At the risk of inflaming this discussion (which would only prove my original point anyway, that gut-level emotions have to be dealt with before there can be any sort of mature dialogue on this issue)…

1. Simplicity this side of complexity (eg. children, Pharisees ancient and modern). Caricatured summary: ‘The Bible is our only and supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. The Bible is against homosexuality. The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it.’ An example of a more intelligent/irenic conservative approach: http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/9262.htm

2. Complexity the other side of simplicity (eg. Bishop Spong). Caricatured summary: ‘The Bible says no such thing; homosexuality as an *orientation* was unknown in the ancient world. Homosexuality is a natural part of life. Simply condemning them to life-long celibacy may at best be ignorant, at worst abusive/cruel’ (see eg. http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/14919.htm ) ,

3. Simplicity the other side of complexity (eg. the saints). Caricatured summary: ‘Conservatives and liberals may both be wrong ( http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/9523.htm ) and there may be a “paradigm shift” going on similar to what happened re clean and unclean food/circumcision in the first century or slavery 200 years ago. Back then Christians used the Bible to defend their ‘entrenched conservative’ positions; now only Christian bigots do. (See a local Baptist Scholar’s – Keith Dyer’s – view on this point: http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/12636.htm ).

Keep stirring: some truth-and-love might emerge from all this!

– –

Shalom! Rowland Croucher

“I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity” (Oliver Wendell Holmes)

http://jmm.aaa.net.au/ – 17,700 articles; 4000 jokes/funnies

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