"It is not a matter of what "Christians hold." We ought to discuss what
the
Bible teaches..... I'd appreciate it if
you would show me where my biblical arguments are incorrect. "
Russell:
I'll send you my notes on the two books I mentioned.
(Available to anyone else who wants them, of course).
My point is simple. Christians differ on this issue. The issue is:
I1. Does Scripture proscribe ALL acts of homosexual contact, or does it
not?
If it does, than we may assume God disapproves accordingly.
If it does not, then we must make other arguments about whether
specifically:
I2. homosexual acts performed exclusively within the context of
a loving, long term, monogamous, adult relationship
are disapproved by God.
Helmaniak deals only with I1, above; Schmidt deals with both I1 and I2.
Note that the answer may differ if one differentiates between male and
female acts.
"Science" also comes in with data. Homosexuality is not unknown among
animals. Some differences (very small and not very significant, IMO) have
been observed between heterosexuals and homosexuals.
What I see is that a relatively strong case can be made for a "no" answer
to I1, but not a convincing case. What I also see is a polarization of
people on the issue which is dependent on how "conservative" or "liberal"
they are. I do not argue for either position myself.
Best
Burgy
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