Leviticus 18:22 I believe is the first place in the bible that it states a discrimination against homosexuals. I use the word discrimination to better describe exactly what it is. Leviticus itself is a great source for the mass abuse, murder, rape, slavery, torture & more that God condones as well as numerous decrees’ Christians conveniently ignore when selecting which laws they wish to enforce upon others or base their beliefs upon.
Later, in Leviticus 20:13 it lays down punishment (as it does through most of chapter 20) as death for homosexuality and this is also another verse often used as the proof homosexuality is a sin. Also in this chapter it lays down a death sentence for quite a few other indiscretions.
The problem is this one great contradiction. If we follow the belief that Leviticus is the word of God that we must obey why then does the modern Christian movement not attempt to enforce the death penalty upon the gay population? Why do they not allow for us to buy slaves or sell our children into slavery as it says in Exodus 21:7 & Leviticus 25:44? The common reply from Christians is that the Old Testament has been re-written or replaced by the New Testament. Yet this New Testament quotes Christ as saying simply “Love your fellow man”, he also rescues a prostitute from being stoned to death as Leviticus declares a law of God. If Christ can save the prostitute and suggest that no one is without sin, then how can Christians today who admit we are ALL sinners, declare any of these lies as law let alone throw a stone?
Your second question is a nice out of the box idea. The answer for most thinking Christians will be yes. They will fight to save the life of any fetus as no amount of scientific proof will convince them that the sexual orientation of the person is not able to change. Christians mostly think homosexuality is a choice & perversion much as alcoholism & other weakness disorders.

“For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their woman exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error.”

There’s no such thing as a homosexual fetus, so your second question is just silly. Hypothetically, though, if science or Providence or anything else ever determined a way to predict future behavior, then yes, even then I would oppose abortion.

I don’t believe gay adults should be put to death, either! Ours is a religion of forgiveness, after all.

Hey, you’re not quoting the grade-A-number-one Shakespeare translation of the Bible done for King James, now is it?

“..receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error.”

Is that your little code for AIDs?

My version says “…receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.” Are you afraid of other interpretations? Is that why you rephrase it to be harsher, using “due penalty” for recompense.

Funny, I just looked up recompense to make sure, and it doesn’t say anything about due penalty. It says compensation, payment, and amends. Other Christians have argued the meaning of that verse and come up with the opposite conclusion you have. So even within your own religion there is not agreement. But, say, fine, what if your whole religion says it’s a sin? Even if every single Christian agreed it was a sin, what right do you have to force your religious beliefs on someone, say, to stop gay marriage? What if that persons religious beliefs said love was a good thing. Who the hell are you to tell them they can’t have a wedding, a contract, a marriage, and all of the secular things that come with that?

You wouldn’t like it very much if I tried to force you to follow Wiccan, Buddhist, or Hindu teachings? What if I said only Muslim marriages would be allowed?

Finally, what about Leviticus 20:13: If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Sounds like Gay adults should be put to death to me…. Right after I sell my daughter into slavery and stop cutting my sideburns.

In fact I don’t have a problem with gay marriage. It’s a free will issue. People need to be allowed to sin, and yes just about every religion views homosexuality as a sin- even lefty religions like Buddhism.

Further, in response to your disgusting insinuation that I cheer for the AIDS virus… Punishment is not mine to administer, but God’s. In the words of Jesus Christ, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” That ain’t me, friend. What you do in your bedroom (or anywhere else) is between you and the Lord, whether you recognize hom or not.

I think you’re wrong about every religion viewing homosexuality as a sin. If that were true, then why would these religions allow gay marriage? Wouldn’t that be against God’s law?

While you’ll have to forgive me for putting words in your mouth, since you seem to represent the one and only true relgion that has the corner on the forgiveness market, but isn’t it ironic that you labeled me a commie without knowing anything about me? Typical righy-wing labeling tactic, like if I called you a fascitst pig.

But, judging from your very tolerant positions, I would guess you’re not a Bush voter. You certainly disagree with him on some key issues. I wonder if you, like him, believe that only Christians will get into heaven? I wonder if you, like him, believe in the literally interpretation of the Rapture? I wonder if you, like him, ignore the mountain of Science known as evolution and say the world was litterally created in 7 days 5000 years ago?

Finally, like many Christians I know, and certainly most Republicans I know (although I don’t know that you do vote with God’s Own Party), you are a hypocrite. You lash out at me for putting words in your mouth, which I plainly did not. Go back and read my post. I asked you if the quote from the King James version of the Bible, as I found it, was saying that God would punish gay people for being gay. I said, is that your little code for AIDs? After all, Ronny Raygun and his right wing Christian fanatics certainly seemed to suggest that. Many right wing Christians continue to insinuate that AIDs is God’s punishment for being Gay or doing drugs.

BUT I DID NOT SAY that you were wishing AIDs on people. I only asked if that’s what you thought of that passage from Romans. You cleverly avoided the points, while putting words in my mouth, which you then accused me of doing.

I was trying to be ironic by labelling you a commie, since you ascribed every reactionary caricature of conservatism to me based on the answers of two questions unrelated to any of the topics you then brought up. I don’t know if you’re a commie, socialist, Bill Clinton, anarchist, libertarian, etc. But you likewise don’t know if I’m a Southern Baptist or Greek Orthodox or Methodist. But you have no problem pushing me into your stereotype of what a Christian is. Guess what? 90% of Americans are Christians, and I think you’ll agree that there’s a bit of diversity represented in that group.

You’re right about one thing, though. I disagree with Bush quite a bit, mostly around economic issues like Social Security and tax cuts. But yes, I do believe that only those that accept Christ as the savior of man go to heaven, along with just about every other Christian, seeing as how is a central tenet of our faith and all. The rapture is definitely NOT a literal reading of the Bible. There’s no mention of it at all, anywhere. It is, in fact, heresy. I also believe that the Earth is ~1.5 billion years old, but my faith does not hinge on the story of creation in Genesis.

http://www.samesexmarriage.ca/equality/rcem090405.htm

But granted, perhaps I should have said Churches that accept it.

The earth is at least 4.4 billion years old. But what’s 3 billion years between friends? Here’s a quote from today’s AP on that very subject.

“To create buzz about an otherwise arcane subject, the University of Wisconsin-Madison showed off a tiny speck of zircon crystal believed to be the oldest known piece of Earth at about 4.4 billion years old.”

What I have no problem with is blaming Christians for being taken in by George Bush. Even those Christians who did not vote for him haven’t done enough to talk to other Christians who did about the obvious contradictions to Christianity the man perpetuates. Where are the Christians pointing out that the man has hijacked their tolerant and loving religion for “crusades” led by a man who would dare to say “God speaks through me.”

I would like to get one thing perfectly clear. You are saying that every single person on this earth who doesn’t believe in Christ, as you do, is going to burn in hell?

I wish more people knew about this site so I could hear the freaks tell you all about the book of Revelations, the lake of fire, the Jews all going to hell for not accepting Christ, yada yada yada. Seems you have a big disagreement with the end timers, and I’d really like to hear it. Maybe that will be Robin’s next question. Come judgement day, I’d like to know why someone who’s done good deeds without good faith will be subject to eternal damnation, while a murdering, torturing, megalomaniac like GW Bush will be in Heaven.

Furthermore, you are saying that Gay people are sinners because they’re born Gay? Because God made them Gay? Or are you saying they have a choice? Did you choose to be heterosexual? Are you going to argue with years of established science that says gay people are born that way?

I also found present in the comments I read the opinion, which I share, that no child should be aborted on the basis of future sins. To kill a child as a fetus because it will be homosexual, is as nonsensical an idea as killing a child who will grow up to be a thief, or an adulterer, …
There is no good reason to kill another human — I am opposed to Abortion for the same reasons I oppose War.

What I find truely interesting is the number of other “questions” and opinions which were presented along with those answering the asked question, as non-Christians hastened to present thier “educated as a Christian” answers which stressed the the ignorance of the religious, in place of listening to actual Christians’ answers. Is the presumption is that the Christian mind is too brainwashed to be capable of answering correctly?

As to the issue of Gay Marriage: How ironic that in a day and age when even many Christians decide to live together instead of marry, Homosexuals would decide that they require the sanctity of marriage for thier unions. I believe for the death penalty on this matter you actually wish to address the Muslim religions who still practice this punishment for Homosexuality, rather than Christians who have accepted the idea that “Judgement belongs to the Lord.”

Let me put it this way:
People have the right to be homosexual. Everyone has the right to sin … the right to kill a fetus for no good reason — whatever that reason. But just because you have the right to do it, doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.

God is a merciful and mysterious God. I’m not going to speculate on what criteria He will damn souls. I do believe, though, that the Bible makes it clear that the path to Heaven is by following the teachings of Jesus. Chief among those teachings is the belief that He is the son of God and that by His death we are spared the punishment we deserve.

Yeah, I’m not a geologist so I guessed at the Earth’s age. You have to admit, though, she doesn’t look a day over 1.5b.