Originally posted by Conrau K
Again, St. Paul is making no distinction between loving and unloving relationships. He simply says those men who have turned away from the 'natural function' toward women and who burn with passion for one another. Isn't that precisely what homosexuality, whether monogamous or promiscuous, is?
Again, St. Paul is making no distinction between loving and unloving relationships.
That might be true, but we better do, don't you think? To me unloving relationships deserve rebuke (the subject of this thread)
He simply says those men who have turned away from the 'natural function' toward women and who burn with passion for one another. Isn't that precisely what homosexuality, whether monogamous or promiscuous, is?
Can you explain for me what Paul means with 'burning with passion'. Do you think that sexually burning with passion for someone of the other gender is all right?
My main problem with this text is that, if Paul meant to describe homosexual behaviour as a state of burning with passion, he is absolutely wrong. Therefore I think he had something different in mind when he wrote Rom 1:27. I disagree with you that he precisely describes homosexuality here. He might have meant to do so, but then he was mistaken in what hosmosexual feelings are.
A homosexual doesn't turn away from the 'natural function' towards women. He has simply no inclination to have a sexual relationship with women. There is nothing unnatural about that. Millions and millions of people are born that way. Why should we call that unnatural?
Besides that, I find it a bit degrading towards women. As if the natural function for women is to be a an object of burning passion for men.
The whole problem seems that many Christians still think that homosexual behaviour goes against nature. If Paul thought so, he was wrong. Homosexual feelings are normal. Just as normal as being left handed.
What surprises me is the fascination among Christians (and other Abrahamistic religions) for homosexuality to be seen as a sin. It is hardly mentioned in the Scriptures and where it is mentioned we disagree about what the authors really meant.
Let us assume for a moment that Paul didn't mean homosexuality in general.
Can anyone tell me then why homosexual behaviour is a sin that should be rebuked? I don't need a bible text to understand why we call rape, murder, theft, deceit wrong doings. But why is sex with the between people of the same gender wrong? Why would you rebuke a homosexual? Is anyone hurt by the fact that two gay people with consent to have a sexual relationship? I just don't understand the need to rebuke