-
Essay / Understanding Biblical Scholarship
It's funny how "the so-called Christian churches are the first to judge". And yet the Bible speaks of false prophets in the days to come, but yet At the heart of the claim that the Bible is clear "that homosexuality is forbidden by God" is poor biblical scholarship and cultural bias read in the Bible. The Bible says nothing about “homosexuality” as an innate dimension of personality. Sexual orientation was not understood in biblical times. There are references in the Bible to same-sex sexual behavior, and all of them are undeniably negative. But what is condemned in these passages is the violence, idolatry, and exploitation related to the behavior, not the homosexual nature of the behavior. There are references in the Bible to sexual behavior between the sexes that is equally wrong for the same reasons. But no one is arguing that the conviction was because the behavior was between a man and a woman. There was no word in Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek for “homosexual” or “homosexuality.” These words were coined towards the end of the 19th century, when psychoanalysts began to discover and understand sexuality as an essential part of the human personality in all its diversity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Therefore, it cannot be claimed that the Bible says anything about this. The writers of the Bible had neither the understanding nor the necessary language. There is only one reference to sexual behavior between women, and that is in Romans 1:26. The context of this reference has to do with the rejection of the true God by the Gentiles in pursuit of false gods; that is, idolatry. And the sexual behavior described is orgiastic, not that of a loving, mutual, caring, committed relationship. What is condemned is the worship of false gods. Sexuality is a wonderful gift from God. It's more than just genital behavior. It is the way we embody and express ourselves in the world. But we cannot love another person intimately without embodying that love, without using our bodies to love. And that involves genital behavior. The purpose of sexual love is to give and receive pleasure with our most intimate partner. It is a way to deepen and strengthen the intimate union that exists. This can only be healthy and good if our behavior is consistent with who we are and who we love, and if we are true to our own sexuality and orientation. When it comes to marriage, it is important to remember that the Bible was written in a patriarchal culture that assumed men were in control and women were submissive to them. Marriage was not an equal partnership, but a man's ownership of one or more women as property. Women provided men with companionship, children, and work. Certainly, love between the man and the woman(s) could develop, but love was not the basis of marriage. Therefore, the biblical concept of marriage is no longer appropriate today. We no longer accept the inferiority of women and the superiority of men. We no longer accept marriage as a real estate transaction. The concept of marriage has evolved throughout history. Today we understand that it is a voluntary spiritual relationship based on love, respect, reciprocity and commitment. What really matters is the quality of the relationship, not the gender of the people involved. And marriage is not created by religious ceremony or civil government. It is created by the people involved.