Is homosexuality harmful?

[Nessa]

We shouldnt compare homosexual sin to other sins like lying to make them feel better

And i think sometimes thats the temptation whether people will admit that or not.

[Storyteller]

People that continually like to deflect that homosexuality is no worse than other sins (to the point of minimising it) are no better than the people holding up the signs. Harsh? Probably.

My 10 year old is great at deflecting... He always point the finger to his younger brother and often refuses to own his own actions.

Is it right for the men in the picture to do what they are doing in the way they are doing it?

No.

Doesnt alter the fact that homosexuality is still a sin.

Homosexuals can be just as good at pointing the finger. Is that the fault of similar attitudes such as the guys in the picture? No. Not as long as we are all responsible for our own actions and behaviours.

Ness? Do you mean being homosexual is a sin, or practising it?

We are all sinners, are we not?

Surely degrees of sin is a personal perspective anyway?
I don't think, and correct me if I'm wrong, that God sees sin in degrees, He just sees sin. So homosexuality is no worse (or better) than any of the others.

I sin, a lot, I drink, smoke and I have commited adultery but I am not homosexual, am I "better" than a homosexual? I'm not sure God cares what the sin is, He cares that is a sin.

[Audacity]

Wearing clothes of the opposite sex is a sin?

I'll have to tell my wife that Audacity doesn't approve of her wearing my sweatshirts.

It ain't me. It's your God.


Deuteronomy 22:5 (NIV)
5 A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this.

[Audacity]

So unless I create a thread on every conceivable sin, I'm being unfair?

Unfair to a sin? I wouldn't think so.
But in as much as you decided to tell us that you believe homosexuality is harmful, I figured you'd want to tell us that you believed the others are harmful as well, and perhaps why. Or is homosexuality something you hold dear to your heart and like to talk about?

[Nessa]

People that continually like to deflect that homosexuality is no worse than other sins (to the point of minimising it) are no better than the people holding up the signs. Harsh? Probably.

My 10 year old is great at deflecting... He always point the finger to his younger brother and often refuses to own his own actions.

Is it right for the men in the picture to do what they are doing in the way they are doing it?

No.

Doesnt alter the fact that homosexuality is still a sin.

Homosexuals can be just as good at pointing the finger. Is that the fault of similar attitudes such as the guys in the picture? No. Not as long as we are all responsible for our own actions and behaviours.

Ness? Do you mean being homosexual is a sin, or practising it?

We are all sinners, are we not?

Surely degrees of sin is a personal perspective anyway?
I don't think, and correct me if I'm wrong, that God sees sin in degrees, He just sees sin. So homosexuality is no worse (or better) than any of the others.

I sin, a lot, I drink, smoke and I have commited adultery but I am not homosexual, am I "better" than a homosexual? I'm not sure God cares what the sin is, He cares that is a sin.

The homosexual lifestyle is a sin.

I don't really see anyone as being 'better' than another...

My point was that we have to be careful of not falsely making someone feel better about their sin to the point where it is even questioned IF it's a sin.

[Nessa]

So unless I create a thread on every conceivable sin, I'm being unfair?

Unfair to a sin? I wouldn't think so.
But in as much as you decided to tell us that you believe homosexuality is harmful, I figured you'd want to tell us that you believed the others are harmful as well, and perhaps why. Or is homosexuality something you hold dear to your heart and like to talk about?

I have done over 2000 posts here and probably add another thousand for all those deleted ones

How many revolve around homosexuality? Not many.

Is it something I hold dear to my heart? Well, you're getting rather personal here so....

Enough about me..

[Audacity]

Rick: I'll have to tell my wife that Audacity doesn't approve of her wearing my sweatshirts.

RICK sweats?

And apparently tattoos are a no no for Christians as well.

Leviticus 19:28 (NIV)
28 “‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.

And no drinking?

Isaiah 5:22 (NIV)
22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine
and champions at mixing drinks,

Romans 14:21(NIV)
21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

Granted that I fail to see how eating meat or drinking wine could make my brother or sister to fall, but there it is.

Audacity, where do you come up with this stuff?

It's all in that Bible book. Might want to read it sometime.

[RickD]

Audacity,

You're so good at ripping scripture out of context, and just applying it to those who it was never intended for, that you could almost pass for a Christian.

[Philip]

Nessa wrote: And sex with a prostitute is not necessarily a sin.

Normally, it is!

Rick: Really?

Well, we have this very strange passage in Hosea 1: "When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have dchildren of whoredom, for ethe land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” 3 So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son."

Later, in chapter three, after the wife's whoring continued, we see this: "And the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress...So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. 3 And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.”

Clearly, this is not just about Hosea and Gomer the prostitute - it is also about and parallels Israel's unfaithfulness to the Lord. But it is a weird passage. Maybe someone can shed more light on it. Obviously, Hosea did not want to do this (marry Gomer), but he did obey God and he did love her - as God did, and as He loved Israel, despite it's unfaithfulness and evils.

[Philip]

Story: Homosexuality isn't "natural" Is it harmful? In some ways, yes but I don't think I hold with the opinion it's a choice either, not always.

And so you are basing your opinion upon, what - your feelings, intuition, what APPEARS to be innate in a person - what? Ah, but we all have a SIN nature, do we not? We desire and crave sin. It is NATURAL to us -because it's our NATURE. This is what Scripture tells us. But do we HAVE to act upon our sinful desires, temptations, etc, etc? Course not! I see all manner of gorgeous women that, maybe just for a moment, I have sinful thoughts of what kinds of sexual pursuits might be exciting - but I don't act upon them. The thoughts are sinful enough. And they are natural enough. Just because they are heterosexually based, they are still sinful. Following through on those thoughts with actions - SINFUL, right. So, they are natural to me, and yet sinful.

The other question you must ask yourself is why would God repeatedly tell us that homosexual acts are a great sin - He does, at times, single them out, at least as lumped together with adultery, murder, etc. So how can you conclude that God condemns a person for acting out their sexuality IN A WAY FOR WHICH HE DESIGNED AND BUILT THEM? Does that make a bit of sense? So, either the Scriptures are true, or they are not. You want to start cherry picking what Jesus Himself confirmed? Really, that's a slide down a slippery slope filled with razorblades!

Story: "I had a good friend at school...

Stop right there! - That's merely anecdotal evidence - you can't see that person's heart, mind, or motivations. We are ALL capable of all manner of sins. And all can be forgiven. We are to love all people struggling with all manner of sins. But let's not say ANY sin isn't what GOD says it is. Again, what do you believe about Scripture? I'm reminded of 2 Timothy 4:3: "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions." Truly, we can convince ourselves of all manner of sins as being perfectly fine.

[Storyteller]

I shall ponder on that... get back to you later..

[Audacity]

Audacity,

You're so good at ripping scripture out of context,

Moi? If there's there a context that changes the meaning please share. ......................................Nah, never mind. It isn't that important.

and just applying it to those who it was never intended for, that you could almost pass for a Christian.

No! No! No!

[Nessa]

No! No! No!

Doth protest too much?

[IceMobster]

And sex with a prostitute is not necessarily a sin.

Oh, please do elaborate greatly on this one.

As for the OP, homosexuality is harmful.
Not only because it is simply not with the accordance of the natural law, but also because its agenda plagues society and is, therefore, harmful to the fundamental unit of the society -- marriage and family.

An interesting gif showing when each country in Europe agreed or disagreed with allowing same-sex marriage/civil union:

[Nessa]

And sex with a prostitute is not necessarily a sin.

Oh, please do elaborate greatly on this one.

As for the OP, homosexuality is harmful.
Not only because it is simply not with the accordance of the natural law, but also because its agenda plagues society and is, therefore, harmful to the fundamental unit of the society -- marriage and family.

An interesting gif showing when each country in Europe agreed or disagreed with allowing same-sex marriage/civil union:

I find it interesting and even amusing that people are so quick to think God would never allow it but he did at least once. Even instigated it.

You can't put God in a box.