Jewish leaders expect ban on gay Rabbis to be lifted
It appears that the Jewish church will soon be following suit with many branches of the Christian church by officially ordaining homosexuality as acceptable human behavior. I’ve already posted comments on this site about the Catholic church and their lack of opposition to the homosexual movement, so I won’t hesitate to extend those comments to the Jewish faith as well. This is a sellout…nothing more.
Like any church, the Jewish faith needs money to operate. Much of that money comes from America and anyone can see how much steam the homosexual revolution has picked up in this country. As a result, many Jewish people here have become more liberal and progressive in their views, and a lot of that has been molded by their allegiance to the progressive political party. So when something like this happens, the church must adapt or risk losing money from donations. And so they have.
It’s almost as if Caiaphus and the Sanhedrin returned with 30 pieces of silver to help the Jewish leaders make up their mind.
Homosexuality is a sin. My faith tells me that. And, yes, the Jewish faith says the same. I don’t want to hear things like "translation" and "original documents" to justify this behavior because, in my mind, the Bible is a living thing representing God’s word which is also living. And when God’s word is alive, nothing gets "lost in translation". Today’s Bible (including the Old Testament) says that homosexuality is a sin, and therefore that’s the position I take regardless of what our religious leaders say. I don’t have to modify my principles for monetary gain.
I guess it’s a debate that will rage on until the end, which may not be far off. After all, Revelations does say that the church will distance itself from God in the final days. I guess then we’ll know who’s right.
6 comments:
Jews are lifting the ban on homosexuality? I'm amazed. You won't see Southern Baptists doing that. It would really be a cold day in Hades for that to happen.
I agree Debbie, mainly because the Baptist church would actually lose funds by doing something like this, whereas much of the base in the Jewish and Catholic churches tend to lean to the left and seem to be more tolerant of this sort of thing.
"Today’s Bible (including the Old Testament) says that homosexuality is a sin"
I've probably done this before here, but just to clarify: NO WHERE in the Bible do you find the words that you just said the Bible says. Nowhere can you show me where it says "homosexuality is a sin" point blank. It's not there.
There are a handful of verses that have been interpreted that way by some believers. Other believers, such as myself, do not interpret them that way at all. Don't misprepresent what the Bible says, please.
And I'd guess that Jews would like the opportunity to decide for themselves what Jews believe and not be told by Christians what they believe. More power to them in that cause.
Finally, to suggest this is all about money is to distort the issue. It may well be for some. For others, it is ALL about being faithful to God and God's word. My church embraces homosexuals AT SOME COST to us, not to any profit. We do so because we believe that's what God wants, based upon God's Word.
1 Corinthians 6:8-10
"8Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers.
9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
Romans 1:26-27: "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence [sic] of their error which was meet."
"God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." New International Version, Genesis 1:28
Leviticus 18:22
"Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."
Now, I'm sure you have some clever response about 'interpretation' and 'original translation' and you've made it clear that your church endorses homosexuality, so I don't expect to affect your opinion. But, in my opinion, dismissing these words with things like 'original translation' basically challenges the divinity of the document and thus renders the religion obsolete. I choose otherwise. Like I said, the Bible is living and NOTHING gets lost in translation when we're talking about the divine word of an omnipotent being.
Plus, I don't see how anyone can twist and spin these words into something that means God is okay with homosexuality, but I'm sure you'll try.
No, I'll pass. Just note that many like me who are VERY intent on being faithful to God and God's Word (and who, at one time, agreed with your interpretation of those handful of verses) have, upon further prayer and study, found those passages to NOT be saying "homosexuality is a sin."
If you'd like me to tell you why, I will. I don't think you're really interested, though. So suffice to say, this Christian, husband, deacon, church-goer, God- and Bible-lover disagrees with your interpretation.
"But, in my opinion, dismissing these words with things like 'original translation' basically challenges the divinity of the document"
1. The "document" isn't divine. God's Word is divine, Jesus is divine. But we don't worship a book, the Bible (or at least we shouldn't - I think many do and therein lies a problem). The Bible is not divine. Divinely inspired, yes. Divine itself, no.
2. So if it is true that "dismissing" these few biblical words with explanations and interpretations is wrong, then is it also wrong to dismiss the biblical injunction to not eat shrimp? To dismiss the injunction to cut off your hand if it offends you? To dismiss the injunction to kill disobedient children?
I don't think you think that. We ALL have to interpret the Bible based on all sorts of criteria. NONE of us takes every word of the Bible literally. If you did, then you'd have to give your money all away to the poor, you'd have to pull out your eyeball, you'd have to return your land to the original owners every 50 years and erase all debts owed to you every seven years. You don't take every word in the Bible, word-for-word literally. You interpret it.
Sometimes the Bible is speaking allegorically. Sometimes rules were given to particular people at particular times. We have to make judgements in those cases and that is a good thing. In the case of the HANDFUL of verses that seem to condemn homosexuality to you, they don't seem to do so to me. That doesn't mean I dismiss the Bible any more than you dismiss it when you interpret it.
The most important thing is "not to forsake the weightier issues" ("You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God's Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it." - Jesus)
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