214 replies to this topic

[David Henson]

Frank Merton, on 08 February 2013 - 08:11 AM, said:

Is this supposed to be a put-down?  It sure comes across that way.

Sorry about that, apparently I've pasted a mix of something I was writing elsewhere instead of what I had edited here. It must have been late, I didn't even realize I had posted it.

[euroninja]

Paranoid Android, on 08 February 2013 - 02:28 PM, said:

Paul was called to be an Apostle of Jesus Christ (at least, this is what I believe).  If what Paul says contradicts what Jesus said, then I agree that Jesus' words trump Paul.  However, and despite occasional arguments to the contrary, I believe that Paul's teachings compliment Jesus' teachings rather than contradict. Taking into consideration that I believe Paul was chosen as one of Jesus' 12 apostles my conclusion therefore is that his writings are acceptable for teaching us what Jesus wants.  Call it "faith", if you will.  I wouldn't say that Paul's words are "greater" than Jesus', but his words are of a divine origin, just as Jesus' words are of divine origin (again, my view, based on faith).

^{Galatians 3:13
13} Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”

Deuteronomy 21:23

http://biblethumping...-homosexuality/

Edited by euroninja, 09 February 2013 - 04:13 AM.

[euroninja]

David Henson, on 08 February 2013 - 04:28 PM, said:

Jesus said God's word is true, John 17:17, and that includes Leviticus 18:22.

Galatians 5:1

New International Version (NIV)
Freedom in Christ

5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

"Leviticus is the yoke of slavery!"

[euroninja]

Matthew 7:1

New International Version (NIV)
Judging Others

7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

[Paranoid Android]

euroninja, on 09 February 2013 - 03:42 AM, said:

^{Galatians 3:13
13} Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”

Deuteronomy 21:23

http://biblethumping...-homosexuality/

I wasn't quoting Leviticus!  I was quoting Romans 1!

Edited by Paranoid Android, 09 February 2013 - 04:45 AM.

[euroninja]

Paranoid Android, on 09 February 2013 - 04:44 AM, said:

I wasn't quoting Leviticus!  I was quoting Romans 1!

That's my answer to your posts.

[Paranoid Android]

euroninja, on 09 February 2013 - 05:23 AM, said:

That's my answer to your posts.

Uh-huh.  Your answer to my response of "Romans 1 is my clearest basis for my beliefs on homosexuality".... your answer is "you can't use Leviticus to condemn homosexuality".

Guess what - I agree with you!  You can't use Leviticus to condemn homosexuality!  What was your point in response then?

[euroninja]

I misunderstood your first post.......... I apologize.

[Colonel Rhuairidh]

Paranoid Android, on 08 February 2013 - 02:28 PM, said:

Paul was called to be an Apostle of Jesus Christ (at least, this is what I believe). If what Paul says contradicts what Jesus said, then I agree that Jesus' words trump Paul. However, and despite occasional arguments to the contrary, I believe that Paul's teachings compliment Jesus' teachings rather than contradict. Taking into consideration that I believe Paul was chosen as one of Jesus' 12 apostles my conclusion therefore is that his writings are acceptable for teaching us what Jesus wants. Call it "faith", if you will. I wouldn't say that Paul's words are "greater" than Jesus', but his words are of a divine origin, just as Jesus' words are of divine origin (again, my view, based on faith).

i agree, as far as what he said about Jesus is concerned (or at least, if I don't necessarily agree with it, I agree that what he said about Jesus should be taken seriously); does that mean, though, that everything he ever wrote to anyone should be taken as canonical? Surely Jesus must have said a lot, even during his period of teaching, that wasn't strictly relevant to his teaching. Perhaps he was fortunate in that (so far as anyone knows) he never wrote anything down, so his collected correspondence couldn't be published, so that only the pertinent parts of his teaching could be selected by later collaters, rather than everything he ever wrote being sanctified. In other words, Paul said & wrote a lot that wasn't really relevant to what he thought about Jesus. Perhaps he could have done with a better editor.

[Colonel Rhuairidh]

* Another quote that comes to mind, seeing the selected Biblical quotations scattered about to prove whatever point people want them to: "The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose": W. Shakespeare, The Merchant Of Venice.

[Paranoid Android]

Lord Vetinari, on 09 February 2013 - 08:26 AM, said:

i agree, as far as what he said about Jesus is concerned (or at least, if I don't necessarily agree with it, I agree that what he said about Jesus should be taken seriously); does that mean, though, that everything he ever wrote to anyone should be taken as canonical? Surely Jesus must have said a lot, even during his period of teaching, that wasn't strictly relevant to his teaching. Perhaps he was fortunate in that (so far as anyone knows) he never wrote anything down, so his collected correspondence couldn't be published, so that only the pertinent parts of his teaching could be selected by later collaters, rather than everything he ever wrote being sanctified. In other words, Paul said & wrote a lot that wasn't really relevant to what he thought about Jesus. Perhaps he could have done with a better editor.

I see no reason not to think of Paul's writings as canonical scripture.  Many early Christians certainly considered Paul's words to be scripture (2 Peter 3:16 comes to mind which refers to Paul's writings as such).

[Colonel Rhuairidh]

Paranoid Android, on 09 February 2013 - 09:48 AM, said:

I see no reason not to think of Paul's writings as canonical scripture. Many early Christians certainly considered Paul's words to be scripture (2 Peter 3:16 comes to mind which refers to Paul's writings as such).

Oh, indeed; but all of them? Every single word he's ever recorded to have written? Not just the things he had to say about Jesus? (the comments in Corinithians were among some general admonishments to Christian the community on how they ought to behave, if I recall, and weren't just about homsexuality, and was nothing to do with his interpretation of what Jesus was about. And surely, in Romans, he's talking about the general state of immorality of mankind as a whole, going back to the Fall and so on, much like Augustine was to spend a lot of his time worrying about, and he'd almost certainly have included heterosexual sex outside marriage as well (and possibly within it as well, bearing in mind his opinion about women). And there's another thing; he didn't exactly see women as equals, did he?; should his view on that be given as much importance? If Homosexuality should be comdemned by Christianity because of what Paul said about it, shouldn't women be forbidden from entering a church and be the property of men and so on?

Edited by Lord Vetinari, 09 February 2013 - 10:05 AM.

[Paranoid Android]

Lord Vetinari, on 09 February 2013 - 09:58 AM, said:

Oh, indeed; but all of them? Every single word he's ever recorded to have written?

In my opinion, yes.

Lord Vetinari, on 09 February 2013 - 09:58 AM, said:

Not just the things he had to say about Jesus? (the comments in Corinithians were among some general admonishments to Christian the community on how they ought to behave, if I recall, and weren't just about homsexuality, and was nothing to do with his interpretation of what Jesus was about. And surely, in Romans, he's talking about the general state of immorality of mankind as a whole, going back to the Fall and so on, much like Augustine was to spend a lot of his time worrying about, and he'd almost certainly have included heterosexual sex outside marriage as well (and possibly within it as well, bearing in mind his opinion about women).

Paul did speak of the state of immorality, and made a long list of the ways humanity was disobeying God.  That led to all kinds of immoral behaviour, not just homosexuality.  Romans 1:24 could arguably refer to heterosexual sex outside the context of marriage.

Lord Vetinari, on 09 February 2013 - 09:58 AM, said:

And there's another thing; he didn't exactly see women as equals, did he?; should his view on that be given as much importance? If Homosexuality should be comdemned by Christianity because of what Paul said about it, shouldn't women be forbidden from entering a church and be the property of men and so on?

Women should not be forbidden from entering a church and they shouldn't be the property of men either.  You've seriously misunderstood the writings of Paul if you think he hated women or thought of them as less than men.

[freetoroam]

I am not religious so everything I put is my OWN opinion. It may not always be suited to others views and it may not always be bang on (although thats rare, lol) but what I have noticed is the religious lot do not actually put anything of their own opinion, all they seem to do is quote the bible or koran.
Is it possible for them to maybe tell us how they feel without quoting chapters or verses? ........please?

Edited by freetoroam, 09 February 2013 - 01:29 PM.

[Colonel Rhuairidh]

Paranoid Android, on 09 February 2013 - 12:23 PM, said:

In my opinion, yes.

I'm pretty sure that, the Gospel writers actually been eyewitnesses to events as they happened, or had his personal correspondence been collected, (if he'd been able to write), Jesus would have had a lot of things to say about a lot of things, that weren't necessarily relevant to the message that he wanted to get across. Would everything that he had ever discussed with his work colleagues have gone into the Gospels, or would they have just restricted themselves to matters pertinent to his mission? I think that's the problem with what happened to Paul; everything that he said has been taken as being of equal importance, whether or not it has anything to do with Jesus. And whatever carefully selected quotations people might be able to mine as possibly having something to do with sexual morality (such as were quoted above), Jesus seemed, on the whole, to not consider it as the most important issue that he had to address. The hypocrisy of religious leaders and those who were so ostentatious about following the Law to the letter, perhaps, he was rather more concerned about. Maybe that might have been something that Paul ought to have considered a bit more. Who can say.