fingers crossed that this doesn’t turn into a debate
It seems to me that whenever someone quotes the bible on homosexuality they quote the old testament. Now I thought the new covenant of Jesus Christ superceded that, which is why Christians aren’t kosher, circumcised, etc.
So my question is are there specific statements about homosexuality in the new testament? Are there specific rules that are carried over from the old testament? Am I wrong about the new covenant? Or are there just some generalizations/assumptions being carried over?
I realize the last one is subject debate, so let’s not worry too much about that.
If I recall correctly, the only admonishments with regard to homosexuality in the New Testament come from Paul. I had heard a theory somewhere that what he wrote might have actually had the opposite intent - that maybe that part was a letter written to him and later incorrectly ascribed as being written by him. Anyone have info on that?
Hopefully, this isn’t too much of a hijack. Are there any rules from the Old Testament that are not repeated or mentioned in the New Testament, but are still officially followed by some Christian denominations? Are there any rules found in the New Testament that are officially ignored by some Christian denominations?
An amazing number of Christians still seem to think the Ten Commandments apply to them despite Jesus specifically saying they don’t.
A great place to start with this is to look at what the New Testament says about marriage: What does the Bible say about marriage? Submissive wives, no divorce, would be near the top of the list of things widely ignored.
Unfortunately, VB’s QUOTE feature had not yet been invented at the time Paul wrote his letters. It is certainly possible that Paul included things that other people had said or written to him in his letters in order to address them; the first verse in the passage from 1 Corinthians that KneadToKnow linked to may be one such example. But I don’t remember hearing this about any of the things he said relating to homosexuality.
After reading that passage, it sounds like Jesus was giving the okay to both masturbation and homosexuality: “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Fine by me.
As to rules that Christian denominations follow, that are not in the New Testament, I’m reliably informed that many of them prohibit drinking, which was the second most popular indoor sport in both the Old and New Testaments, and specifically okayed by Jesus at his last gig with the guys.
I see where that passage fails to specifically say that the other commanments must be followed, but I sure don’t see where it specifically says that they don’t apply.
My humble apologies. That post went through a few drafts while I was trying to get the exact quotes I wanted to link to, and that wording was a stowaway from an earlier draft. The link text was supposed to be (and thought I had said) “stating that two cover it all.”
The interpretation of Matt 22:35-40 that goes hand-in-hand with Jesus being the new covenant which fulfills and replaces the old covenant was the one that was stressed in the church* I grew up going to and was baptized in, so it’s the one that has stuck with me.
It bears mentioning that while I’m not quite agnostic, I’m certainly not going to be much fun to debate any of this with.
*Southern Baptist, FWIW. And technically, I’m still a member there, though for about 16 years or so I was for all intents and purposes a practicing Episcopalian. I consider myself to be a “recovering Southern Baptist.”
A particularly apt excerpt: “Susan B. Anthony eventually declared in frustration: ‘I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.’”
It is unwise to tell such Christians that the Ten Commandments no longer apply to them. A major thing keeping some of them from killing fags is the commandment against murder.
That’s not what Jesus says in your link. He says that all the laws “hang on” the the greatest commandment He offers, but he doesn’t repudiate the original ten.
