rules' in the same book without a second thought. It demonstrates that your hatred has nothing to do with the bible, its just a convenient screen you use to try and get away your own personal intolerance.
Amusingly, that means as well as bigotry and hate, you are also guilty of exceptional blasphemy.
No Bible just nasty unnatural like sleeping with cows but some country boys do it so I guess we should accept it
First and foremost, where in my post tantamounts to bigotry?
The article talks about and I quote, "what the bible really says about hom.ose.xuality" and I was only quoting a single verse which is in line with it and shared my thoughts based on it.
Just when it became that being on-topic and honest thought equate "bigotry"?. When it doesn't agree with yours?
Let's talk again when the "80%" or part thereof is on the debate.
Until then, let's just focus on the issue: "what the Bible really says about ho.mo.se.xuality", NOT whether the Bible is True or not.
@myklds: Your buybull is incorrect and outdated. Your god does not exist. You are a bigot!
It seems that your anger had overshadowed your sanity. Scroll-up and read my original post again and this time with a little calmness in your heart (if you have one, lol!). And pay a little more attention to the phrase "to God and to those who believe in Him".
I haven't shown my card yet but it seems that most of you had tilted already.
@Lies Prevail..
Yeah..just because you say so.
Religion is freedom to some, oppression to others.
It has no place mixing with politics.
Pick and mix religion, take what you want and make it up for control. And of the day Lavit was a health book written to stop interbreeding withing Jewish communities as it was causing to many disabilities. It was not the word of GOD it was written by jews to make there breed a much better arab, than the others in middle east, you could say it has worked ! they are a lot smarter than other arabs. but not God's words. Just Jewish blood line cleaning. ever played football and thrown the pig skin yes you shall be put to death then... lets get those ball plays gay men attack.??? what ever.
1 Corinthians 6 >>
New International Version 1984
9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the se.xu.all.y im.mor.al nor idolaters nor adul.ter.ers nor male pr.osti.t.utes nor ho.m.ose.xual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
.
truth,
Corinthians (11:6) also says “For if a woman does not cover her head (while praying), let her also have her hair cut off”.
So what is your point?
Observer: A bit off topic, so I apologize, but have you read The Year Of Living Biblically? It is a pretty good look at biblical literalism
Clearly this guy didn't study the Bible in all his well teachings. It clearly states more than once that it is immoral and abomination of behavior. You have the media twisting words too and don't forget this is also to expected do to the fact of false teachings that the Bible warns you about. Before you make your blah blah commit why don't you take the time and read it yourself and take a leap of faith and pray to God to change your heart before you do.
sam stone,
No I haven't but I have seen it mentioned before.
Ha, Ha and Ha! Told you so.
Sodom and Gomorra were destroyed by God because of their inmorality and evil ways. The same fate awaits those who defy God's Law and call evil aceptable. "God is not to be mocked"
The "sin of Sodom" was greed.
Read the Bible sometime.
Some how, your reading comprehension is way off course.
coffeebean02,
If you are talking to me, you haven't read the Bible where it says that the sin of Sodom was greed.
Abdon.....don't be ridiculous. "God" can certainly be mocked
Observer
Are saying that "greed" is moral and Good?
The fact is that there is no secular argument...none...against same s3x marriage that doesn't also apply to hetero marriage. It requires a religious ideology to make that distinction.
Unnatural sick and nasty nothing about the Bible like a man screwing a mangy dog
Your personal disgust opinion notwithstanding that still isn't a secular reason against same s3x marriage...try again.
Also only religion deems gay s3x as unnatural. The science is quite clear that being gay is a naturally occurring phenomena.
I love how the author is making the "troll" face in his picture. This article is the biggest, longest troll I've ever seen!
Well done, sir! Your trolling is WIN!
1 Timothy 1 >>
New International Version 1984
8We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9We also know that lawa is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
You can tell that your thoughts are bias in nature, however you cannot manipulate what it is written.
The Bible never contradicts ietslf, so when anything difficult comes up, like concurrence, I study the exegesis. Honestly there has never been anything hard to find the truth on, but there has been points where it is difficult for me to accept the truth about a passage whether that is because I am in sin or because I have to change something in my walk with Christ. I also have an excellent pastoral staff, mentors, parents, and I have read the Church Fathers writings. This all helps cultivate my paideia, worldview. I then filter the issue through my biblical worldview. I guess you could say I was taught how to think and because I know how to think biblically I am able to seek to understand – I want to have ears to hear and I pray to have them. Whoever seeks will find.
2 Timothy 4 >>
New International Version 1984
3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry
Nice way to whitewash the Bible. Another so called "professional" Bible scholar but true to life idiot.
Dikran,
So are you going to PRETEND you know more about the Bible than a priest and theologian?
"So are you going to PRETEND you know more about the Bible than a priest and theologian?"
Do you suppose this mere priest and theologian is going to subvert the designs of God by his wit?
I cannot speak for Dikran, but I'm a Pastor who has been in the ministry for decades. Anyone who reads this article can sense that it is FAR from unbiased and stretching in it's use of scripture. We don't twist the Word to fit our lives. WE twist to fit it. But alas, we have reached a point in society when men no longer will endure sound doctrine.
Captain Caveman,
"We don't twist the Word to fit our lives.'
Of course you do. Everyone does. That's how Christians can ignor the much greater problem of Christians living in adultery by divorcing and remarrying. There's far far more of them than gays, but it's much more fun for them to pick on gays.
Ya koow I wish people would stop quoting the bible. It was written 2,000 years ago by writers who believed in things that no science had explaination for. Plus you know how all writers love to tell the truth lol. Some of them have some serious imaginations. There are probably more fiction novels then anything else in the world.
http://youtu.be/TwQyEL9lzSw
http://youtu.be/yrs8F33o9IU
http://youtu.be/4VlL7BL7xCE
Think you need to read it you would have a different outlook obviously you haven't and just for kicks ask God to change your heart before you do. You'd be happier
I was born into the R.o.m.a.n. C.a.t.h.o.l.i.c. C.h.u.r.c.h., read the B.i.b.l.e. more than 2 times cover to cover and m.u.l.t.i.t.u.d.e of times of c.h..e.r.r.y.-p.i.c.k.i.n.g......so that k.i.l.l.s your point you were trying to make. FOUND THE TRUTH
R..e.l..i.g.i.o.n. .is for s.h.e.e.p.. The B.i.b.l.e. is BS.
Sit down i.d.i.o.t.
If you have to try and say silly things like read it, how about you read it and debunk what Pen & Teller said in their show
But before they retired for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house. 5 They shouted to Lot, “Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out to us so we can have se.x with them!”
JW,
The Bible says that the sin of Sodom was being greedy and not sharing. Was Sodom destroyed because it was full of Republicans?
Not sure what bible this guy is reading but mine says anything other than S.ex between a married Husband and wife is a sin. Must be the new g.a.y bible.
jim,
The Bible also says no one should get a divorce and remarry, but let's just PRETEND it doesn't talk about those Christian adulterers since there are more of them than gays.
jim: is there a big push to deny adulterers their civil rights? Or, would that impact your fellow parishioners too much?
People argue till they feel comfotable because they feel something crunchy inside.
They can say all they like. It is their freedom. Argument is futile if they already fixed in their mind.
Bible dislikes it. You can argue till you feel Bible has changed its words written thousands of years ago.
People know what is the right thing. They argue because they like the act not the truth.
Do not waste your time.