GAY marriage is still under debate in many countries. In the United States, however, in 2015 the Supreme Court declared gay marriage to be legal nationwide. Thereafter, Internet searches on the topic skyrocketed. One of the most popular questions asked was, “What does the Bible say about gay marriage?”
The Bible does not specifically comment on legal rights involving marriage between people of the same sex. A more fundamental question is, What does the Bible say about homosexuality?
Without closely examining the Bible, many people think that they know the answer—but their answers are contradictory! Some say that the Bible is clearly antigay. Others claim that the Biblical command to “love your neighbor” supports any and all sexual lifestyles.—Romans 13:9.
Which of these statements would you consider to be true?
The Bible condemns homosexual acts.
The Bible condones homosexual acts.
The Bible promotes homophobia (a hatred of or prejudice toward homosexuals).
ANSWERS:
TRUE. The Bible says: “Men who practice homosexuality . . . will not inherit God’s Kingdom.” (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10) The same applies to women.—Romans 1:26.
FALSE. The Bible teaches that sex should be engaged in only by a male and a female who are married to each other.—Genesis 1:27, 28; Proverbs 5:18, 19.
FALSE. Although the Bible condemns homosexual acts, it does not encourage prejudice, hate crimes, or any other kind of mistreatment of homosexuals.—Romans 12:18.[1]
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the Bible’s moral code is the best standard for living, and they choose to abide by that code. (Isaiah 48:17)[2] This means that Jehovah’s Witnesses reject all sexual misconduct, including homosexuality. (1 Corinthians 6:18)[3]That is the Witnesses’ lifestyle choice, and they have a right to it.
Jehovah’s Witnesses strive to follow the Golden Rule by treating others the way they themselves would like to be treated
At the same time, Jehovah’s Witnesses strive to “pursue peace with all people.” (Hebrews 12:14) While they reject homosexual acts, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not force their view on others, nor do they participate in homophobic hate crimes or rejoice when they hear of them. Jehovah’s Witnesses strive to follow the Golden Rule by treating others the way they themselves would like to be treated.—Matthew 7:12.
Still, some people would say that the Bible promotes prejudice against homosexuals and that those who adhere to its moral code are intolerant. ‘The Bible was written at a time when people were narrow-minded,’ they claim. ‘Today we accept people of all races, nationalities, and sexual preferences.’ To them, rejecting homosexuality is the same as rejecting people of a different skin color. Is that comparison valid? No. Why not?
Because there is a difference between rejecting homosexual conduct and rejecting homosexual people. The Bible tells Christians to be respectful of all kinds of people. (1 Peter 2:17)[4] But that does not mean that Christians must accept all kinds of conduct.
Consider a comparison: Suppose you view smoking as harmful and even repugnant. What if you have a workmate who is a smoker? Would you be considered narrow-minded just because your view of smoking differs from his? Would the fact that he smokes and you do not smoke automatically mean that you are prejudiced against him? If your workmate were to demand that you change your view of smoking, would that not make him narrow-minded and intolerant?
Jehovah’s Witnesses choose to live by the moral code set forth in the Bible. They do not approve of the actions that the Bible prohibits. But they neither mock nor mistreat people whose practices differ from their own.
What about people who have homosexual inclinations? Were they born that way? If so, would it not be cruel to say that it is wrong for them to act on their desires?
The Bible does not comment on the biology of homosexuality, although it acknowledges that some human traits are deeply ingrained. Still, the Bible says that certain conduct—including homosexual acts—must be shunned if we are to please God.—2 Corinthians 10:4, 5.
Some would say that the Bible’s position is cruel. But their claim is based on the premise that we must act on our impulses or that sexual impulses in particular are so important that they should not—even cannot—be controlled. However, the Bible dignifies humans by stating that they can resist their urges. Unlike animals, they can choose not to act on their impulses.—Colossians 3:5.[5]
Consider a comparison: Some experts say that certain behavioral traits, such as aggression, may have a biological cause. The Bible does not specifically comment on the biology of aggression, but it does acknowledge that some people are “prone to anger” and “disposed to rage.” (Proverbs 22:24; 29:22) Yet, the Bible also says: “Let go of anger and abandon rage.”—Psalm 37:8; Ephesians 4:31.
Few people would disagree with that advice or say that it is cruel to those who have aggressive tendencies. In fact, even those experts who believe that anger is rooted in a person’s genetic makeup work hard to help people control such tendencies.
Jehovah’s Witnesses take a similar position toward any conduct that conflicts with Bible standards, including sexual acts between two people of the opposite sex who are not married to each other. In all such cases, the Bible counsel applies: “Each one of you should know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not with greedy, uncontrolled sexual passion.”—1 Thessalonians 4:4, 5.
Those who wanted to become Christians in the first century came from various backgrounds and lifestyles, and some of them made significant lifestyle changes. For example, the Bible speaks of “those who are sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, men who submit to homosexual acts,” and then it adds: “That is what some of you were.”—1 Corinthians 6:9-11.
In saying “that is what some of you were,” does the Bible mean that those who stopped engaging in homosexual acts never again experienced any homosexual desires? That could hardly be the case, because the Bible also exhorts: “Keep walking by spirit and you will carry out no fleshly desire.”—Galatians 5:16.
Note that the Bible does not say that a Christian will never experience an improper desire. Rather, it says that he or she will choose not to carry out that desire. Christians learn to bring such desires under control, not dwelling on them to the point of acting on them.—James 1:14, 15.[6]
The Bible thus makes a distinction between inclinations and practices. (Romans 7:16-25) A person who has homosexual leanings can control what he allows his mind to dwell on, just as he would control any other wrong desire, including leanings toward anger, adultery, and greed.—1 Corinthians 9:27; 2 Peter 2:14, 15.
While Jehovah’s Witnesses uphold the moral code set forth in the Bible, they do not force their views on others. Nor do they try to reverse laws that protect the human rights of those whose lifestyle differs from theirs. The message that Jehovah’s Witnesses bear is a positive one, and they eagerly share it with all who will listen.—Acts 20:20.
1. Romans 12:18: “Be peaceable with all men.”
2. Isaiah 48:17: “I, Jehovah, am your God, the One teaching you to benefit yourself.”
3. 1 Corinthians 6:18: “Flee from sexual immorality!”
4. 1 Peter 2:17: “Honor men of all sorts.”
5. Colossians 3:5: “Deaden, therefore, your body members that are on the earth as respects sexual immorality, uncleanness, uncontrolled sexual passion.”
6. James 1:14, 15: “Each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin.”
On Inclusion
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, a text which contains dogmas and teachings of the Church, names “homosexual acts” as “intrinsically immoral and contrary to the natural law,” and names “homosexual tendencies” as “objectively disordered.” While the Catholic Church does not consider “homosexual orientation” sinful in and of itself, it does have a very negative attitude toward it. The 1986 Letter states, “Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder.”The fact that Catholicism does not consider the “inclination” sinful is very different from more fundamentalist Christian churches. It is one of the reasons that the Catholic Church has not officially approved of reparative therapy. The Catechism further states that “Homosexual persons are called to chastity.” However, the doctrine also specifies that, “Such persons must be accepted with respect and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.”
The actual experience of LGBTQ parishioners can vary widely across dioceses and parishes. Many Catholic communities reach out to LGBTQ members to offer as full of a welcome as possible within the limits of a Church policy that does not approve of same-sex relationships, even committed ones. Other parishes have denied membership to LGBTQ individuals and families. There have also been recent instances of LGBTQ employees in the United States being dismissed from Catholic schools and parishes following the celebration of a same-sex couple’s marriage.
There is no official policy regarding transgender individuals in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, though doctrinal teachings clearly equate birth anatomy with gender. The Vatican’s Extraordinary Synod, convened in October 2014, debated several issues related to LGBTQ inclusion but did not address questions regarding transgender church members. However, the experience of transgender Catholics varies depending on their communities, (Tia Pesando, a transgender woman, recently made news when she was accepted to a Carmelite Sisters’ novitiate in Canada.)
In September 2015, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, responsible for enforcing Catholic doctrine, did not permit a transgender man in Spain to serve as a godfather effetively barring transgender Catholics from serving as a baptismal sponsors. The statement concluded:
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/29/us/gay-and-transgender-catholics-urge-pope-francis-to-take-a-stand.html
This post was edited by texasescimo at August 4, 2017 8:49 AM MDT
At various points the author calls attention to the penalty incurred by those who refuse to accept any of the articles therein set down.
The Father Incomprehensible, the Son Incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost Incomprehensible
So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not Three Almighties but One Almighty.
So there is One Father, not Three Fathers; one Son, not Three Sons; One Holy Ghost, not Three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is afore or after Other, None is greater or less than Another, but the whole Three Persons are Co-eternal together, and Co-equal
Who, then, is the author? The results of recent inquiry make it highly probable that the Creed first saw the light in the fourth century, during the life of the great Eastern patriarch, or shortly after his death
The "damnatory", or "minatory clauses", are the pronouncements contained in the symbol, of the penalties which follow the rejection of what is there proposed for our belief. It opens with one of them: "Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith". The same is expressed in the verses beginning: "Furthermore, it is necessary" etc., and "For the right Faith is" etc., and finally in the concluding verse: "This is the Catholic Faith, which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved". Just as the Creed states in a very plain and precise way what the Catholic Faith is concerning the important doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation, so it asserts with equal plainness and precision what will happen to those who do not faithfully and steadfastly believe in these revealed truths..
From a dogmatic standpoint, the merely historical question of the authorship of the Creed, or of the time it made its appearance, is of secondary consideration. The fact alone that it is approved by the Church as expressing its mind on the fundamental truths with which it deals, is all we need to know.
Tex has failed very thoroughly using irrelevant scriptures which have nothing to do with the subject matter.
The transgender concern has nothing to do with homosexuality, sexual acts and sexual passion.
What is your thought on the transgender issue? Are you allowed to think for your self without any food served. by the Watchtower, on this matter?
Pearl 