Quote:
Originally posted by IROC
But your bible says to kill them?
Lev 20:13
If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them.
That's not ill will? How do you reconcile "thou shalt not kill" with "they shall be put to death"? If you choose to believe the part where they have "committed an abomination", why do you not believe the part where "they shall be put to death"? Or do you believe that they should be put to death?
Serious question.
Mike
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Serious answer:
Here is a little "Bible 101". The Bible is divided into two major collections of books, letters, poems, and other forms of literature. The Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old is considered "law"; the New is considered "Gospel".
The Law was written to point out both the sins of mankind as a whole, and men as individuals. It convicts all men of sin, and highlights the hopelessness of our plight regarding our efforts to measure up to God's expectations.
The harshness of that law, the severity of the punishment, served two purposes. It was initially levied over a people living under some pretty brutal conditions; the Israelites wandering a harsh wilderness, surrounded by enemies on all sides. It was meant to keep them in line under what could very easliy have degenerated into some pretty lawless conditions.
The second, and to us the more important intent of the law (to us) and its seemingly merciless punishment, is to highlight what is in store for those who oppose God. This next point is VERY important, so I hope I can present it without muddling it.
Anyway, the punishments were not so much for breaking any one specific article of law. The punishments were for defying God; for not doing as He says. There is a difference. This is a foreshadowing of God's ultimate punishment that awaits us all. It all sounds pretty bleak if you stop right there; we are all damned. No hope.
That's where the Gospel comes in. It announces God's plan to save us from His punishment that we deserve so much. Here is the next important point - it absolves us of all guilt under, and any need to follow, or ENFORCE, The Law. We can't anyway; it's far too demanding for us. The gist of the story is that Jesus stepped up and said something like "Dad, blame me. Punish me. For everything those poor bastards have done. Let them off the hook, for my sake."
So what this means in this particular case is the the Bible most certainly DOES NOT extol us to kill homosexuals. Or anyone else, for that matter. It explicitely tells us not to, in the Gospel. When the angry mob was getting ready to stone the whore to death, Jesus Himself stopped them. His famous "let he who is without sin cast the first stone" line came from there. He is very clear that we are no longer to punish each other for our sins. Ever.
Incidently, this is the major difference between the Quaran and the Bible. They share much of the Old Testament. The Quaran, obviously, does not include the Gospels containing Jesus' message of absolution, nor His message to knock off with the punishment thing. Muslims are still trying to live up to God's (or Allah's) laws, and still looking to punish those who do not. Understanding that fundemental difference between the Bible and its followers, and the Quaran and its followers, will go a long way towards understanding the world's situation today. But I digress...